Anderson Bat Q & A

[Tumblebug]

The Rumor Of My Demise Has Been Greatly Exaggerated! -- Mark Twain

Every time we introduce an exciting new product, rumors of our demise spring up. We have had an incredible spring. We released the redesigned TechZilla, the updated RocketTech, the Improved Techzilla XP (-9 (2 1/4) youth baseball), the Nanotek XS (-3 baseball), the Nanotek XT (-5 baseball), the KXR8 (-8 senior League baseball), the KXR10 (-10 senior League baseball) and the Nanotek SP (slowpitch softball).

The K-series is built from a brand new alloy. The NanoTek is a whole new, all metal composite, technology featuring the "LaunchPad" design! I can't be more excited about our future. There are still a lot of surprises in store from us. Stay tuned . . .

I'm new to HeyBucket but as the Anderson Bat Chief Engineer, I invite you to ask any technical questions you may have about Anderson Bats in particular or the physics of the ball/bat collision in general.

Steven Anderson
Anderson Bat Company, LLC

[anonlooker]

Welcome to The Bucket, and since you asked...

What does "all metal composite" mean? Is it like an alloy? What metals, in what proportion? ( Or is that closely guarded? )

What is "Launch Pad design"? is it used in any fastpitch bats? will it be?

How do you come up with the precise 'composite' of metals? Do you test a few? several hundred? thousands? before you decide what goes into production?

How much time goes into engineering a new bat, from concept to production? What decisions go into the process?

Do you also test the competition's bats? Why do so many Easton bats suck?

Now can I swap my DD's first edition Techzilla for the new redesigned version?

[GIMNEPIWO]

Welcome to The Bucket, and since you asked...

Now can I swap my DD's first edition Techzilla for the new redesigned version?

Sure you can ... for $300 including shipping and handling !

[Sftbll4ever]

Welcome to The Bucket, and since you asked...

What does "all metal composite" mean? Is it like an alloy? What metals, in what proportion? ( Or is that closely guarded? )

What is "Launch Pad design"? is it used in any fastpitch bats? will it be?

How do you come up with the precise 'composite' of metals? Do you test a few? several hundred? thousands? before you decide what goes into production?

How much time goes into engineering a new bat, from concept to production? What decisions go into the process?

Do you also test the competition's bats? Why do so many Easton bats suck?

Now can I swap my DD's first edition Techzilla for the new redesigned version?

Holy Crap, I don't think he realized what can of worms he opened up with all the questions.

[Tumblebug]

WOW! You could have started me out with some easy questions first. A complete answer to all of the questions would take a very long answer and a while to author. But, I do my best to keep it brief and so I’ll take them one at a time.

 What is an “All Metal Composite?”

The confusion lies in the common usage of the term composite. It is generally related to the resin-over-fiber manufacturing technique used in building some of the current bat products. However, the question is more easily answered when you look to the actual definition of the word composite.

A composite is a mixture of different components or a structural material that gains its strength from a combination of complementary materials. A brick made from dirt and straw is a composite structure.

Resin-over-fiber is a composite structure. A proprietary high strength, extremely-elastic-exotic alloy over a well-engineered-aluminum alloy with a particularly high strength to weight ratio is a composite structure. Our all-metal composite is the later. Understandably the details are closely guarded.


 What is "Launch Pad design"? is it used in any fastpitch bats? Will it be?

The Nanotek Launchpad is an entirely metal composite design that creates a highly reactive hitting area while putting the weight directly behind the ball and strategically placing counteractive weight to optimize MOI.

The design is the result of a decade-old concept that was only made possible with the new material advancements. The Launchpad is a layer of super-hard, super-elastic material that is bonded at the atomic level over the entire effective hitting area. Because the Launchpad is harder and stronger it isolates the work area of the barrel from the underlying aluminum substrate shell. What that means is that, because of the isolation, the underlying shell does not retain the residual vibrational energy from the ball-bat impact that normally travels up and down the length of the bat and is lost in a typical single-piece-bat design, nor is the energy absorbed in the connection as it is in a two-piece-bat design. The energy is captured in the Launchpad section of the Nanotek bat and because the Launchpad has higher elasticity it allows a more efficient transfer of the energy to the flight of the ball. Because of the barrel isolation with unlike materials the effective hitting area is larger by more than double.

