With the ability to tour a snowboard manufacturing facility is tremendous uncommon in america. There are only a few corporations that make their snowboards proper right here within the USA and we’re proud that By no means Summer time is certainly one of them. In actual fact, we’re the final bigger, independently owned snowboard factories making boards within the USA, and nonetheless household owned with Tim and Tracey Canaday concerned with each facet of the enterprise; from design, sourcing supplies to testing the boards. Rider owned and pushed, making extremely top quality snowboards in Denver, CO since 1991 with the best stage of expertise from American staff. There’s nothing extra essential to us than having the ability to ship a sturdy journey whereas innovating the snowboarding sport on the common. With over a complete of 700 years of snowboard constructing expertise, our household of staff handcraft the very best within the recreation. Now I guess you’re questioning, how can we construct our snowboards?
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Steps to constructing a By no means Summer time Snowboard
Division One: WOOD SHOP
Each snowboard begins out as a block of laminated wooden generally known as a core block. We use a mix of light-weight hardwoods; creating a terrific power to weight steadiness. We’ve got additionally just lately added Bamboo to some of our core blocks to additional loosen up particular fashions. Every core block consists of six to eight snowboards, relying on the scale.
Having our personal wooden store permits us to make or modify cores for specialty or low quantity core blocks for merchandise, resembling very large boards, cut up boards and youngsters boards. And tailor wooden cores to create flex patterns for specific varieties of boards and sizes.
After the core blocks are assembled the sidecut radius is lower into the block. Every mannequin and dimension has its personal sidecut template, the sidecut determines the radius of the flip of that mannequin. These sidecut templates are made in-house, having our personal woodshop not solely permits us to customise our wooden cores but in addition to make tooling like these templates. The sidecut is lower manually utilizing a bandsaw after which formed in an auto feed router. The UHMW (Extremely Excessive Molecular Weight Polyethylene or P-Tex) sidewall is then hooked up or glued to the block for a 24 hour curing or drying interval. The block is then sliced into particular person cores.
As soon as the blocks are lower to particular person cores, they’re then drilled for the mounting holes and run via a programmable large sander to taper the core for exact flex. Proprietor/Designer Tim Canaday designs every core thickness or deck top to the millimeter to seize the precise flex for the kind of driving or circumstances the mannequin/dimension is supposed for use for.
Division Two: CORE AND MATERIAL PREP
After the cores are tapered, the nostril and tail form is die-cut or punched out. The cores are then mapped out so a builder will know exactly the place to put the carbon-fiber and the centerline of the core is marked. Supplies, like rubber for vibration damping, fiberglass for power and efficiency are lower to size at this station. Additionally a polyethylene or rubber fill is lower to form and hooked up to the ends of the board, to seal up the core and add safety.
Division Three: BASE ASSEMBLY
The UHMW (Extremely Excessive Molecular Weight Polyethylene) or generally generally known as P-Tex, is lower into lengths of the scale of boards we’re making. Sometimes, most snowboards are two completely different colours. A brand will likely be stamped out utilizing a die-cut press of every shade. The other shade will likely be hand rolled into the bottom (like a puzzle) on a vacuum desk that holds the items in place.
The put in brand items will then be taped over so that they keep flush within the press and don’t fall out. We are going to use the opposite items or “flip flop” so we aren’t losing any polyethylene. A stack of bases with the put in graphic will likely be then laid beneath a magnetized hydraulic press with a template of that board form that’s then pressed down on the bases. The form is then lower out by hand.
The decals are lower from one shade, and the background from a special shade. Nevertheless the cutouts are an identical, so from one sheet of PTEX, they get each a graphic and a background.
Division 4: EDGING
The perimeters are available crates of pre-straightened hardened metal. They’re tough formed by a CNC bending machine, after which coarse formed to the specified radius by hand utilizing a pair of specifically made crimping pliers and bent across the form of the bottom. The sting is then glued to the bottom materials, or PTEX.
Division 5: CASSETTE PREP
The bottom goes right into a cassette; a type of that board’s form that has been precision machined (in home) out of aluminum. This type holds the form and retains supplies from slipping or transferring from each other. There’s a set of those cassettes for every board form and every dimension of that mannequin. The bottom is then adhered to the cassette with a quick tack adhesive.
Division Six: LAYUP/BUILDING OF BOARD
A layer of 2-Half Epoxy is unfold throughout the bottom, rubber stripping is laid round
the sting, then a layer of biaxial fiberglass, extra epoxy, after which the wooden core. On prime of the core goes any strategically situated carbon stringers and pre-tensioned fiberglass that want utilized, and the topsheet that provides the board its graphic. Consider it as making a sandwich, you’ve got the 2 plastic items are the bread and the wooden core is the meat. Then a skinny layer of glue (mayo or mustard relying in your style) and rubber is added across the perimeter of the bottom, fiberglass, extra epoxy, carbon-fiber, wooden core, extra epoxy, rubber, extra fiberglass and top-sheet. These layers are then sandwiched/pressed along with warmth and strain.
