Environmentally Friendly Snowboards and Skis

For discussions related to ski/snowboard construction/design methods and techniques.

Moderators: Head Monkey, kelvin, bigKam, skidesmond, chrismp

skidesmond
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Post by skidesmond »

Let us know how it is to work with and the results. I'm thinking of getting some for my next set of skis in a few weeks or so.
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LifeisRiding
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ordered

Post by LifeisRiding »

i just ordered some of the super sap 100/ 1100
will post the results asap.
erlabs
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New resin system for home builders

Post by erlabs »

So after some internal discussion we decided to make our long pot-life system available for retail, Super Sap 100/1300. You can find it here...

https://www.entropysports.com/store/category/Epoxy+Kits

This is our original formulation. Its what we first designed when we set out make a "sustainable" resin as it has an overall bio-content of 70% (all our other systems are ~50%). This resin makes an excellent glue and with good elongation properties also makes very durable composites. When we took it to "production" customers we repeatably heard that they wanted something that worked like the stuff they use now but was "green". Unfortunately we did end up compromising the sustainability of the resin to achieve that but in my estimation it's still a step in the right direction.

It has two major differences from the 100/1000 and 100/1100 systems. The first being viscosity. It is higher than these other system so it requires some extra care when laminating to make sure you get a good soak into the glass. The second is cure time with this system having a recommended cure time of 30 min at 180F. Sorry but if you are not using heat I would still suggest using the 100/1000 system as the ambient cure rate on the 100/1300 system is extremely long (>12hrs). Nice thing is the pot life is subsequently also extremely long (120min @ 25C) so you can go slow and take your time with your lams.

Anyways, as you can tell we are still in the process of rolling out our products for the retail world and will hopefully launch the website this week so you can get all the info about our products. In the meantime please don't hesitate to ask questions.

Thanks again for the interest!
hjfast
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Post by hjfast »

Damon wrote:Skip the soy based resins. Check into thermoplastic composites.
A thermoplastic composite wouldn't really take the project in a sustainable/eco-friendly direction. Thermoplastics are inherently petroleum based..... Thanks for all the help SBers.

Entropy--hopefully Sean Martin will be ordering or has ordered some of your 1100 system. We will be doing tensile tests of 22oz triax e-glass laid up with both your epoxy and Donek's current system. We will also be testing a basalt fiber with the entropy resin and traditional resin system. If you would like I could pass along our results. Thanks.
erlabs
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Post by erlabs »

That would be great. Could you share what system Donek is currently using?

We've done similar studies but not with glass as heavy as 22 oz. Used ASTM 648 standard to calculate modulus, tensile strength, etc. Also done testing replacing fiberglass with natural fibers such as hemp and bamboo fibers (not very promising). Let me know if you are interested in seeing some of this data.
hjfast
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Post by hjfast »

I would love to see the hemp/bamboo fiber data. I don't have exact info on Donek's current resin system, just who they are getting it from. When I get my data together I will let you know.

Where did you source the hemp/bamboo fiber out of curiosity? Thanks,
Damon
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Post by Damon »

hjfast wrote:
Damon wrote:Skip the soy based resins. Check into thermoplastic composites.
A thermoplastic composite wouldn't really take the project in a sustainable/eco-friendly direction. Thermoplastics are inherently petroleum based.
That's like saying you can't use a thermoset to make it eco friendly.

There are a few biodegradable TP's - look into PLA.
hjfast
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Post by hjfast »

bump.... always looking for more ideas.

Any idea where one could get extruded Polylactic Acid plastics or resin?
AlexF
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Post by AlexF »

May I suggest you reconsider?

PLA in any form (PDLA, PLLA or PDLLA ) is DESIGNED to break down when it gets in contact with water!

One of its uses is as tissue scaffolds for cartilage replacement. The idea is that the open cell foam allows nutrients and cells into and out of the region. The cells attach to the wall the foam and start to form new tissue while at the same time the foam dissolves so that after a year or two there's no PLA left, just new tissue.

The stuff soaks up water and swell a lot. It also becomes very soft. I know this because I did a project on the properties of bioactive composite tissue engineering and we choose PLA because we wanted the material to fall apart. Not sure you'd want this in a ski!

If you do decide to use it for some reason then at least go fo for PDLA or PLLA. PLA exists as isomers 'L' or 'D'. If the material contains only L or only D isomers then it will be partially crystalline and have better mechanical properties and resistance to environmental degradation than PDLLA (which is amorphous/ not crystalline at all). It will still fall apart though
joshdi27
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Post by joshdi27 »

It is indeed a good idea to build an environment friendly material for snowboards. Using an Entropy Bio-Resins could be great for the skin. The main board should be at least natural but still strong like a fiber. I hope this can be done the soonest.
Last edited by joshdi27 on Fri Oct 08, 2010 9:24 am, edited 2 times in total.
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MontuckyMadman
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Post by MontuckyMadman »

joshdi27 wrote:An environment friendly material for snowboards is a good idea. Using an Entropy Bio-Resins could be great for the skin. The main board should be at least natural but still strong like a fiber.
your a seo spambot from the czech republic? weird.
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