How would you make a non legal blade?

[ToH]

If you where to make a blade without wood. What material would you choose to make it from? This is offcourse not legal in competition, but its just for curiosity. (Or for those who are tired of their blade get destroyd during rubber change/want a blade from a dead material).

 

[zeio]

All composite and perhaps with a mix of metal.

 

[igorponger]

Non wood blades is most debatable subject under consideration within ITTF at present time.
HONG KONG ASSOCIATION is the original applicant for non wood materials.

Be happy all.

The draft of rule 2.4.1 as proposed by HKTTA.
📛 the blade shall be made of one or more layers of natural wood or other solid materials, without cavities and not compressible.

This was introduced in the "

https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1050990/ittf-to-explore-shift-away-from-wooden-table-tennis-rackets

 

[belllfador]

Pure carbon for offense and 3D printed for defense.

 

[Tyce]

Plastics or artificially formed wood (think mdf) might be interesting for their uniform composition.

 

[Topspinslinger]

See through plastic core combined with paper/ cardboard outer layers.
Super flexible core combined with a soft still outer layer I'd imagine

 

[ToH]

yes, i was thinking maybe a layer with soft epoxy on the outside? And wood/plastic blade?

 

[tzifos]

Single ply or 3D printed?!?!? (don't know which material) with concave (like a lens) head (like 12~15mm thick @ outer and 6mm @ center ) so more "ball" would be in touch with the blade anytime.

 

[lodro]

soft epoxy ???????

 

[Dr Evil]

I think the main challenge for a no wood blade is the top ply. Wood has an ideal range of stiffness and compliance. It yields a little on light contact but doesn’t collapse on hard contact. It also naturally damps annoying high-frequency vibrations while letting through useful lower-frequency feedback. Hard to find an ideal substitute that doesn't feel either glassy (too many highs) or dead (overdamped). Good top ply wood like koto, limba or hinoki transitions from soft touch to power more smoothly than most plastics/composites that have a less linear/more two-gear response. Wood is also easy to bond to, easy to sand/finish, and tends to fail gracefully.

 

[yoass]

If you where to make a blade without wood. What material would you choose to make it from? This is offcourse not legal in competition, but its just for curiosity. (Or for those who are tired of their blade get destroyd during rubber change/want a blade from a dead material).

Just this week, a young player tossed me a Cybershape blade he had 3D-printed.

 

[ToH]

Just this week, a young player tossed me a Cybershape blade he had 3D-printed.

How did it play and what material did he use?

 

[coreywong]

I’m all in on Spider Silk (Dragline Silk), encased in hide glue, sealed with cnf and pu coating.

Spider silk has a higher toughness (energy absorption) than Kevlar. I would imagine a it's light and it's a blade that has the 'catch' of a trampoline (insane dwell time) but the tensile strength of steel.

It wouldn't feel pingy or crisp like Carbon. It would feel like a tensioned bowstring.

You catch the ball in the web, store 100% of the energy, and slingshot it back. I guess the blade should be rather thin too.

Now I just need to find a supplier for genetically modified Bio-Steel... or start a very dangerous spider farm in my kitchen. 😂

 

[yoass]

How did it play and what material did he use?

I bounce a few balls of it, didn't happen to have cybershaped slabs around for a quick try.

I think he used polycarbonate, but I'm not entirely sure. That few bounces didn't feel all that remarkable.

 

[merlin el mago]

Easy not using wood...