| Expoxy 101 | Closed Cell Foam | |
| Two Common Types | Resin | |
| What is the difference | Thermovent Technology | |
| Extruded Foam | How to order | |
| Flex |
Epoxy 101
WHAT IS EPOXY? AND WHY IS XTR EPOXY BOARDS THE CHOICE OF SURFING CHAMPIONS?
Epoxy is a type of resin (liquid chemical) it is not foam or fiberglass. It requires two chemicals Part A (resin) and Part (B) hardener, mixed together in exact ratios to become hard and gain a particular strength.
This resin is used in many industrial applications, from building for aerospace parts, electronics, sail boats, to surfboards. Most of the epoxy resins are less polluting and more environmentally friendly than others like Polyester resins, they have very low VOC's (Volatile Organic Compounds), and so less material will evaporate and pollute the air.
Epoxy is the material of choice where strength, water impermeability and specific flex patterns are required. There are hundreds or thousands of epoxy resin styles and applications, each with its own unique properties.
Epoxy Pro has developed its own custom epoxy resin formulation called XTR-16. This resin is ideal for extreme surfing conditions. It has perfectly balanced optimal characteristics of clarity (lack of discoloration), light weight, strength, and flexibility. See XTR comparison with similar surfboards.
There are two common types
1. Custom
(hand shaped or computer shaped)Hand shaping an XTR Blank A piece of polystyrene foam is hand shaped to specific dimensions to meet a particular surfing specifications.
It can be hand shaped or machine shaped (computer / cnc) and then hand laminated with epoxy resin and standard fiberglass. The rest of the process is the same as the standard surfboard, sanded and polished if needed. The main difference is the foam and the resin, the fiberglass is the same as the standard polyester surfboard.
2. Molded (Pop Out)
A piece of expanded polystyrene foam (beaded foam) is poured into a mold and is covered with several layers of fiberglass, epoxy resin, high density foam, to cover the expanded foam, some have stringers to reinforce the structure. A variation is with PVC plastic applied with heat.
Then they are painted like a car and applied coats of resin and lacquers for polishing finish.
These surfboards are strong, but also very stiff, with little or no flex.
They don't ding easily, but when they are dinged, the surfer must get out of the water to avoid a substantial gain in board weight because the foam used is the open cell (expanded) Polystyrene, which takes on water. These boards are mass produced and offer limited choice of shape, size or color. These systems are labor intensive and are manufactured mainly in Thailand and China due to regulations and inexpensive labor.
Molded or "Pop out" boards use expanded Polystyrene
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EXPANDED AND EXTRUDED POLYSTYRENE FOAMS?
EXPANDED (beaded foam) commonly known as Styrofoam: Expanded Polystyrene open cell foam - used in molded boards.
Used for molded surfboards and a few hand shaped surfboards. Expanded polystyrene is inexpensive and light weight (1 to 2 lb.per cubic foot).
It is made mainly for insulation applications in the construction industry, because the cost is low compared to other foams.
The characteristics of this foam are like the ones you see in beer coolers and Christmas tree ornaments. It has many small spheres of foam bonded together (the reason it is also called beaded foam). The structure is based on an open cell that allows water to penetrate and travel inside the foam.
This foam comes in different cell sizes with different water absorption properties.
The disadvantages are the water aspiration; poor flex patterns, and low resistance to compression. Because it breaks easily, it requires excessive fiberglass reinforcement. The appearance of spheres in some (beaded) foam is noticeable. The small visible sheers also make the board difficult to fine shape and airbrush
*Styrofoam is a trademark of DOW Chemical.
EXTRUDED FOAM (XTR)
XTR closed cell extruded Polystyrene foam
XTR foam is closed cell foam extruded at high speeds using expensive machinery.
The main advantages are strength and imperviousness to water absorption. It is very resistant to impact and compression.
One of the most significant and most misunderstood qualities of the close cell construction is that almost no water absorption occurs in open dings (less than 1%). This means that a surfboard with a ding will not gain weight or change color resulting in longer memory (resilience) of the materials.
Also, the flex patterns of extruded foam when glassed properly can result in enormous advantage for a positive responsive surfboard.
It generates more speed that any other construction.
The reason closed cell foam has not been popular with surfboard builders is the delaminations or bubbles that occurred mainly right under the front foot before ThermoVent was introduced by Epoxy Pro in 2001.
Epoxy Pro has a patent pending system called THERMOVENTING that solves the delamination problem 100%.
XTR foam can be hand shaped or CNC machine shaped for production.
XTR extruded foam has a nice presentation. The foam has high whiteness and can be airbrushed for a custom surfboard.
Flex
Otherwise known as “speed flex”, one of the best features on all XTR surfboards is the flex, which is the unique combination of a triple unidirectional wood with a blank that has a very snappy memory. This results in incredible speed and responsiveness on each maneuver and even when you paddle, creating more momentum and allowing you to catch more waves. Therefore, it’s no surprise that XTR surfboards are becoming an increasingly popular choice amongst the world’s best surfers.
CLOSED CELL FOAM
All XTR surfboards are made with closed cell foam, so water cannot penetrate inside the surfboard. This closed cell foam is 99.9% waterproof.
RESIN
All boards are glassed with a specialized epoxy resin. The XTR-16 is super clear, which results in one of the whitest boards on the market today.
THERMOVENT TECHNOLOGY
Thermovent TM is a patent pending technology by Epoxy Pro that eliminates the problem of surfboard delaminations on extruded polystyrene blanks. Vents allow gas to automatically be released after several months of use and heat are combined. You can safely wax your board or place a traction pad directly on top of the vents.
How to Order
Order your XTR with the same demintions you would a standard PU board. Keywords- xtr surfboards, epoxy