Mold and die manufacturers just got a powerful new all-in-one tool from Hexagon Manufacturing that bundles the company’s technologies into a suite of tools allowing plastic flow analysis, reverse engineering, modeling of solids and surfaces, and more.

This looks like it would make a sick wet weather board for London’s Streets init.. Whack on some waterproof bearings i.e. stainless (or ceramic if u can afford it). If it really has 95% of the pop of a Maple deck defo has its place. + think of all the squirrels!

Maybe I was just unlucky the way it came out of the mold? Am willing to work with Jason but he says he won’t talk to me anymore because I said to him ‘Oh come on man don’t be a nurd’.. heh

For injection mold makers, the HxGN Mould and Die suite integrates CAD/CAE/CAM workflow to provide data-based insights into mold creation and function through:

Hm… I have been skateboarding for 35 years now, and I somehow doubt these plastic decks have the same “pop” (it´s a thing) as the wooden boards. Wood skateboards are initially quite stiff, they will lose that stiffness, depending on the abuse you put them through, over time. In my prime I replaced a deck every month at least, even if it did not have terribly visible wear around the edges. Since I have never ridden these plastic boards I can only make assumptions here, but I would guess the material has different properties. Skaeboards are typically made out of 7 plies of laminated maple, with 5 layers orientated being orientated in the long direction, and 2 layers 90° to that. When I ran a small longboard company I experimented a lot with materials to get a certain springyness (is that a word?) yet torsion-stiffness, all catered to the riders weight. I ended up using bamboo and triaxial glassfiber laminate. It is easy to build an object that looks like a cool skateboard – making one that actually rides well is decidedly more difficult.

The reason that popsicle Deck skateboards are made out of wood is because the amount of Pop you get from hard maple. I can’t see anyway that is plastic especially recycled plastic where you’re using many different types of plastic would have the same characteristics. I think this would be better suited for different types of skateboards like longboards, cruising decks.

Hexagon Manufacturing has bundled its state-of-the-art technologies into a suite of tools, giving mold and die shops of all sizes a competitive edge.

To be honest, your article has helped a lot to new comers. And those who are confused about the wooden and plastic skateboard decks

Geoff Giordano is a tech journalist with more than 30 years’ experience in all facets of publishing. He has reported extensively on the gamut of plastics manufacturing technologies and issues, including 3D printing materials and methods; injection, blow, micro and rotomolding; additives, colorants and nanomodifiers; blown and cast films; packaging; thermoforming; tooling; ancillary equipment; and the circular economy. Contact him at [email protected].

A good way to tackle this might be one wood layer on the bottom and top. and possible the edge somehow shielded so it won’t grind up and pollute even worse than those big bottles…

"We took everything we know about mold-and-die manufacturing, including our best-in-class Hexagon technologies, to build a specialized suite that empowers mold and die shops of any size to get the best results faster," said Chuck Mathews, general manager of production software at Hexagon. "Their competitive edge will be enhanced with Nexus, which connects desktop software via the cloud to provide further automation and collaboration opportunities. It also gives teams an easy way to share 3D models with customers through secure web-based visualization, and consolidates access to libraries for tooling, fixtures, and materials from their desktop apps."

“I recently learned about the RPSD (Recycled Plastic Skateboard Deck) and was blown away by the ingenuity of the design. The use of existing and open-source shredder and extruder technology to turn locally-sourced plastic waste into melted plastic for new skateboard decks is truly impressive. The CNC-machined top, bottom, and edge mold sections, along with the thick steel support structure, give the deck a professional and durable look. The edge section and cartridge heaters work together to give the deck its shape and the scissor lift mechanism makes it easy to align the mold with the extruder. The laser-cut metal enclosure for the temperature control electronics is a nice touch and shows the attention to detail put into this project. Overall, the RPSD is a great example of how we can take something as simple as waste plastic and turn it into something useful and sustainable. I can’t wait to get my hands on one!”

Well buyer beware.. I brought one it cost me €130 Euros and it snapped within 3 days and I’m a pretty light skater I only ever snapped 1 deck before and I’ve been skating about 20 years off and on..

Saw it here a while back. I should’ve said “transparent”, but you get the idea. Put clear grip tape on it and it would be like skating on a chunk of glycerin soap. You could probably do some pretty cool 3D graphics /holograms too. Similar to clear coating a tabletop with inset decorations.

It doesn’t really matter that it’s not 100% the same ride quality as wood, the point is to reuse waste plastic that would normally go into the ocean or a landfill. Making home injection molding more accessible to the average consumer is a great way to create demand for waste plastic and reduce the amount we throw away, as otherwise we’re solely dependent on big business to eliminate plastic waste. And they’re not motivated by environmental concerns, they’re motivated by money, which is how we ended up with the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in the first place.

I mean really, this still deserves a prize even if the skateboards suck. It’s plastic; you can mold whatever you want with it.

And I’d be very surprised if the top coatings of wooden boards are plastic derived too, still going to shed micro plastics as the all natural shellac/wax options etc isn’t cheap enough…

Thanks guys for sharing useful tips. Plastic skateboards aren’t always useless. While they are limited in functionality compared to wooden boards, that doesn’t mean they don’t work. They are still better than cheap skateboard decks or free skateboard decks.

Injection molding is usually focused on high-volume production, but that doesn’t always need to be the case. The Recycled Plastic Skateboard Deck project centers on the use of injection molding for a relatively low-volume production line using open-source tooling.

That is very interesting to learn, thank you. I have often wondered why they dont utilize various engineered fibers in the decks of skateboards. That does make sense why they do not.

Obs there is also the problem with microplastics, not just with slides but every time you do anything with the deck like try to pop an ollie etc..scraping the tail- microplastics gonna get into the water table.

Oh, but they do. Well, if you want to generalize the term “skateboard” anyway. There is for instance a distinction between a “skateboard” and a “longboard”, the latter being a much broader family of … things. It is actually quite common to find glasfiber, kevlar, aramid and/or carbon combined with various woods in those. It depend on what you want to do. Like in every other sport the equipment has undergone quite the evolution, and you are totally able to spend top dollar on a specialized and often custom made deck. This does not apply to the average “trick” skateboard tho, those are mass produced 7ply maple boards where the graphics (and the association with a pro rider, for that matter) are the primary selling point, seconded by the shape (which is not only the outline, but the wheelbase, the angle of the upcurve on nose and tail, and the concave. Skateboards are not flat planks, but very much 3D Objects). Anyhow, you do not want a skateboard to feel like a steel plate or a wet towel under your feet. Maple is very much fine for a trick/street skateboard, a downhill rocket or a “dancer” require different materials. If the recycled plastic boards are the next big thing then I am totally up for it. Still I remain skeptical.

If you gonna buy one of these I’d strike a deal with Jason first.. like if it breaks..in less than 1 month he has to melt it down again and make you a new deck at cost ‘cos I think these are perhaps still at the prototype stage.

Its also worth mentioning that our project is not trying to replace the wooden deck completely, we know it will always hold a special place in the hearts of seasoned skaters. Our project is about expanding accessibility, to people who live in situations of hardship, and normally would not be able to afford a deck. For many, having a deck that performs 95% as good as a wooden deck, is better than having no deck atall