I remember this project from a while ago! 34 updates in 8 months is amazing. From a goalie that is very tired of reduced vision: your work is invaluable and I look forward to buying this when it's ready. That's the good part; since goalies are willing to shell out $$$ for custom pads, paintjobs, etc, you should have no issue making a return on this.
This has been interesting to follow since I just found this on YouTube. My immediate reaction to this version is I don’t like it as much. Looks too similar to a regular hockey cage and I think goalies/players are drawn to the uniqueness of goalie cages. It also appears to counteract your end goal of increasing visibility. My next reaction was “tennis racquet.” It has the same design, so….having said that, maybe that is something to look into? Is their strength built around that woven design? Additionally, racquet strings are wrapped around the outside of the racquet. Maybe looking into that design will give you some answers or additional ideas? Anyway, just ideas for thought…
Very cool concept you have been designing and I wish you the best of luck!
Thanks Tom! I think it'll look a lot different from regular cages once I make it for real. The CAD model hides the uniqueness of the rope bars. But we'll see -- you let me know after the next update. As for the visibility, I did add more "bars" to prevent stick intrusions. For now, I feel more comfortable going that direction but eventually might be open to more of a cheater cage. As a platform, this should actually even have better visibility than my original design.
Good thought on the racquets. I have considered it, but can't think of a way to incorporate those ideas into my cage. Maybe it'll come to me someday.
Wow this design look great! Now it feel like a even better improvement by far. The crossbar made the design like a half improvement. This look like the real deal!
Functionally, removing the bar would cause there to be flatter planes for the rope cage. I don't know how this would affect visibility or comfort but I could see it being an issue. At the very least it would be less aesthetic. By positioning the ropes on an angled anchor (and positioning those anchors relative to the field of vision) you might be able to overcome that problem should it arise. I'm looking at this as a designer, not an engineer so I don't know how that would change the product's integrity.
Personally, I think it's actually a tiny bit better looking, but it might just be a matter of personal preference (or my coping mechanism). The anchor angle and position probably is the ticket, but I think I'll wait to fine tune until I have cages out to goalies for testing, so I can tweak to their liking. Thanks for the comment!
It makes me happy that you are working directly with the users to fine tune the product. User research and feedback is extremely important. It's also often overlooked. Keep up the great work (and interesting documentation) :)
I think you should start using metal 3D printing. Not for the full frame as it would be stupid expensive, but for at least the left and right side (vertical part). Then you could insert the metal tube inside that part and use brazing or JB weld to lock it in place. You could also use that same method for other more complex part of the mask. Look at PCBway, they can print in titanium and stainless steel. You could use fiber glass reinforced nylon for the early prototyping then shift to metal when design is more refined.
I have thought about it, but the trouble is that metal 3d printing seems to have similar material properties as a cast metal in that it's pretty brittle (ie, not very good for impacts). So as enticing as it seems from a design standpoint, from my understanding, it probably wouldn't be robust enough for my purposes. Will take another look though, thanks
Your comment made me research metal 3d printing techniques,
One article compares DMLS (laser sintering, more common) with SLM (selective laser melting), and states that unlike SLM, DMLS has no internal stresses which improves its properties. Not sure this is always a good thing, given that tempered glass is impact resistant thanks to internal stresses.
Meanwhile, another paper calls DMLS aluminium "brittle" and "unsuitable for cyclic loading"
PCB does also offer a cnc machining service which costs less than I expected (at least for aluminium) and with automated quote.
(not posting links in case my comment gets blocked)
That sounds promising but that's probably way down the line. Just trying to stick to more boring, basic manufacturing that I'm more confident in at the moment.
CNC would be nice, but to make something like what I'd need - it would be 5 axis from a massive billet, probably out of my budget
Reading this article I would consider releasing a model that requires refurbishment. For professionals the advantage of weight and visibility might be worth paying for. Even if you have to send it in for rope replacement every 5 games or similar.
