An Analysis of the Synthetic Shuttlecock as an Alternative and as a Business Opportunity – A Case Study Example of Nylon Shuttlecock

• Main Authors: Huei-Yung Liu, 劉惠淵
• Other Authors: Huann-Ming Chou
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2017
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/8ar4g8

碩士 === 崑山科技大學 === 機械工程研究所 === 106 === Nonetheless, due to the recent increased popularity and higher standards towards this sport in many countries, considerable business opportunities in the related industries are impacted either directly or indirectly, and the most noticeable is the most expendable item of the sport—shuttlecock—and its manufacturing. For centuries, the shuttlecocks used in the sport of badminton are made of goose or duck feathers and have been used for both competitions or leisure events. However, the reduced supply of natural feathers over the years, and on top of it, the spread of the Avian Flu along with other epidemics, have made the supply sparse which resulted in the sharp increase in the cost of natural feathers, and hence the selling price of shuttlecocks affected. So far, there is no relief of this situation in sight. Seeking synthetic substitute products feasible and acceptable to manufacturers and consumers as a solution to solve the low-supply situation therefore has become a hot topic in the badminton community. This paper is a case study of synthetic shuttlecocks made from nylon material. The aspects to be looked into include the following: manufacturing process, the flight path, recovery time, the suitability for use in the actual games, durability of the products, and the level of emulation compared to the traditional feathered shuttlecocks. All these aspects are examined and analyzed to determine whether it is feasible or necessary to replace the shuttlecocks made from natural materials with the ones from the synthetic material. The use of synthetic shuttlecocks in the future, in our opinion, is expected to be bright.