Prefabricated Ski Boundary Element for Cost-Effective Assembly

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current methods for manufacturing gliding board bodies, such as skis and snowboards, with a combined shell and sidewall construction are costly and prone to errors, lacking a cost-effective and error-free production process that ensures high-quality output.

Innovation Solution

A method involving the prefabrication of an upper delimiting element comprising a cover layer, strength-relevant components, and strip-shaped side wall elements, connected in a separate process step before integration into the gliding board body, ensuring precise and permanent bonding, and allowing for varied and cost-effective production with reduced thermal stresses on decorative layers.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If a combined shell and sidewall construction is manufactured using standard multilayer gliding board techniques, then the structural integrity is improved, but the production cost increases and error rate increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructural integrityVSAvoidproduction cost and error rate
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by prefabricating the upper delimiting element (comprising cover layer, upper belt, and side wall elements) in a separate production step before final assembly. This allows the decorative layers to be prepared and positioned in advance, reducing thermal stresses during final bonding and enabling more precise, error-free connections while maintaining structural integrity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Ease of manufacture

If decorative layers are subjected to multiple thermal stresses during manufacturing, then the bonding process is simplified, but the printing inks may flow or creep from their respective places

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebonding process simplicityVSAvoidprinting ink position accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the manufacturing process into distinct stages: first preparing the decorative complex with printed plastic layer bonded to contrast film, then separately preparing the upper delimiting element with adhesive film, and finally bonding these pre-prepared components together. This segmentation allows each stage to be optimized independently, preventing ink flow while maintaining bonding simplicity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The decorative complex is prepared in advance with the printed plastic layer bonded to the contrast film using a hot mount adhesive film before the final assembly. This preliminary action ensures the printing inks are already fixed in their respective places before subsequent thermal bonding processes, preventing ink flow or creeping while simplifying the final bonding operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Manufacturing precision

If the upper delimiting element is prefabricated in a separate production step, then the connection precision and permanence are improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconnection precision and permanenceVSAvoidproduction process complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple components (cover layer, upper belt, and side wall elements) into a single prefabricated upper delimiting element that is then bonded as one unit to the lower delimiting element. This merging approach simplifies the overall assembly process while maintaining precise connections, as the pre-assembled unit ensures accurate positioning and permanent bonding without requiring complex multi-step assembly procedures.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This approach enables the production of high-quality gliding board bodies with a combined shell and sidewall construction that is both cost-effective and error-free, ensuring precise connections, reduced delamination risks, and improved structural integrity and comfort through damping layers.

Implementation Method 1

a hot mount adhesive film, with a mesh embedded between this contrast film and the transparent outer plastic layer

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectThermal activation of adhesive: Heating

Implementation Method 2

The connection between the decorative complex and the reinforcement structure is then based on a thermofusible resin during a hot pressing cycle

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectThermofusible resin bonding: Adhesive

Implementation Method 3

at least one damping layer (29, 29'), consisting of an elastomeric plastic, is provided on the upper side and/or lower side of the at least one side wall element (19, 20)

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectVibration damping: Damping

Implementation Method 4

This damping layer 29, 29' consists of an elastomeric plastic which, in comparison to the plastic of the side wall element 19, 20, is designed to be comparatively flexible or elastically restoring

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectViscoelastic damping: Viscoelasticity

Data Source

PatentEP2353671B1Method for producing an external limiting element for a glide board and method for producing a glide board with same
Publication Date: 2016.03.16 ATOMIC AUSTRIA GMBH
  • EP2353671B1 patent drawingFigure 1~3
  • EP2353671B1 patent drawingFigure 4~6
  • EP2353671B1 patent drawingFigure 7~8

AI summary

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing an outer boundary element (15) for a ski or snowboard body, and to a method for manufacturing a ski body equipped with this boundary element (15). The boundary element (15) is formed by a single-piece component composed of at least a top layer (10) and at least a part of the strength-relevant top rib (7). The boundary element (15) is then joined in a subsequent process step to the other components of the ski body, such as its running surface and its strength-relevant bottom rib.It is essential that the limiting element (15) is connected to at least one strip-shaped side wall element (19, 20) forming a lateral wall section of the sliding board body before being connected to the other components of the sliding board body, by bonding the at least one strip-shaped side wall element (19, 20) to at least one longitudinal side edge (21, 22) of the cover layer (10) or to the top flange (7) arranged on the underside of the cover layer (10). The corresponding manufacturing process enables the most cost-effective and defect-free production process possible for creating high-quality sliding board bodies with a combined shell and side wall construction.