I have the same thought actually. Whenever I finally get around to on-ice testing, I intend to have an artificial limit on life span that I slowly expand (I liken it to envelope expansion in aerospace). So send a goalie a cage, then a replacement after a week, so I can inspect the original. Then two weeks and so on until I have a good idea on true lifespan.
Spent the past week reading through this whole blog. Was really great to go through, and I really appreciate seeing the design process being so thoroughly documented here.
I will admit, I actually started with this latest update, and then went back to read the rest of the blog. Tough to see how much work you put in to try and keep the crossbar, knowing you'd eventually ditch it. Honestly though, I think this seems like a better direction. While intriguing, you're previous prototypes didn't pass the eye test for me. They looked too over designed, and even if you got a successful version I couldn't see how you'd be able to clean up the look without introducing a whole load of new issues.
This new version already feels like something more practical. And even with this straight cage setup, I would imagine with the Dyneema Thread being so much thinner than the metal cage, you're going to be getting improved vision benefits. I have to think you'll be able to create many different "cage" layouts as well with this kind of setup (a "cheater cage" with this seems very do-able).
I hope you're able to keep at it. As a goalie, this has been a fascinating journey and can't wait to see where it goes.
If only you could have warned past me haha. I agree with you, going back and looking at those past prototypes, they seem a little ... optimistic, but they did get me to where I am now, so can't complain too much.
In terms of feel too, the new cage feels a lot more solid. And exactly, I think this does lend itself to more customization, cheater version like you say -- but also maybe adjusting for eye and nose placement for different pros, like a Bobrovsky whose eyes are right at the top of the cutout.
Thanks for the kind words and for coming along for the ride!
I've looked at a few different patterns -- diagonal didn't really work on this design, the ropes would get too close to the face. I am currently planning on different diameter for the horizontal and vertical ropes, but we'll see how that goes. Good thoughts!
I remember this project from a while ago! 34 updates in 8 months is amazing. From a goalie that is very tired of reduced vision: your work is invaluable and I look forward to buying this when it's ready. That's the good part; since goalies are willing to shell out $$$ for custom pads, paintjobs, etc, you should have no issue making a return on this.
Love to see progress! Looks good. Can’t wait to see how it turns out.
This has been interesting to follow since I just found this on YouTube. My immediate reaction to this version is I don’t like it as much. Looks too similar to a regular hockey cage and I think goalies/players are drawn to the uniqueness of goalie cages. It also appears to counteract your end goal of increasing visibility. My next reaction was “tennis racquet.” It has the same design, so….having said that, maybe that is something to look into? Is their strength built around that woven design? Additionally, racquet strings are wrapped around the outside of the racquet. Maybe looking into that design will give you some answers or additional ideas? Anyway, just ideas for thought…
Very cool concept you have been designing and I wish you the best of luck!
Sincerely, Tom Sampair
Thanks Tom! I think it'll look a lot different from regular cages once I make it for real. The CAD model hides the uniqueness of the rope bars. But we'll see -- you let me know after the next update. As for the visibility, I did add more "bars" to prevent stick intrusions. For now, I feel more comfortable going that direction but eventually might be open to more of a cheater cage. As a platform, this should actually even have better visibility than my original design.
Good thought on the racquets. I have considered it, but can't think of a way to incorporate those ideas into my cage. Maybe it'll come to me someday.
Wow this design look great! Now it feel like a even better improvement by far. The crossbar made the design like a half improvement. This look like the real deal!
Functionally, removing the bar would cause there to be flatter planes for the rope cage. I don't know how this would affect visibility or comfort but I could see it being an issue. At the very least it would be less aesthetic. By positioning the ropes on an angled anchor (and positioning those anchors relative to the field of vision) you might be able to overcome that problem should it arise. I'm looking at this as a designer, not an engineer so I don't know how that would change the product's integrity.
Personally, I think it's actually a tiny bit better looking, but it might just be a matter of personal preference (or my coping mechanism). The anchor angle and position probably is the ticket, but I think I'll wait to fine tune until I have cages out to goalies for testing, so I can tweak to their liking. Thanks for the comment!