Division Seven: PRESS
As soon as all of that is accomplished, the board goes right into a pneumatic press the place all the layers are drawn collectively beneath air strain and warmth. There are two components of the mildew set, each of that are made right here. The highest mildew with an air bladder and a machined aluminum Rocker Camber, Triple Camber or Fusion Rocker Camber profile and upturned tip ramp/kick plates. Air strain is utilized, in addition to warmth with the intention to press all of the supplies collectively and our patented Rocker Camber profile and upturns within the nostril/tail into the board.. Boards are pressed round 180 levels for 17 minutes and 30 seconds.
The board is then out on cooling racks for an hour after which is able to start the ending course of. Every board is individually inspected straight out of the press to find out if there are any flaws and changes made in construct or press temperature.
Division Eight: CUT/DRILL/TOPSAND
The boards come out of the cassette in rectangle form, somebody takes the time to take away the flash, or additional materials, from the board to present it the ultimate form that makes it seem like a snowboard (that is carried out with Bandsaw at a 20 diploma with a technician utilizing the metallic edge as a information). Two magnetic mounting inserts are situated and drilled out.
A jig is screwed down onto the drilled out magnetic inserts after which the remaining inserts are drilled out. The tough lower of the bandsaw is then prime sanded or smoothed out with a dynabrade sander.
Division 9: FINISHING/BASE & EDGE GRINDING
Extra glue must be faraway from each the bottom and edges. That is carried out via a collection of base and aspect edge grinding. By no means Summer time boards come totally tuned from the manufacturing facility. The boards are run over a number of levels of base sanding from course to tremendous fantastic belts to get that completely easy base. Then they’re sharpened, waxed, buffed after which despatched to the inspector earlier than transport.
Division Ten: SUBLIMATION/PRINT
Graphics are printed on a clay primarily based paper utilizing water primarily based inks. The print is a mirror picture of the graphic, so when it’s flipped over onto the top-sheet materials it’s proper aspect up.
The highest-sheet materials is a water-resistant, climate resistant co-extruded polymer thermoplastic. It’s then lower to the size of the board. Temperatures and occasions are calculated relying on the colour tone of the graphic.
The polymer prime is put right into a hydraulic press and the graphic ink is infused into the thermoplastic. The polymer is molecular, so beneath warmth the molecules speak in confidence to permit the inks/picture to penetrate and soak up into the fabric and never simply on prime. That is key to maintain the graphic from getting scraped or scratched off, it actually turns into a part of the fabric.
The sublimation course of actually “pops”/enhances the colours on the top-sheet. The ultimate step is to laminate with a protecting tape over the topsheet to maintain it from getting scratched or broken within the manufacturing course of. The tape additionally provides some grip to run via the bottom grinders which might be circulating emulsion to take away extra materials to easy it out.
We are also sublimating bases. Related course of and ink/picture is infused into polyethylene base to present just a few fashions a singular look.
Our Girl FR has a Sublimated Base
Division Eleven: GRADING
Protecting tape is peeled off the top-sheet, extra wax cleaned off edges and base. Inserts are inspected and cleared out if wanted. Prime-sheets are smoothed out and beveled with a razor blade by hand after which wiped down. All boards undergo an in depth 20 level inspection, guaranteeing the best high quality snowboards find yourself on neversummer.com and in the very best outlets across the nation and world.
Now that you’ve got realized how we make our boards, come see us in individual and take a full tour of the manufacturing facility!
Ceaselessly requested questions:
Query: How lengthy does it take to make a snowboard and the way many individuals are concerned within the manufacturing?
Reply: Sometimes from a block of wooden to completed board it takes 7-10 days. Over 30 completely different crafts
Query: What sorts of wooden do you employ in your cores?
Reply: We use a mix of light-weight hardwoods. Paulownia, Poplar and Birch. Paulownia is a good, sustainable selection as it’s the quickest rising hardwoods on the planet. Gentle but robust Widespread and powerful Birch in excessive stress areas.
Query: What number of boards are you able to get out of 1 block of wooden?
Reply: Every block consists of 6 to eight particular person cores, relying on the scale of the board.
Query: What number of snowboards do you make a season?
Reply: Sometimes, it’s round 50k models. This encompasses all of our outdoors manufacturing for different manufacturers, together with Icelantic Skis and Academy Snowboards.
Query: What number of layers are in a board?
Reply: There are 12-14 layers relying upon the mannequin.
Query: What’s your high quality management or inspection course of?
Reply: Every division has a supervisor that oversees coaching and high quality management in that division. Moreover, every board is individually inspected after it’s pressed and goes via a 20 level inspection when completed.
