Believe it or not, skating on synthetic ice tiles is a lot like skating on real ice – if the ice tiles are made out of high-quality materials. One of the biggest mistakes people make when it comes to installing synthetic ice flooring is that they go for a cheap brand that has inferior quality. Skating on synthetic ice should not be difficult at all, especially since technology and science have advanced so far over the years and allowed developers to create plastics that are comparable to the real thing.
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Synthetic Ice of Long Ago
When synthetic ice first made its way into the public eye back in the 60s, it had some issues. The plastic back then was not nearly as advanced as is today. The flooring was bulky and had to be kept up by constantly adding lubricants and keeping the surface cleaned off. Without lubricant, ice skates could not glide across the floor as they were supposed to do. Instead, the experience was a lot like trying to ice skate across a linoleum floor. Although adding lubricants did allow for skaters to successfully skate across the flooring, it was not even close to the real thing.
Ice Skating on Real Ice With Ice Skates
When ice skates seamlessly drift across an ice rink it is because of a few scientific factors that become involved to help things roll along. Ice skate blades are made out of hard steel that mercilessly gouge the ice as they rip across the surface. As the steel grates across the ice, it causes friction. The friction causes heat to appear. With the heat, the ice melts and provides a thin layer of water to act as a natural lubricant for the blades to propel forward upon. The heat causes the ice to create its own lubricant. The challenge that developers have had with creating synthetic ice is that it is not easy to mimic the natural element of water.
Polymer Plastics and Lubricating Elements
Although many people are still unaware of the significance of polymers in the material world, the fact that they are extremely efficient does not change. The old way that plastics were formed was not as structured as the way that polymer plastics are formed. Polymers are molecular chains that make up most of the material world that we see and feel around us. The most commonly known polymer is the DNA chain. Over the years developers have discovered that when they create plastics on a molecular level they can add lubricants, conditioners, and other elements into the plastic so that when it is formed, it has everything inside of it that it needs to be the best version of itself. Polymer plastic synthetic ice that has been conditioned with lubricants provides a self-lubricating system that is much like real ice. As the skates glide across the surface, lubricants are drawn to the top of the flooring in order to provide enough of a slippery substance to help the ice skates move around like they would be if they were on ice.
Skating On Synthetic Ice
The way to skate on synthetic ice is pretty much the same as skating on a real ice rink. There may be a little bit of a drag and some resistance, but not enough to make things difficult. In fact, the extra drag is known to build strength and stamina in skaters. The best way to learn how to skate on synthetic ice is to get out there and try for yourself.
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