The biggest challenge people have with real ice is that it has to be kept at a temperature cool enough to support it, or it melts. When it comes to synthetic ice, on the other hand, all you have to do is install it on a hard, flat surface and you can have an ice skating rink year-round through the hot and cold months. But, can it be left outside in the elements and still be an effective place to skate? You might be surprised at the answer.
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What Exactly Is Synthetic Ice?
We all know that natural ice is the solid, frozen, form of water. What you might not know is that when ice skates skate around the surface of ice they cause a little bit of heat to appear. This heat, in turn, melts the ice just enough to provide a thin layer of natural lubricant – water – so that the ice skate blades can slide smoothly along without much effort. Scientists and developers worked together to find a solution that could provide the same kind of smooth-skating that ice did, but without the need for freezing temperatures. This was how synthetic ice came into the picture.
At first, when artificial ice was introduced to the general public, it was a cumbersome, soft, awkward surface. The flooring had to be constantly lubricated in order for skaters to skate on it and be able to move even a little bit.
As time moved by, the type of plastic that developers used to make synthetic ice began to evolve. Scientists discovered that they could mimic the natural polymer designs that make up a large percentage of natural matter. They combined plastic with the structure of DNA chains and were able to create synthetic polymer plastics. Once this was achieved, the possibilities became endless.
Synthetic ice is simply a form of highly advanced plastic technology that is built to withstand the abuse of ice skaters, hockey players, and other rough treatment for years.
Self Lubricating Technology
As we talked about earlier, synthetic ice is engineered with polymer plastics. A step further into the science behind synthetic ice is that within the polymer chains developers have been able to add lubricants and conditioners that can mimic the way that ice skates cause ice to melt and provide a lubricant. With this new kind of synthetic ice, ice skates will cause lubricant that is inside of the flooring to surface and provide a slick flooring.
Ultraviolet Resistant
With the same technology that is used in creating a self-lubricating ice panel, UV-resistant plastic polymer chains are infused into the synthetic ice panels so that the ice flooring can be outside, in direct sunlight without becoming damaged.
Conclusion
To answer the original question of this article about being able to leave synthetic ice outside, yes. If you have high-quality ice panels you can build a nice rink outdoors and be able to use it year round. You can practice on skates, and even boost your core workouts with a hockey balance board while shooting practice shots. Indoors or outdoors synthetic ice is a great way to build a rink and skate without ever having to leave the house.
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