It is May of 2021 and we are just now starting to feel a bit of normality in the United States. For the last several months many of us were stuck at home and could not go out and do the things we like to do. For hockey players, synthetic ice was a lifesaver that would allow them to install in their own homes and be able to ice skate whenever they wanted to. Although artificial ice is not quite like real ice, it is pretty close and will deliver a great ice skating experience.
What is Synthetic Ice Made From?
At the very beginning of the life of artificial ice, there were a lot of problems. For example, the type of plastic that was available back then was far inferior to the plastics that we have available today.
Back in the 1960s, when synthetic ice first came out, the only way that ice skaters could successfully skate on the surface is if there was a constant supply of external lubricant added to the flooring as they skated across it. Although at the time is seemed like a major breakthrough, and it could have been, the synthetic ice of today is much more advanced.
Polymers are naturally occurring chains of molecules that are strung together to form matter. One of the best examples of a polymer is human DNA. The way that the molecules bond together in a string makes it strong.
Polymer plastics are synthetic plastics that are made out of large molecules that are chained together in a sequence. What is great about this kind of plastic is that the plastic can be forged out of molecules and enhanced at a molecular level. This makes it quite simple to add extra ingredients into the solution that can help with lubrication, and strengthening agents.
The synthetic ice that we have today is made out of synthetic polymers that make up the structure of the flooring that allows it to be designed in a specific manner.
The Problems with Real Ice Rinks
The way that the ice skates glide across real ice is almost like a dream. The smooth, almost resistance-free movement of the skate blades across the rink is almost as smooth as flying through the air. It is pretty hard to imitate that flow with plastic. However, we are getting close.
Real ice, as you already know, is formed out of frozen water. In order to keep water frozen it has to be kept at a temperature low enough to do so. Unless it is wintertime in a frozen area, it is difficult to keep water frozen when the ambient temperature that surrounds it is above a certain temperature.
In order to keep ice frozen in a rink big enough to accommodate a team of hockey players and an audience in an arena, there has to be a considerable amount of energy involved. Giant air conditioners and freezers have to be utilized to keep everything nice and cool.
Synthetic Ice Panels Need No Refrigeration
You can install synthetic ice panels just about anywhere that there is a flat surface, whether it is indoors or outside, and have a decent skating rink to ice skate on any time of the year without having to keep it frozen. You can ice skate, practice with a hockey balance board, and even play hockey games on it.
It is easy to see why so many people love synthetic ice flooring. It may even be better than traditional ice.
***Sniper’s Edge Hockey loves Canada! We proudly ship all of our products to Canada and offer the same return policies as we do for everybody else. We realize the exchange rates for the Canadian dollar are not the best right now, so we’re trying to help by giving you free shipping and no customs/duty.***