m a r k . r y a n t . d e s i g n s

I o w a S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y

I n d u s t r i a l D e s i g n

P r o j e c t P r o p o s a l

1 / 3 1 / 2 0 1 4

Mark Ryant

Table of Contents

Abstract 3

Aim/ Vision 4

Current solutions or competitor products 5-7

Technologies, Materials and Production methods 7-8

Demographic 8

Research Methodology 8-9

Design Process 9

Conclusions 10

References 11

Appendix 12

Abstract

In the United States over 18.9 million people participate in Archery on a yearly basis (Archery Trade). It is because of this high number that there are so many different types of bows and different types of shooters. Different bows tend to focus on different areas of archery and are made for particular purposes. Two of these types of bows are the Compound and the Recurve (Traditional) bows. However, for the sake of sanity and for the sake of the time at hand I am only going to be focusing on one of these; the Recurve bow.

The Recurve bow is a bow that is recognized as many to be the traditional or old fashioned bow and stays away from the use of foreign materials. As I research this type of bow I would like to introduce and design a form that is compactable, but still resembles a Recurve bow. I am researching and improving the compactness and the convenience of this bow. The Recurve is typically rather large and can be difficult to transport both in a vehicle and while hiking. By researching this problem (compatibility) and possibly finding a solution, the product becomes much more marketable and more attractable. The problems that hover around this particular type of bow tend to be overlooked by archery professionals because of the traditional aspects. Thus it is not driven by technology or financially, but more aesthetically. The designs of the Recurve follow closely to the Native American and traditional English bows.

It is because of the Recurves style and the need to keep the tradition alive that I am interested in designing and manufacturing a compact version of it. I have been using a bow for more than a decade now and recognize the need for a compact, lethal bow that can be easily maneuvered about, and able to be placed in a day or camp pack. This leads me to some of my main research questions. The first would be the Technical requirements for such a product, and if it is manufacture able. Next are the questions regarding the user interface; as in the handle and the overall feel of the bow while shooting, both at targets and at game. And my third major question is how important the traditional materials to the structure of the bow?

Aim/ Vision

As any designer begins a redesign of a product they tend to do research and they create a vision of the final product or the general direction in which they want their product to go. They also form an ideal situation and how they are going to solve the problems that they will encounter along the way. I myself have done the same thing, I have developed an ideal situation about the problem at hand and how it may be solved. The ideal situation for this particular product is developing a bow based off the Recurve bow. The product initially was thought to be collapsible and able to be easily placed into a daypack. My vision for this product is to create such a product I would be able to ultimately use for hunting and target shooting. Where this vision will take me is yet to be determined as the initial designs begin. Another question a designer has to keep in mind is who their target demographic is, or is there even a market for this product. As an avid archer I believe that there is a market for this product

Now is this vision of mine manageable and able to be capitalized on? This I am not sure of as of now. I know that I have particular goals in mind and objectives that I must reach in order to find out. Many of these objectives are hit in the Gantt chart below. As I continue my research and begin to ask companies and fellow archers about this type of product I will begin to develop how the bow should be designed and of what materials should be used.

Current Solutions/ Products

Archery has been a part of society for over 64,000 years, and has been constantly advancing as technology has become available (Wikipedia). The bow has come a long way since its early years, and continues to evolve. The modern day bow is no longer constructed out of young tree saplings or laminated strips of wood. The modern day bow is constructed out of such materials as fiberglass, machined aluminum, veneer, and exotic hard and soft woods. After visiting countless supplier’s websites and manufacture’s websites, only three major bow companies create bows that still hold on to the traditional aspects of the Recurve bow.

The first company is Bear Archery Incorporated. Bear is one of the leading companies in both compound and traditional bows. They create products that highly resemble traditional bows and tend to stick with the materials and styles of the Native American bow. Bear uses modern technology to create such a product quicker and more efficiently. Their traditional bows have a price range of $349.99-829.99 and are all multiple types of woods and materials including domestic and exotic woods and fiberglass.