It makes me happy that you are working directly with the users to fine tune the product. User research and feedback is extremely important. It's also often overlooked. Keep up the great work (and interesting documentation) :)
I think you should start using metal 3D printing. Not for the full frame as it would be stupid expensive, but for at least the left and right side (vertical part). Then you could insert the metal tube inside that part and use brazing or JB weld to lock it in place. You could also use that same method for other more complex part of the mask. Look at PCBway, they can print in titanium and stainless steel. You could use fiber glass reinforced nylon for the early prototyping then shift to metal when design is more refined.
I have thought about it, but the trouble is that metal 3d printing seems to have similar material properties as a cast metal in that it's pretty brittle (ie, not very good for impacts). So as enticing as it seems from a design standpoint, from my understanding, it probably wouldn't be robust enough for my purposes. Will take another look though, thanks
Your comment made me research metal 3d printing techniques,
One article compares DMLS (laser sintering, more common) with SLM (selective laser melting), and states that unlike SLM, DMLS has no internal stresses which improves its properties. Not sure this is always a good thing, given that tempered glass is impact resistant thanks to internal stresses.
Meanwhile, another paper calls DMLS aluminium "brittle" and "unsuitable for cyclic loading"
PCB does also offer a cnc machining service which costs less than I expected (at least for aluminium) and with automated quote.
(not posting links in case my comment gets blocked)
That sounds promising but that's probably way down the line. Just trying to stick to more boring, basic manufacturing that I'm more confident in at the moment.
CNC would be nice, but to make something like what I'd need - it would be 5 axis from a massive billet, probably out of my budget
Reading this article I would consider releasing a model that requires refurbishment. For professionals the advantage of weight and visibility might be worth paying for. Even if you have to send it in for rope replacement every 5 games or similar.
I have the same thought actually. Whenever I finally get around to on-ice testing, I intend to have an artificial limit on life span that I slowly expand (I liken it to envelope expansion in aerospace). So send a goalie a cage, then a replacement after a week, so I can inspect the original. Then two weeks and so on until I have a good idea on true lifespan.
Spent the past week reading through this whole blog. Was really great to go through, and I really appreciate seeing the design process being so thoroughly documented here.
I will admit, I actually started with this latest update, and then went back to read the rest of the blog. Tough to see how much work you put in to try and keep the crossbar, knowing you'd eventually ditch it. Honestly though, I think this seems like a better direction. While intriguing, you're previous prototypes didn't pass the eye test for me. They looked too over designed, and even if you got a successful version I couldn't see how you'd be able to clean up the look without introducing a whole load of new issues.
This new version already feels like something more practical. And even with this straight cage setup, I would imagine with the Dyneema Thread being so much thinner than the metal cage, you're going to be getting improved vision benefits. I have to think you'll be able to create many different "cage" layouts as well with this kind of setup (a "cheater cage" with this seems very do-able).
I hope you're able to keep at it. As a goalie, this has been a fascinating journey and can't wait to see where it goes.
If only you could have warned past me haha. I agree with you, going back and looking at those past prototypes, they seem a little ... optimistic, but they did get me to where I am now, so can't complain too much.
In terms of feel too, the new cage feels a lot more solid. And exactly, I think this does lend itself to more customization, cheater version like you say -- but also maybe adjusting for eye and nose placement for different pros, like a Bobrovsky whose eyes are right at the top of the cutout.
Thanks for the kind words and for coming along for the ride!
I’m sure there would be interest from the cricket playing community as well.
Kind of sad to see the tensegrity aspect of the design go, but it makes sense.
Yeah, it was just turning into too much of a science project. Maybe I can come back to it someday
seems like you are onto something! have you even considered varying the density of the ropes? maybe a diagonal pattern denser lower?
I've looked at a few different patterns -- diagonal didn't really work on this design, the ropes would get too close to the face. I am currently planning on different diameter for the horizontal and vertical ropes, but we'll see how that goes. Good thoughts!