Air hockey is a fast-paced game that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. It is the perfect game for family outings and gets even more entertaining when played in a group. This game will certainly bring out the competitive spirit in any player.
While the rules of hockey may not translate directly to air hockey, it does mean that players have to develop certain skills in order to succeed in this game. One of the most essential elements is the puck. Without good puck control, it is very difficult to ensure that your shots go in.
The problem is that conventional puck engineering does not work that well for air hockey. Pucks for air hockey are designed to be aerodynamic and to slide smoothly on a surface. Manufacturing processes that ensure this quality are very costly and add a lot of unnecessary weight to the puck. This makes them less efficient for use in the game.
This problem is amplified for smaller players. It is all very well being able to control a puck with the best of them, but if you are smaller than the other players, you will struggle to keep up. When this happens, it can lead to frustrating games.
Thankfully, there is a smarter way to build a hockey puck for air hockey and it involves reworking the design of the piece. There are several tips and tricks that can be followed to ensure that your air hockey puck performs better than ever before.
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Foster Better Aerodynamics
The first thing that you should do is remove all sharp angles from the surface of the puck. This may not seem like a big deal but having clean lines and corners makes all the difference. It ensures that the air flows smoothly over the top of the puck as it moves forward. You should also note that a smooth exterior makes for better aerodynamics as well. This reduces the amount of air resistance that the puck experiences as it travels through the air.
One of the major factors that affect the aerodynamics of a hockey puck is its speed. As the speed increases, the efficiency decreases. The faster the puck moves, the more turbulence it creates. This is why, generally, fast-paced games of hockey tend to be more exciting to watch as well.
Thin Out The Puck
Another thing that you can do to make your air hockey puck more efficient is to make it thinner. Thicker pucks are worse in every way. They are heavier which makes them harder to control and they also require more energy to push them around. When comparing the same size and weight pucks, the thinner ones are far superior. Thicker pucks become unresponsive at higher speeds.
You should be able to pick out a thinning pattern on most any hockey puck. This helps reduce the overall weight while also improving the aerodynamics. When a puck is this thin, it is no wonder why most professional boxers use them instead of the standard variety. Pro pucks are designed to be light years ahead of conventional pucks and can make even the strongest arm tire quickly.
Take Less Time To Develop
The best way to improve the speed of a puck is to reduce its development time. This generally means going through fewer stages to reach its final form. You can shorten the time that it takes to produce a puck by using 3D printers to create prototypes and test them in real life. As soon as defects are found, you can fix them and move on to the next prototype.
With shorter development cycles, you can maintain higher production quantities which, in turn, makes it possible to offer customers more attractive pricing structures.
Use Better Materials
The best way to improve the efficiency of a hockey puck is to use better materials. Aluminum is often used for this purpose and the better the material, the better the performance. One of the best options out there is titanium. It is highly lightweight, durable, and improves the speed of every puck that uses it. Unfortunately, the prices for this material are quite high but, in exchange, you get what you pay for. When the best material available is used for the construction of a hockey puck, it results in incredible savings and it allows for more efficient movement.
Make It Attractive
One more thing that you can do to improve the performance of your air hockey puck is to make it more attractive. This means decorating the outside of the hockey puck with pictures, designs, or any other sorts of things that may catch the eye. The most effective way to do this is with stickers. Stickers are cheap and can be changed as often as needed without causing any malfunctions. This is why many hockey puck prototypes use this type of decoration. They can be changed frequently and, in turn, this allows for better results throughout the whole game.
As you can see, there are several different ways in which you can greatly improve the performance of your air hockey puck. If you follow these simple tips and tricks, you will be able to create a smarter, faster, and more efficient hockey puck. With better materials, shorter development times, and more attractive designs, it is no wonder why most professional boxers use custom-made pucks instead of the standard variety.