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The second company that I’m researching is PSE (Precision Shooting Equipment). PSE is also one of the largest archery producers in the United States and has the largest variety of traditional bows. The great majority of their bows are multi-piece; where they are shipped in a smaller box and the customer has to construct it. They are created out of multiple wood types, fiberglass and machined aluminum. They tend to use bolts and fiberglass to strengthen the natural qualities of the wood. They have ten types of traditional recurves and even more choices for the young archer and the competitive shooter.

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The third and final archery company is Hoyt Archery. Hoyt is the leader in almost all things archery; they have some of the most highly skilled engineers and the most up-to-date technology. It is with this technology that they have strayed away from the Recurve bow form. They use this technology and more metal (aluminum) in which they CNC cut. Their bows rely heavily on manufactured materials and are covered in fiberglass for strength and stability. They however, spend the majority of their engineering power on their Compound Bows, and tend to incorporate many aspects of those compound bows into the Recurve bows.

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These three companies have a great majority of the bows on the market; they range greatly from close to the traditional bows to using extremely modern technology to create up-to-date bows. Now do any of these companies use technology that I wish to incorporate into my product? Well both PSE and Hoyt have the collapsible option. They can come apart for transit, but they are difficult to reassemble by one person, especially quickly. This technology I will have to continually research and see if I can incorporate it into my final product.

Technologies, Materials and Production methods

These companies along with others are utilizing every aspect of modern technology; they are constantly introducing newer, stronger, and lighter materials into their designs. They are using CNC and modern machines in order to make the manufacture easier and more efficient. By creating the product in multiple pieces the companies are able to market a product that is able to be easily shipped and assembled in the retail location. As well as shipping costs the multi-piece bow is more appealing for those customers who travel, such as military or college students.

They have introduced Fiberglass and aluminum into the bows. The fiberglass makes the bow able to withstand the abuse and strain that is put on the limbs as well as allowing more release strength (more flexibility). Along with the

fiberglass (mainly PSE) use a piece of machined aluminum in order to create a secure connection between the pieces of their multiple-piece bows. With the use of this piece they also to use an adjustable bolt to secure and release the limbs. PSE uses the metal only to secure the limbs while Hoyt uses machined aluminum for the entire riser, and handle; to make the entire riser stronger, sturdier, and more able to withstand the abuse of shooting.

They have used technologies to use smaller amounts of materials while maintaining the needed attributes of the bow. The materials and production have heavy impact on the market, they impact the other companies, where they challenge each other to create a better quality product using higher quality materials, even if the bow is more expensive. I suppose a person could say the market is getting higher quality products with higher grade materials for a higher price. These products are made to last for decades and tested extensively. Thus they don’t worry about sustainability or environmental impact; they are made in such low quality that they are either handmade or made one at a time.

Demographic

Throughout my design process I have to keep in mind a demographic, those people who enjoy the outdoors. The archer is typically a person who either solely enjoys the sport of archery or who is using their bow for hunting. Typically they’re regular customers at both large retail hunting stores; like Cabalas or Bass Pro Shop, as well as smaller local archery or hunting shops. Some of these customers will be spending of 2 thousand dollars while others will only be spending a couple hundred. The cost differentiation is also the use differentiation, where the more expensive bows are used in competitive archery (Olympics, Collegiate) while the less expensive are typically used for hunting, even though sometimes these do cross. The user has an experience that can be described as one with adventure, adrenaline rush and much more depending on the type of shooting which they are participating in.

Possible Solution and Research Methodology

When I began my research on this project I had multiple solutions in my brain on how to solve the problem of a collapsible recurve bow. I began to immediately brainstorm on solutions without looking at previous solutions and what companies were doing. Then I sat back and started asking questions and started doing general sketches. I began to ask myself questions I had never thought of, such as “why is there a curve?” and “does this make a difference?” I came up with many questions while I was sketching, and began learning why the bows were

designed that way. The sketches to the right are some of many in which I explored the design and character of the bow. I began to research the types of compound bows to compare and contrast the use and purpose of the different bows. This first step of question sketching got me the questions I needed to answer to lead my research.

