Snowboard Science
Snowboard Base Materials
Extruded
Created from a single sheet of plastic manufactured by melting stock plastic then pushing it through a die and rollers to create a uniformly thin sheet. Extruded bases are cheep to manufacture and easy to repair, however they absorb little to no wax and ride considerably slower than sintered bases. Used extensively on entry level and rail specific boards where keeping costs down is important.
Sintered
Polyethylene granules are heated and compressed to create a porous plastic. The higher the grade the greater the molecular weight of the plastic, the greater the molecular weight the lower the coefficient of friction and the tougher the boards base. However, the higher the grade the more difficult it will be to repair.