The NanoTek FP model is on the drawing board but there is no projected release date yet.

 How do you come up with the precise 'composite' of metals? Do you test a few? several hundred? thousands? before you decide what goes into production?


The precise composite of materials is initially mathematically generated, electronic-solid models are created based on the calculations and Finite Element Analysis is performed on each model. The performance tests are initially simulated mathematically and virtually. Most of the design iterations are weeded out in this process. The most promising are prototyped and lab tested. The best of those are created in a pilot-prototype production basis and extensive field testing is done. The final product is built in a manufacturing-pilot production basis and the manufacturing process is established. Final product and process approval initiates the product release.

 How much time goes into engineering a new bat, from concept to production? What decisions go into the process?

Each product and its own unique design cycle and every product is different in its own way. Each product has an evolution, both before and after the release for sale. The K-series bats took about 4 months from concept to release the NanoTek-series took 10 years. I think the decisions are outlined in the previous answer except for the initial decisions for performance and price points.

 Do you also test the competition's bats? Why do so many Easton bats suck?

This one is a little more sensitive. We test all of our competitors. Easton is technologically the toughest competitor but obviously not the only competent engineering group in the industry. The industry moves in a sort of “leap frog” kind of way. One company gains an edge with a new technology and the competitors develop new technology until they “leap” the other. In my opinion, the resin-over-fiber “composite” technology is in need of a refresher after all of the changes imposed by certification testing to eliminate break-in performance improvement and illegal bat altering (doctoring).

 Now can I swap my DD's first edition Techzilla for the new redesigned version?

Now why would you want to trade away a “first edition” anything? It might be worth something someday.

[Mick]

WOW! You could have started me out with some easy questions first. A complete answer to all of the questions would take a very long answer and a while to author. But, I do my best to keep it brief and so I’ll take them one at a time.

 What is an “All Metal Composite?”

The confusion lies in the common usage of the term composite. It is generally related to the resin-over-fiber manufacturing technique used in building some of the current bat products. However, the question is more easily answered when you look to the actual definition of the word composite.

A composite is a mixture of different components or a structural material that gains its strength from a combination of complementary materials. A brick made from dirt and straw is a composite structure.

Resin-over-fiber is a composite structure. A proprietary high strength, extremely-elastic-exotic alloy over a well-engineered-aluminum alloy with a particularly high strength to weight ratio is a composite structure. Our all-metal composite is the later. Understandably the details are closely guarded.


 What is "Launch Pad design"? is it used in any fastpitch bats? Will it be?

The Nanotek Launchpad is an entirely metal composite design that creates a highly reactive hitting area while putting the weight directly behind the ball and strategically placing counteractive weight to optimize MOI.

The design is the result of a decade-old concept that was only made possible with the new material advancements. The Launchpad is a layer of super-hard, super-elastic material that is bonded at the atomic level over the entire effective hitting area. Because the Launchpad is harder and stronger it isolates the work area of the barrel from the underlying aluminum substrate shell. What that means is that, because of the isolation, the underlying shell does not retain the residual vibrational energy from the ball-bat impact that normally travels up and down the length of the bat and is lost in a typical single-piece-bat design, nor is the energy absorbed in the connection as it is in a two-piece-bat design. The energy is captured in the Launchpad section of the Nanotek bat and because the Launchpad has higher elasticity it allows a more efficient transfer of the energy to the flight of the ball. Because of the barrel isolation with unlike materials the effective hitting area is larger by more than double.

The NanoTek FP model is on the drawing board but there is no projected release date yet.

 How do you come up with the precise 'composite' of metals? Do you test a few? several hundred? thousands? before you decide what goes into production?


