So Slick Snowboard Binding Uses DuPont Engineering Polymers
March 02, 2006
Nidecker of Switzerland, one of the first European companies to manufacture snowboards, recently developed the ACT 1, a new all-polymer snowboard binding with a heel-cup that can be adjusted to fit the rider's boot. The majority of the patented binding is made of DuPont™ Zytel® and DuPont™ Hytrel®.
"Most all-polymer bindings have a one-piece base and are sold in three sizes to accommodate for their inability to be accurately adjusted for different boot sizes," said Arnaud Muscatelli, project manager, Nidecker.
"Most bindings that can be adjusted for size have aluminum heel-cups and do not perform as well on snow. Our bindings combine the advantages of both: a light, high-performance all-polymer frame which can be rapidly and accurately adjusted to six different sizes, giving a perfect boot fit and excellent board control," he said.
For the ACT 1 binding, Nidecker made the mounting disk of Zytel® 73G45, a rigid, glass-reinforced nylon. The base plate and adjustable heel-cup are made of Zytel® 70G30T nylon, a glass-reinforced and toughened resin with high stiffness and impact resistance at low temperature.
The hi-back is made of Zytel® 801ST and the side straps are made of Hytrel®, which keeps its flexibility and resilience over a broad range of temperatures. Hytrel® is also used for an adjustable shock-absorbing element under the heel.
