DuPont at ISPO 2005 Golf tee made of Flexible HytrelR for Effective Advertising
July 14, 2005
MUNICH -- 'T-JACK' is a creative approach to golf tees and an effective promotional gift for fans of the sport. Its stable base and height-adjustable bellows are made of DuPont?Hytrel? a thermoplastic elastomer which combines many of the best properties of high performance elastomers with those of flexible polymers. The robust and printable material ensures that 'T-JACK' will endure many rounds of golf unscathed, and therefore represents a long-term and effective advertising medium.
According to Dr. Reinhold Grabosch, keen golf-player and inventor of the innovative tee: "As opposed to traditional types of tee made of plastic, wood or biomass, the patent-protected 'T-JACK' is extremely durable, and does not damage the golf-club or lawnmower blades. As it only weighs 2.4 grams, it does not go too far when you tee-off - making it easier to find afterwards. This helps save on the number of tees required during a round, as well as reducing the environmental damage caused by tees left on the course."
Selection of the most suitable material for 'T-JACK' was carried out by Grabosch together with Biesterfeld, distributors of DuPont engineering polymers, and the processor rose plastic GmbH, Hergensweiler/Lindau (Germany): "We tried numerous thermoplastics, including polyethylene, polyurethane, polyoxymethylene and polyamide. But it was only the tees made of DuPont Hytrel?thermoplastic elastomer that were able to withstand countless tee-offs without damage. Furthermore, it was the only material with sufficient stiffness to fix the bellows of the tee at the required height without them quickly springing back to their original position."
'T-JACK' comprises two parts - the injection-moulded base and the detachable bellows, which are manufactured by extrusion blow moulding. Wear and tear resistant Hytrel?4068 is used for the base, providing an excellent printing surface. The bellows are made of Hytrel?4275, a grade optimised for blow moulding. Both grades are so soft that the golf-club remains undamaged should it hit the tee.
Due to the split design, the base and bellows can be put together in any colour combination and to meet corporate design guidelines. States Grabosch: "The surface area of the base is close to 13 cm?, ample space for cost-effective printing. Adjustability, the unusual design, and the constant use of this promotional gift during a round of golf help convey advertising messages to this specific target group."
'T-JACK' can be individually adjusted to the preferred height, and because it is simply placed on the ground without being inserted, it can be used just as easily on both hard and soft surfaces. The ball-shaped, nobbled depression on top of the 'T-JACK' holds the golf-ball both perfectly and stably. Because the tee can be taken apart, the user can also choose to tee-off from the base alone. This enables an incremental teeing off height from a minimum of 12 mm up to 50 mm, meeting the needs of both the hobby and professional golfer.
The DuPont Engineering Polymers business manufactures and sells Crastin?PBT and Rynite?PET thermoplastic polyester resins, Delrin?acetal resins, Hytrel?thermoplastic polyester elastomers, DuPont ETPV engineering thermoplastic vulcanizates, Minlon?mineral-reinforced nylon resins, Thermx?polycyclohexylene-dimethylene terephthalate, Tynex?nylon filaments, Vespel?parts and shapes, Zenite?liquid crystal polymers and Zytel?nylon resins and Zytel?HTN High Performance Polyamide. These products serve global markets in the aerospace, appliance, automotive, consumer, electrical, electronic, industrial, sporting goods and many other diversified industries.
DuPont is a science company. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by creating sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer, healthier life for people everywhere. Operating in more than 70 countries, DuPont offers a wide range of innovative products and services for markets including agriculture, nutrition, electronics, communications, safety and protection, home and construction, transportation and apparel.
