Unidirectional fabrics, stitchbonded mats (CSMs) and multiaxials from SAERTEX can be found in many types of sporting equipment. The lightweight construction potential of glass is frequently the most cost-efficient solution for the mass market. In the area of high-performance sports, carbon fibres are increasingly utilised, because these exhibit even better mechanical characteristic values and lower weight.
Fabrics made by SAERTEX have been used in Alpine winter sports equipment, such as skis and snowboards, for many years – in combination with stitchbonded non-woven fabrics for instance. The cycling sport sector was an early adopter of the benefits of lightweight construction. Non-crimp fabrics (NCFs) have now become indispensable to the sports equipment sector: Tennis racquets and ice-hockey sticks, ice skates, sledges and bobsleighs, surfboards, sailing boats, motor cycles, helmets, cars... So-called hybrid composite structures are now being more frequently developed from a range of different high-tech fibres.
Applications in the sporting sector have been among the most important areas for SAERTEX since the production of multiaxial fabrics commenced at the company's headquarters in Saerbeck (Germany). In cooperation with well-known manufacturers in the sector, we have been able to help creatively shape the rapid development of skis and snowboards since the beginning of the 1990s. We would be pleased to provide you with information about specific success projects, such as the exclusive Pro-Rider snowboards from WI-ME with integrated “Innegra” (TM) fibres, at a face-to-face meeting.
