Ski manufacturing techniques
Encyclopedia
Ski manufacturing techniques include: Laminated construction, torsion-box construction, and single-shell construction. Laminated skis are constructed by layering and compressing various materials together, such as steel
and plastic
. Torsion-box manufacturing involves wrapping a soft inner core with a hard outer material such as fiberglass
sheeting. Single-Shell is a ski manufacturing process that encases a strong inner core with a fiberglass
or plastic
mold.
. Skis traditionally were hand-carved out of a single piece of hardwood such as Hickory
, Birchwood
or Ash. These woods were used because of their density and ability to handle speed and shock resistance factors associated with ski racing. Because of Europe’s dwindling forests, the ability to find quality, plank, hardwood became difficult, which led to the invention of the laminated ski. A laminated ski is a ski composed of two different types of wood which are glued together. A top layer of soft wood is glued to a thin layer under a surface of hardwood. This combination actually created skis which were much lighter and more maneuverable than the heavy, hardwood skis that preceded them . Although lighter and stronger, laminated skis did not wear well. The water-soluble glues used at the time failed; warping and splitting along the glue edges (delaminating) occurred frequently and rapidly. In 1922, a Norwegian skier Thorbjorn Nordby developed strong, water-proof glue which stopped the problem of splitting, therefore developing a much tougher laminated ski. Research and design of laminated skis rapidly progressed. In 1933 a new design technology was introduced involving an outer hardwood shell completely encasing an inner layer of lighter wood, successfully eliminating spontaneously splitting glue lines. This early design eventually evolved into an advanced laminating technique which is referred to today as Single-shell casing technology. Beginning in the 1950s other materials, such as aluminum, foam
, and flexible plastic
s, were introduced as possible alternatives to the use of wood in ski manufacturing. It was during this design period that experimentation with fiberglass
created the strong, flexible, lightweight skis which were early models of the skis that are primarily used today.
, steel
, or foam
core which is then surrounded by more durable water-resistant materials. Combinations of varying ski shapes, weights, lengths and widths are designed for different types of skiing, such as downhill
or slalom
skiing.
, steel
, aluminum alloy, or plastic
are layered and compressed above and below the core. The ski is then sealed with heated glue. This manufacturing technique provides the greatest variety of skis due to its ability to use many different combinations of materials. Laminated construction is the most widely used manufacturing process in the ski industry today
sheeting or carbon fiber
The wrapping process produces a ski that maneuvers better than a laminate ski, therefore these skis are most appealing to higher level skiers .This process is more labor intensive and time consuming, therefore torsion-box skis are more expensive to produce.
or flexible plastic
shell The core is pressed or injected into a hollow plastic or fiberglass shell. An adhesive coating is applied to complete and reinforce the core sealing process. Due to their lightweight composition, single-shell skis give skiers better control in turning and handle vibration and shock better than laminated or torsion-box skis. The simple, low-cost, manufacturing process of single-shelled skis allows a large number of skis to be mass produced at reasonable, affordable prices.
is a French company established in 1907. Rossignol introduced its first fiberglass ski in 1964. Today the company offers a wide range of ski designs and produces over 500,000 pairs of skis per year. Rossignol also manufactures boots, bindings, and poles.
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
and plastic
Plastic
A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...
. Torsion-box manufacturing involves wrapping a soft inner core with a hard outer material such as fiberglass
Fiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
sheeting. Single-Shell is a ski manufacturing process that encases a strong inner core with a fiberglass
Fiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
or plastic
Plastic
A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...
mold.
History
Ski manufacturing primarily began in NorwayNorway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. Skis traditionally were hand-carved out of a single piece of hardwood such as Hickory
Hickory
Trees in the genus Carya are commonly known as hickory, derived from the Powhatan language of Virginia. The genus includes 17–19 species of deciduous trees with pinnately compound leaves and big nuts...
, Birchwood
Birchwood
Birchwood is a civil parish in the north-eastern part of Warrington, Cheshire, England with a population of 11,395 . Historically a part of Lancashire, it is the easternmost part of the Warrington urban area. It was built during the time of much expansion in Warrington as it became a "new town"...
