An innovative cork skateboard developed by the leading Australian manufacturer Lavender Composites/Archer Cork Skateboards in partnership with Corticeira Amorim has just been awarded the prestigious JEC Innovation Award in the "Sustainability" category. The award was given yesterday, November 17, during JEC Asia, an international trade fair dedicated to composite materials that is being held in Singapore.
The kick-off for the development of this cork skateboard was the need to reduce the typical vibrations of traditional skateboards, currently on the market. The solution makes use of CoreCork, a composite cork material manufactured by Amorim Cork Composites.
Simultaneously, Lavender and Archer Cork Skateboards have privileged the use of natural materials, whose use is not harmful to the environment, to replace traditional wood laminates or carbon fibre solutions. The result was a cork laminate that presented an extraordinary reduction in vibration, creating a smooth ride for the skater and a true performance benefit.
According to Lavender and Archer Cork Skateboards: "By using these specific materials, we have proven that environmentally responsible composite materials are not a sacrifice in performance, and can in this particular circumstance be an improvement in performance. By using the CoreCork and flax's natural ability to absorb vibration, we are shifting away from the traditional construction methods."
The use of cork in skateboards was gradual. The initial test was to add cork "spacers" between the deck and the "trucks" [axel]. This worked so well that paved the way to attempt to create a whole board from cork, not just a veneer or spacer, but the entire board. The flexibility of the cork combines perfectly to the flax reinforcement, which also has similar characteristics. The green epoxy resin used, made possible to keep the VOC's to a minimum, as it displays one of the highest contents of bio-based ingredients. The combination of the various elements resulted in a platform that provides a smooth ride for the skater, displaying an extraordinary reduction in vibration and a higher impact resistance.
The new cork skateboard has been test-marketed by various professional skateboard manufacturers, who were pleasantly surprised by its performance, a feedback underpinned by the innovative features that this product can offer to the skateboarding industry, both in terms of excellent technical performance and sustainable credentials.
