Show Skateboard wheels are essential parts of your board. Without them, your board cannot move and roll. This article will help you understand your wheels furthermore. Let’s see how skateboard wheels are made and what materials are needed to create them. Skateboard wheels are typically manufactured in a large quantity using an automated mechanical machine in an industrial setting. Back in the 1900s, wheels were made from steel. Six decades later, manufacturers tried making clay skateboard wheels hoping it would work better. Today, skateboard wheels are made out of a synthetic rubber polymer composed of stretchy and small chains material known as polyurethane. Skateboard Wheel Materials1. Metal skateboard wheels are inspired by wheels used in roller skates. Steel was the first-ever material used to make skateboard wheels before. But they were replaced because of the rough and bumpy ride it produces, and skateboarders find them hard to control. 2. Skateboard wheels made from clay were created by combining the following materials:
They are used in indoor roller skates and later used for skateboards before but were not used for a more extended period because they wore down very fast. 3. Urethane wheels were first used in 1970 by Frank Nasworthy. It looks like white powder and sometimes appears as a colorless crystal. Urethane is formed with the combination of these two chemicals: Urethane skateboard wheels are fast, super-resilient, abrasion-resistant, and have greater grip and traction. You can create clear skateboard wheels without putting any pigment onto the chemical mixture. 4. Skateboards these days are made of polyurethane – the polymer version of urethane but have the same composition. These polyurethane wheels are softer and yet more durable than the steel wheels. Polyurethane Skateboard Wheels EquipmentIn the skateboard wheel manufacturing process, chemical components and types of machinery create skateboard wheels.
As mentioned, polyurethane is just the polymer version of urethane, and manufacturers will need polyol and isocyanate chemicals to produce polyurethane wheels. How Are Skateboard Wheels Made?
And voila, the wheels are now cleared and packed to be prepared for shipment or delivery. And this is how skateboard wheels are produced in an industrial setup. ConclusionSkateboard wheels made of clay and metals are now part of history. It is not recommended either to use skateboards with rubber wheels as it is easier to rip apart. Other skaters also used plastic skateboard wheels, but remember that plastic wheels won’t rip the ground. Today, polyurethane skateboard wheels were widely and commonly used by skaters due to their durability and versatility. I hope you enjoyed reading this article. Isn’t it exciting to know how skateboard wheels are made? If you think I missed out something, let me know, and feel free to comment below. Hi, I am Charles Harris. I opened this site to write as much as I can about my biggest passion – skateboarding! I started as a clumsy yet passionate rookie 10 years ago to now a still passionate yet much better skateboarder! But I have to tell you, the whole journey has always been fun and rewarding, indeed not without hardship. |