Case Studies
From Welded Steel to As-Cast Solution
Between clunky, welded-steel prototypes and a few discouraging production runs, John Pizzuti experienced firsthand the expense of using other methods and suppliers to bring his game-changing football facemasks to market.
Then, he looked to Signicast’s engineering expertise to manufacture his innovative designs more competitively – while protecting the competitors who wear them.
ELEVATING SAFETY AND STYLE
Introducing new uniforms, logos and design elements is a popular strategy for US football teams to enhance their identities. Whether bold or subtle, these occasional redesigns can bolster fan merchandising, attract attention for recruitment, or raise awareness for sponsors and causes.
But what they can’t do is interfere with player safety.
Partly because of this, the facemask, seemingly a front-and-center opportunity for team expression, has been excluded from branding changes in pro and college leagues.
After all, the main role of a facemask is protection, so league rules and certification standards have discouraged modifications to its most basic design.
John Pizzuti wanted to give masks a facelift to match the evolution of football uniforms, while still focusing on safety. And so, Zuti Facemasks was born.
UNMATCHED DESIGN WITH INVESTMENT CASTING
“I built my first prototypes the same way they’d been built for decades,” says Pizzuti. “Welding together quarter-inch, cold-rolled steel.”
When he was done, he wasn’t happy with the way they looked – and it had taken a month to build them. “There was no way I could turn a profit,” he says.
Pizzuti got advice from his mentor, a long-time auto industry professional who also happens to be his mother. She suggested he switch to casting.
“A light bulb came on in my head,” he says. “Last I checked, you have unfettered.” This was ideal, as the innovative design of Zuti Facemasks allows teams to seamlessly integrate stylized elements into the grille, creating a potential platform for branding.
“With investment casting comes geometric advantages that we could build into these masks,” Pizzuti says, “And that could help with energy distribution and, ultimately, safety.”
EXPERTISE-DRIVEN STRUCTURE
Initially, he found an investment casting supplier but ran into obstacles, as they faced challenges with non-fill and scrap issues, leading to low percentages of viable parts.
That’s when he was contacted by Lann Ellis of Signicast, who was intrigued with a Modern Casting article about Zuti Facemasks. “This project could be a disruptive innovation for leagues,” says Ellis. “I figured with our engineering resources, Signicast could drive Zuti into .”
The timing was good for Pizzuti. “Every time Lann would call, he would give me a new value-added strategy that we could implement, whether it was a way to reduce costs, or gain economies of scale.” So, Zuti Facemasks made the switch to Signicast.
Behind the scenes, the diverse engineering team at Signicast – a project engineer, a metallurgist, and a process engineer – could implement improvements during manufacturing. These enhancements included material modifications, fine-tuned temperatures or hold times, and other variables.
This expertise-driven structure was nimble enough to allow Pizzuti to make changes quickly, says Ellis. And it meant that they could deliver a higher-quality facemask.
INNOVATION ACHIEVES SUPERIOR SAFETY STANDARDS
Following the debut of the initial prototype from Signicast, Zuti Facemasks knew it had a winner on its hands.
“I could tell from looking at it with the naked eye that the quality was much improved,” says Pizzuti. “But then, I took it a step further and had it x-rayed.”
He mentions that although the surface finish of an investment cast part could be beautiful, internal inclusions may still be present – a similar issue observed in the prototypes from his previous supplier.
“When we switched to Signicast, all of that went away. The voids and/or non-fill in the material, the grain structure, it was just that much better. There was less shrink. It was overall a better-quality part,” Pizzuti says.
Since Zuti Facemasks uses an innovative design, and a manufacturing process atypical for the industry, the biggest test came from NOCSAE, the standards body for certifying athletic equipment to reduce injuries. As Pizzuti predicted, given the freedom to incorporate impact-dissipating geometries, his facemasks passed.
This is good news for youth, high school and college football teams and leagues who need to be confident that their equipment is safe.
And, equally appealing to teams who demand a more notable appearance on the field, Pizzuti says, “it just looks a lot sweeter.”
