ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019 - 29

capstone

LE THBRIDG E COLLEG E

Optimizing a Lacrosse Stick
Using Generative Design
D I S C I PL I N E :

Engineering Design and Drafting Technology

TEAM MEMBERS

Ralph Emerson M. Dabao
Nathan McMurray
Austin Bruder

In Their Own Words...

Our Capstone Project

Ralph: I am a 32-year-old graduate of Engineering Design
and Drafting Technology at Lethbridge College. I previously
worked as a design/drafter and felt my skills were not upto-date with the current technology. I found Lethbridge College has an excellent program, which I used to enhance and
sharpen my abilities, and learn new tips and tricks to be
future-ready in my career. I enjoy endurance sports such as
triathlon, swimming, cycling, and running.

As Canada's national sport increases in popularity, so does
the demand for a competitive edge in lacrosse equipment
design. Two of us had previously played lacrosse competitively, and both had experienced the challenge of breaking
their aluminum sticks after being hit hard. Our goal was to
use generative design to develop a high-strength-to-lowweight ratio aluminum stick. We designed, tested, and 3Dprinted a lacrosse shaft.

Nathan: I am a 22-year-old recent graduate of the Lethbridge College Engineering Design and Drafting Technology
Program. The reason I chose to attend this program was
the level of detail and technical skills involved. I was born,
raised, and currently work in Lethbridge. I enjoy ﬂy ﬁshing,
hiking, and bouldering.

As there are different kinds of aluminum alloy in the market,
we focused on three in particular: 2024-T4; 6061-T6; and,
7075-T6. We chose these because they are closest to the alloys used by major manufacturing companies. We began by
breaking existing aluminum lacrosse sticks using the three
point flexural stress to determine maximum loads. We entered our results into Autodesk Fusion 360, which allowed us
to model and design a new shaft based on real-world data.

Austin: As a proud 19-year-old graduate of the Lethbridge
College Engineering Design and Drafting Technology Program, which I chose because I find the design process fascinating. When I'm not working, I enjoy horseback riding,
dancing, and canoeing. I was born and raised in Pincher
Creek and intend to attend bible school in the fall.

Ultimately, we were able to shave material on the inside
walls without compromising the structural integrity and outside shape for play. By reducing the thickness of the outside
walls of the lacrosse shaft and adding intermediate supports throughout the interior of the shaft, we were able to
increase the strength at some weight penalty.
Further testing with other alloys and better generative algorithms will enhance the strength-to-weight ratio beyond
normal calculations.

TECHNOLOGY ALBERTA | WINTER 2019 | 29

ASET Technology Alberta Winter 2019

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