Now that I had a series of questions ready for research I began looking up companies I knew were well-known and highly respected companies. I soon discovered there are only a few companies, who own the smaller ones. I gained an insight on how the companies are challenged and how they work together to create a higher quality product. I got to physically test a product both of the compound and of the recurve variety and compared them side by side. As I continue my research I will be actively creating a viable solutions and plan on testing by shooting them. As the semester continues my timeline gets more congested and my projects prioritize themselves I plan on working with the companies who make the bows (Hoyt, PSE, Bear, BowTech) in order to make my bow more exact and by not violating patents and to make accurate prototypes.

Design Process

From making initial sketches to making prototypes I have an extensive design process in which I will continue to spend time sketching and making three dimensional models both on the computer and physically. I plan on making multiple models, out of different types of material and methods. By doing this throughout my process I will learn the most effective and best way to make the most accurate bow. My next step in my process is computing the bendability of different wood types and how to create the bow without breaking the wood, and then make the models, while researching different types of hinges to help with the design of a new joint.

Results/ Conclusion

The results of my research are yet to be determined, and continue to grow. I would like to generate results that vary from creating a bow with a hinge type limb to a multi-piece bow that is able to be assembled quickly and quietly. This project when completed will be a great piece for my portfolio and will benefit me greatly in my job search. As I generate this project I continue to look at possible jobs in the archery industry. Through these companies I am looking to receive either a sponsor or to work with their engineers to create a better product.

I look forward to learning more about bows and the engineering and research that goes behind engineering one. I look forward to learning more about what these companies are doing and how they are doing it. Throughout this project I am creating a recurve bow that is collapsible, lethal, and transported easily. I look forward to working through the upcoming problems that I have not come to realize as of now.

References

Easton Foundation (2014). Easton archery center. Retrieved from http://www.eastonarcherycenters.org/

Responsive Management (2013). Archery participation among adult United States residents in 2012. Retrieved from http://www.archerytrade.org/uploads/documents/ATA_Participation_2013_Report_FINAL.pdf

BowTech. (2014). BowTech homepage.

Retrieved from http://www.bowtecharchery.com//

Sleeping Giants Studios. (2014). Matthews Solocams.

Retrieved from http://mathewsinc.com/

Grey Loon Marketing Group. (2014). Hoyt hunting recurves.

Retrieved from

http://www.hoyt.com/recurve_bows/hoyt_recurve_bows_hunting.php

Precision Shooting Equipment. (2014). Traditional recurves by category.

Retrieved from

http://pse-archery.com/c/heritage-recurve-bows_traditional-recurves

Appendix

a. The Bear Archery Inc. Kodiak Recurve Bow

b. The Bear Archery Inc. Super Kodiak Recurve Bow, with fiberglass edging

c. The Bear Archery Inc. Kodiak Magnum Recurve Bow, with Black fiberglass edging

d. The Bear Archery Inc. Super Grizzly Recurve Bow with rose wood and fiberglass

e. The PSE Classic Takedown Bow made of Beech, Siamea, Ebony and Maple woods

f. The PSE Stalker with wood riser and metal limb pockets, shaddock, verawood, and

ramin hard woods, Maple and Macore

g. The PSE Talon with fiberglass core and maple laminate, mycarta, black zebra

wood.

h. The PSE Mustang has a laminated takedown riser made of black walnut and cherry.

i. The Hoyt Buffalo with precision machined aluminum riser and paralever limb system

j. The Hoyt Tiburon has precision machined aluminum riser and fiberglass limbs

k. The Hoyt Dorado Game Master II bridges the gap between high-tech and hard core.