The precise composite of materials is initially mathematically generated, electronic-solid models are created based on the calculations and Finite Element Analysis is performed on each model. The performance tests are initially simulated mathematically and virtually. Most of the design iterations are weeded out in this process. The most promising are prototyped and lab tested. The best of those are created in a pilot-prototype production basis and extensive field testing is done. The final product is built in a manufacturing-pilot production basis and the manufacturing process is established. Final product and process approval initiates the product release.

 How much time goes into engineering a new bat, from concept to production? What decisions go into the process?

Each product and its own unique design cycle and every product is different in its own way. Each product has an evolution, both before and after the release for sale. The K-series bats took about 4 months from concept to release the NanoTek-series took 10 years. I think the decisions are outlined in the previous answer except for the initial decisions for performance and price points.

 Do you also test the competition's bats? Why do so many Easton bats suck?

This one is a little more sensitive. We test all of our competitors. Easton is technologically the toughest competitor but obviously not the only competent engineering group in the industry. The industry moves in a sort of “leap frog” kind of way. One company gains an edge with a new technology and the competitors develop new technology until they “leap” the other. In my opinion, the resin-over-fiber “composite” technology is in need of a refresher after all of the changes imposed by certification testing to eliminate break-in performance improvement and illegal bat altering (doctoring).

 Now can I swap my DD's first edition Techzilla for the new redesigned version?

Now why would you want to trade away a “first edition” anything? It might be worth something someday.

I like this guy, but a bunch of that went right over my head. My DD loves her Techzilla though.

[SSdad]

me too. Stepped up to the plate and answered all of anon's questions. Which ironically is a feat in itself.

[Missinit]

Ah... er... duh... I knew that.

[SnocatzDad]

.

 What is an “All Metal Composite?”
Resin-over-fiber is a composite structure. A proprietary high strength, extremely-elastic-exotic alloy over a well-engineered-aluminum alloy with a particularly high strength to weight ratio is a composite structure. Our all-metal composite is the later. Understandably the details are closely guarded.

An alloy is a mixture of different base metals to create a specific metal with specific properties. Calling an alloy a composite is redundant. Call a bat made with two alloys an all metal composite is simply marketing trying to convince a buyer that they should pay "Resin-over-fiber composite" price for an alloy bat ( see RIP IT alloy bats for reference )

IF you can make an "all metal composite" that performs as well as some of the "resin over fiber composite" bats in use out there why don't I see any colleges swinging all metal composites? If you pull it off great for you.

I have no beef with Anderson I think they make great "composite" bats. What he said is true about a brick being a composite. A wood bat is actually a pretty good example of a composite material becase the hard layers of sap and the softer wood fibers that are bound by the sap make a natural composite material. What composite technology has done is simply improve on the sap(resin) and wood fiber(carbon fibers)

[PDad]

.

 What is an “All Metal Composite?”
Resin-over-fiber is a composite structure. A proprietary high strength, extremely-elastic-exotic alloy over a well-engineered-aluminum alloy with a particularly high strength to weight ratio is a composite structure. Our all-metal composite is the later. Understandably the details are closely guarded.

An alloy is a mixture of different base metals to create a specific metal with specific properties. Calling an alloy a composite is redundant. Call a bat made with two alloys an all metal composite is simply marketing trying to convince a buyer that they should pay "Resin-over-fiber composite" price for an alloy bat ( see RIP IT alloy bats for reference )

IF you can make an "all metal composite" that performs as well as some of the "resin over fiber composite" bats in use out there why don't I see any colleges swinging all metal composites? If you pull it off great for you.

I have no beef with Anderson I think they make great "composite" bats. What he said is true about a brick being a composite. A wood bat is actually a pretty good example of a composite material becase the hard layers of sap and the softer wood fibers that are bound by the sap make a natural composite material. What composite technology has done is simply improve on the sap(resin) and wood fiber(carbon fibers)

Reread it - he said one alloy OVER a 2nd alloy. It isn't clear whether the alloys are layered or intermixed like I'd expect a composite structure to be.