or Ash. These woods were used because of their density and ability to handle speed and shock resistance factors associated with ski racing. Because of Europe’s dwindling forests, the ability to find quality, plank, hardwood became difficult, which led to the invention of the laminated ski. A laminated ski is a ski composed of two different types of wood which are glued together. A top layer of soft wood is glued to a thin layer under a surface of hardwood. This combination actually created skis which were much lighter and more maneuverable than the heavy, hardwood skis that preceded them . Although lighter and stronger, laminated skis did not wear well. The water-soluble glues used at the time failed; warping and splitting along the glue edges (delaminating) occurred frequently and rapidly. In 1922, a Norwegian skier Thorbjorn Nordby developed strong, water-proof glue which stopped the problem of splitting, therefore developing a much tougher laminated ski. Research and design of laminated skis rapidly progressed. In 1933 a new design technology was introduced involving an outer hardwood shell completely encasing an inner layer of lighter wood, successfully eliminating spontaneously splitting glue lines. This early design eventually evolved into an advanced laminating technique which is referred to today as Single-shell casing technology. Beginning in the 1950s other materials, such as aluminum, foam
Foam
-Definition:A foam is a substance that is formed by trapping gas in a liquid or solid in a divided form, i.e. by forming gas regions inside liquid regions, leading to different kinds of dispersed media...
, and flexible plastic
Plastic
A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...
s, were introduced as possible alternatives to the use of wood in ski manufacturing. It was during this design period that experimentation with fiberglass
Fiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
created the strong, flexible, lightweight skis which were early models of the skis that are primarily used today.
Body Design Options
Skis design is based on complex scientific principles. Ski construction must address a variety of factors. A ski must be light enough to glide on top of the snow, but must also be strong enough to withstand the weight of the skier. Skis are built with a curvature in the length of the ski known as camber , which provides stability in uneven terrain and varying snow consistency. The ski must also have the ability to bend to optimize manoeuvrability and accommodate weight shifts during turning. All skis are designed with the same primary structure- a woodWood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
, steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
, or foam
Foam
-Definition:A foam is a substance that is formed by trapping gas in a liquid or solid in a divided form, i.e. by forming gas regions inside liquid regions, leading to different kinds of dispersed media...
core which is then surrounded by more durable water-resistant materials. Combinations of varying ski shapes, weights, lengths and widths are designed for different types of skiing, such as downhill
Downhill
Downhill is an alpine skiing discipline. The rules for the Downhill were originally developed by Sir Arnold Lunn for the 1921 British National Ski Championships....
or slalom
Slalom skiing
Slalom is an alpine skiing discipline, involving skiing between poles spaced much closer together than in Giant Slalom, Super-G or Downhill, thereby causing quicker and shorter turns.- Origins :...
skiing.
Laminated
Laminated skis are built in layers. Materials such as fiberglassFiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
, steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
, aluminum alloy, or plastic
Plastic
A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...
are layered and compressed above and below the core. The ski is then sealed with heated glue. This manufacturing technique provides the greatest variety of skis due to its ability to use many different combinations of materials. Laminated construction is the most widely used manufacturing process in the ski industry today
Torsion-Box
Torsion-Box skis consist of an inner core which is wrapped in fiberglassFiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
sheeting or carbon fiber
Carbon fiber
Carbon fiber, alternatively graphite fiber, carbon graphite or CF, is a material consisting of fibers about 5–10 μm in diameter and composed mostly of carbon atoms. The carbon atoms are bonded together in crystals that are more or less aligned parallel to the long axis of the fiber...
The wrapping process produces a ski that maneuvers better than a laminate ski, therefore these skis are most appealing to higher level skiers .This process is more labor intensive and time consuming, therefore torsion-box skis are more expensive to produce.
Single-Shell
Single-shell skis consist of a core which is encased by a fiberglassFiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
or flexible plastic
Plastic
A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...
shell The core is pressed or injected into a hollow plastic or fiberglass shell. An adhesive coating is applied to complete and reinforce the core sealing process. Due to their lightweight composition, single-shell skis give skiers better control in turning and handle vibration and shock better than laminated or torsion-box skis. The simple, low-cost, manufacturing process of single-shelled skis allows a large number of skis to be mass produced at reasonable, affordable prices.
K2
K2 is a major U.S. based ski manufacturing company. In 1961 they were one of the first companies to begin producing and distributing fiberglass skis. Today K2 is primarily renowned for its wide -variety of torsion-box ski designs. They sponsor several professional skiers and ski teams.Rossignol
RossignolRossignol
Rossignol is a French word meaning nightingale. It may also refer to:People* The Rossignols, a family of French cryptographers* André Rossignol* Felix Rossignol* Jean Antoine Rossignol* Jim Rossignol* Jules Rossignol* Michelle Rossignol...
is a French company established in 1907. Rossignol introduced its first fiberglass ski in 1964. Today the company offers a wide range of ski designs and produces over 500,000 pairs of skis per year. Rossignol also manufactures boots, bindings, and poles.