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The core material of a snowboard is important because the core determines the amount of vibrations that the skier will feel. The speed at which the snowboard are moving downhill or across terrain causes vibrations that affect the skier. Too much vibration can tire the skier and make it difficult to control the snowboard. To eliminate this, ski engineers design the core structure to absorb as much vibration as possible without sacrificing the life of the ski.
The core of a ski used to be made of wood, but now it is constructed of a variety of materials. With the introduction of metal in snowboards, more and more manufacturers are choosing foam as the core material. Foam cores make snowboards lighter. In addition, the construction of foam-based snowboards is relatively easy because it can absorb different vibrations and help manufacturers design curves. Foam cores are easier to control during the manufacturing process and absorb vibrations better than wood. It also has the added advantage of being cheaper than wood. Therefore, the cost of these snowboards ends up being lower than snowboards with wood cores.
Traditional foam strength and durability are a big problem, but high-performance foam overcomes this technical challenge.
PMI Foam
Ideal for More Durable Lightweight Snowboards
PMI (Polymethacrylimide) foam is an aerospace grade foam with a completely closed cell structure. When sandwiched between two pre-preg carbon laminates and combined with a large amount of wood, the snowboard will be extremely light.
- It has extremely low weight.
- It has high specific strength and high specific modulus.
- Its tensile, compression, bending, shear strength and modulus are far superior to other foams or light wood cores such as PVC, PU, PET.
