Airush Product Designer Dean Freedberg introduced Nano Rod Technology to the kiteboarding scene in 2017 to make Airush’s premium twintip line as lightweight and durable as possible. Featured on selected twintips, like the Livewire, Livewire Team, Apex Team, and Diamond Team, the guys at Airush caught up with Dean to give us some insight into their performance and further developments over the last year”¦
After a successful year with the Carbon Nano Rods, why introduce Fiberglass Nano Rods to the line?
The Fiberglass Nano Rods are only found on the Apex, this is the board that blends performance and durability with price. The Carbon Nano Rods cost more, and we wanted to offer a really durable, well-priced, board to the market to make the technology more accessible.
How does the Nano Rod Technology affect the overall response of the board?
When launching into a trick or landing a trick, energy is expelled through the laminate and wood core. The flick back of the board known as the pop or shock absorption is the composite skin and wood core responding to this action. Composite has a substantially better response than wood when loaded with energy, therefore, the addition of the Nano Rod Technology into the core increases the pop and response of the core making the overall feel of the board crisper and stiffer.
Have you tried using different positioning of the Nano Rods? What was the reasoning behind the current arc shape of the rods?
Yes, we tried various positioning of the rods in the core, but the arc formation allows the rider to have increased control and stiffness between their feet, while still allowing the tips to flex. A fine balance.
Durability is one of Airush’s fundamental design principles, how do the Nano Rods affect the durability of the twin tips?
The Nano Rods’ material is stiffer and stronger than the rest of the core. A large issue with the lightweight wood cores is the structural irregularity found in natural materials. This causes issues such as core sheering and other surface failures leading the boards to break under pressure. The Nano Rods do not have these problems, and the sheer strength of the Nano Rod is substantially stronger than wood and they are able to hold more energy/force than the wood core. As a result of this, a lot of the impact is dispersed through the wood into the Nano Rods, allowing for a longer lasting, stronger board.
Have you changed anything about the Nano Rods for the latest range of boards?
The only change is the addition of the new Fiberglass Nano Rods, but the design principles have remained the same”¦
This article first appeared on the website blog here: https://airush.com/nano-rod-technology/