[Question] Infinite disc possibilities?

[Moose33]

I was looking back and the mold creation explosion of we the last 3/5 years as well as the more distant past and it got me thinking about where equipment in our sport is heading in the future.

25 years ago the Super Puppy, Midnight Flyer and a few other oddities like the Bullet were around and basically all that was available.

In the mid 90s we got great steps forward like the Roc, Aviar, and Viper.

The next decade brought us the Orc/Wraith/Destroyer/Boss progression and other instant classics like the Wizard and Buzzz.

And we have gotten to the point where 100s of amazing discs from more than a dozen companies giving players so many options it can make your head spin.

Not only can you now say, "I'd like a disc to fly like X" you can go as far to say in many cases," I'd like a disc that flies like X and feels like X in X type of plastic".

We even have funky niche discs that continue to sell even though they are bizarre. I'm looking at you Epic.

What will the next generation of discs bring?

Are inbedded lights and bells and whistles like the Tobu disc where we are heading?

Higher quality manufacturing or raw materials?

How many variations of the Roc will there be in 10 years?

What do you think the future of discs looks like?

 

[Snap-it]

WAY too many choices is messing people up

 

[hugheshilton]

I think the answer to this depends on what happens to the professional side of disc golf as a sport. If disc golf blows up and becomes a truly mainstream sport like ball golf or soccer or tennis then there will be a lot more money in it. That money would allow companies to put some real $$$ into R&D which could create actual breakthroughs. I'm not talking about DaveD or the MVP bros tinkering with molds and pennies and such. I'm talking about teams of PhD's doing real research. There still isn't nearly enough money in the sport to afford the kind of research that goes into ball golf clubs or tennis rackets or football helmets. Currently it seems like most manufacturers are just shooting in the dark in terms of creating molds, and we know that most of them have to use cast-off, leftover plastic pellets from bigger industries.

There might also be some real separation in disc prices. You might have $40 discs alongside the current ones, but those discs would be molded with precision from the exact same plastic mix every time so that there was 0 variation across runs. People already pay those sorts of prices for certain runs of existing molds that they know will fly a certain way (for example, Destroyers). I'm guessing if the sport got big enough, you could easily find people who would pay for that sort of consistency.

In the end, I think it all comes down to the $$. If the professional side of the sport stays the size it is now, then I think we will stay where we are in terms of equipment: companies puttering along, tinkering and making things they *think* will fly well or sell well. If it grows and gets some real public interest and advertising dollars, then the equipment will follow as well.

 

[jcassidy1990]

I love the rapidly evolving options that are available to players.
I understand that it can be overwhelming but most new players find their way if they are interested enough. Just a little bit of online research and you will be lead to Roc, Teebird, etc.

The thing that I am most excited for is the technological advances that are being made. MVP has brought the overmold to prominence & plastics are always being tweaked to provide more grip & superior durability.
One of the coolest developments of recent memory for me is the Ozone Discs + - configuration of discs. This allows the player to have two identical feeling discs that possess inherently different stability. I think the Andro+ and Andro- are going to be really hot items going into 2016.

 

[Stable]

I like options and open competition between companies. This forces all these companies to stay on top of their game and produce better products. When I started playing (2004) all I knew was Innova. All the best players I was around threw Aviars, Rocs and Teebirds. Now, I'm able to piece a bag together that highlights my individual needs and skill set. I also like there are more companies now because it means more sponsored pros.

One thing I would like to see in the future is some kind of recycle program. With all this plastic being made over the years, how about a program where you send a company 10-15 unused old discs and get some kind of credit towards a new one or something. Just brainstorming here.

 

[BrotherDave]

I remember the days when someone suggested a Roc and somebody would say "Which one, Rancho, Ontario or Sanny?" Those were simpler times. :|

 

[asc349]

If it continues to grow it's only a matter of time until nike gets involved. Who knows what they will bring to the table. They saw the value in making clubs for Tiger and now they have a big share in golf equipment. PS: I hate nike

I think we will see bigger advancements in specific clothing and apparel including how you carry your discs before anything too dramatic in discs themselves.

 

[bogeyfreetilinfinity]

it won't be long before we see a device that goes into a tobu style disc that measures disc velocity and spin rate, which would be really fun for field work.

 

[hugheshilton]

it won't be long before we see a device that goes into a tobu style disc that measures disc velocity and spin rate, which would be really fun for field work.

That would actually be pretty awesome. Gyroscopes and sensor array modules are so small now, you probably could just about embed one into a disc and then make it talk to your phone via bluetooth to transfer the data after a throw. It could give you so much information about your throws (OAT, spin, etc.). That could also help disc companies simulate how a disc would fly for different levels of players since they could see how it flew on drives with measured amounts of OAT, etc.

 

[SD86]

Interesting subject.

I think that the big breakthroughs will be in the plastics. Quality and feel and flight improvements.

With 3d printing, it may be possible to create your own design for the speed, glide, turn and fade that you want, and Hey, presto! it comes out of your printer, ready to throw!

There might be an examination of the technology vis-a-vis wind resistance, etc., but IMHO a lot of this has been done. The Missilen tried the dimples, and I'm not sure we've seen success there.

Other side technologies, such as imbedded chips to find your discs (and help find perps who steal discs) is also going get there.

 

[Stable]

With 3d printing, it may be possible to create your own design for the speed, glide, turn and fade that you want, and Hey, presto! it comes out of your printer, ready to throw!

I think there would be an issue of paying for the material in order to produce something like Champion/Star/GStar blends that would create a quality/durable disc.

 

[hugheshilton]

I think there would be an issue of paying for the material in order to produce something like Champion/Star/GStar blends that would create a quality/durable disc.

Yes today that is definitely true, but we're talking about a decade from now. It might actually STILL be true; I suspect mass production will always be cheaper than 3D printing one-offs. However, you never know what could happen in a decade, and 3D printing really is still in its infancy as a technology.

 

[SD86]

I think there would be an issue of paying for the material in order to produce something like Champion/Star/GStar blends that would create a quality/durable disc.

If 3D printing becomes a big thing, then the plastics are not going to be the issue. They'll be part of the 3D printing solution.

 

[pjhayes7]

Yes today that is definitely true, but we're talking about a decade from now. It might actually STILL be true; I suspect mass production will always be cheaper than 3D printing one-offs. However, you never know what could happen in a decade, and 3D printing really is still in its infancy as a technology.

I think Manufacturers will start becoming more protective of specific molds. Yes the Innova Patent no longer is in effect, but I could see an argument being made that the specific design for particular molds being more protected. With the ability to just scan an object and then print a duplicate, the continued decreasing cost of the printing, and the desire for the original manufacturer to protect the property they spent money creating and promoting, I see this becoming an issue going forward. Its not like discs are complicated like something with moving parts. Either the price for discs will have to dramatically decrease to price out printed copies or the manufacturers will have to fight to protect their intellectual property.

 

[SD86]

I think Manufacturers will start becoming more protective of specific molds. Yes the Innova Patent no longer is in effect, but I could see an argument being made that the specific design for particular molds being more protected. With the ability to just scan an object and then print a duplicate, the continued decreasing cost of the printing, and the desire for the original manufacturer to protect the property they spent money creating and promoting, I see this becoming an issue going forward. Its not like discs are complicated like something with moving parts. Either the price for discs will have to dramatically decrease to price out printed copies or the manufacturers will have to fight to protect their intellectual property.

You make good points, but what I was saying was that one can design one's own discs, 3D print 'em out, and use them. Not going into the legal arenas of sales, etc., just creation and personal use.

And this technology is years away in the overall. But it's new and exciting now, and something we may see in the future...

 

[hugheshilton]

I think Manufacturers will start becoming more protective of specific molds. Yes the Innova Patent no longer is in effect, but I could see an argument being made that the specific design for particular molds being more protected. With the ability to just scan an object and then print a duplicate, the continued decreasing cost of the printing, and the desire for the original manufacturer to protect the property they spent money creating and promoting, I see this becoming an issue going forward. Its not like discs are complicated like something with moving parts. Either the price for discs will have to dramatically decrease to price out printed copies or the manufacturers will have to fight to protect their intellectual property.

I'm not sure that the combination of 3D home scanning and 3D home printing is ever going to be good enough to create a disc that flies really close to the original. As we know, tiny variances in things like wing height can create big differences in flight. Still, I suppose if home scanning/printing ever got good enough, that COULD be an issue.

What I was thinking when I thought about 3D printing was more like maybe Innova places a 3D printing kiosk in your local store instead of stocking them with discs. Then you go up to the kiosk, choose your disc, your plastic, and your weight and 5 minutes later you've got a disc to take home. If it took a while to finish, maybe you put an order into the machine and take a ticket with a code on it, and then half an hour later you come back and enter the code, pay, and collect your discs. Something like that would be really excellent for end users. Also, once the machine was installed, all the store would have to do is stock it with plastic occasionally, and it would get people in the door which might make for other sales.

 

[SD86]

What I was thinking when I thought about 3D printing was more like maybe Innova places a 3D printing kiosk in your local store instead of stocking them with discs. Then you go up to the kiosk, choose your disc, your plastic, and your weight and 5 minutes later you've got a disc to take home. If it took a while to finish, maybe you put an order into the machine and take a ticket with a code on it, and then half an hour later you come back and enter the code, pay, and collect your discs. Something like that would be really excellent for end users. Also, once the machine was installed, all the store would have to do is stock it with plastic occasionally, and it would get people in the door which might make for other sales.

That would be interesting, too. And for more than just DG discs...

 

[joecoin]

I'm not sure that the combination of 3D home scanning and 3D home printing is ever going to be good enough to create a disc that flies really close to the original. As we know, tiny variances in things like wing height can create big differences in flight. Still, I suppose if home scanning/printing ever got good enough, that COULD be an issue.

What I was thinking when I thought about 3D printing was more like maybe Innova places a 3D printing kiosk in your local store instead of stocking them with discs. Then you go up to the kiosk, choose your disc, your plastic, and your weight and 5 minutes later you've got a disc to take home. If it took a while to finish, maybe you put an order into the machine and take a ticket with a code on it, and then half an hour later you come back and enter the code, pay, and collect your discs. Something like that would be really excellent for end users. Also, once the machine was installed, all the store would have to do is stock it with plastic occasionally, and it would get people in the door which might make for other sales.

Good concept, but I'm going to email the machine so that my discs are ready when I get there.All I have to do is swipe my arm (with the credit chip embedded in it) across the scanner on the machine and my discs will come flying out (with lots of oat).

 

[hugheshilton]

Good concept, but I'm going to email the machine so that my discs are ready when I get there.All I have to do is swipe my arm (with the credit chip embedded in it) across the scanner on the machine and my discs will come flying out (with lots of oat).

Lol, good point! It would certainly beat ordering online and waiting 10 days for the "free" shipping. I'm also guessing there would be pretty good consistency if you made 2 of the same disc on the same machine, at least until it got a new batch of plastic.