How is a snowboard made?
How is a snowboard made? It’s a common question that the Burton Guides receive and it might have been easy to answer at one point in time, but those days are behind us. Because the bottom line is that snowboard construction has advanced quite a bit since Jake Burton Carpenter first started producing boards in a Vermont barn in 1977. For example, the earliest Burton BB1 and BB2 snowboards from the 1970s were constructed from single pieces of wood (a far cry from the multi-layer carbon-stringer boards that are available today).
Truth be told, modern snowboard construction is the result of decades of research and development, rigorous product testing by the Burton Team riders, and first-hand feedback from Burton employees and their families. But no matter how much new technology and performance we cram into our snowboards, one thing hasn’t changed over the years: every snowboard we build at Burton is constructed by hand, with love.
How is a Snowboard Made: Graphic Design
Before snowboard construction begins, every board needs its graphics, the images on the ABS/TPU topsheet, and polyethylene base. Graphics are designed on the computer and then applied directly onto the snowboard's layers using a silkscreen process, very similar to printing silkscreen t-shirts.
Snowboard Graphic Printing Process
- The snowboard graphics are designed in-house by Burton, or in collaboration with other artists and brands.
- The topsheet and base graphics are broken down into multiple screen separations (one for each color in the final image) by Burton's graphic production artists.
- Silkscreen printing is performed using water-based inks and a semi-automated process.
How is a Snowboard Made: Construction Process
In general, Burton’s snowboard construction process is like making a sandwich. When building a snowboard, we start at the bottom and work our way to the top, alternating layers of fiberglass, wood, epoxy, and other materials (depending on performance goals). Once everything has been assembled, we press the board in our pneumatic (panini) press until everything is cured. Finally, a variety of finishing steps result in a finished snowboard. Sounds simple, right? Well, it actually is pretty straightforward, and at the highest level, there are three main steps to snowboard construction.
Step 1: Snowboard Layup
Snowboard construction begins with layup, the initial step in which all the pieces are assembled. The layers of a snowboard may vary slightly from one model to the next, but in general, they include many of the same materials.
- Base (P-Tex)
- Fiberglass
- Epoxy
- Core
- Topsheet
At Burton, layup begins with a precise aluminum form. Each form is model-specific and size-specific and allows us to reproduce snowboards with incredible accuracy and consistency. We begin by placing a precision-cut snowboard bottom sheet (also known as the P-Tex base) into the mold. Next, the steel edge is placed into the mold and held in place by small fiberglass washers, securing the snowboard base against the aluminum form.
Next, gummi strips are coated with epoxy resin and laid down over the edge material; gummi strips allow the inner layers of the snowboard to sheer just a tiny bit when the board is flexed. Then a layer of fiberglass and more epoxy resin are applied over the gummi, edge, and base.
After the first layer of fiberglass, the wood core and sidewalls are installed. Next, aircraft-grade aluminum Channel extrusions are installed within the core. Over the top of everything, another layer of fiberglass is applied, followed by a generous coating of epoxy resin.
The final layer in the snowboard sandwich is the top sheet.
Once everything has been assembled, an additional piece of flexible aluminum is placed over the top of the snowboard and attached to the bottom mold. These two outer layers are secured to one another to ensure that all the layers of the snowboard stay in place during the curing process.
Step 2: Snowboard Curing
Once layup has been completed, it’s time for curing. The snowboard curing process is critical, ensuring that the epoxy resin hardens properly and bonds everything together.
The length of time and temperature that snowboards cure at is specific to the manufacturer and the factory where they are made. At Craig’s Prototype Facility (Burton's research and development lab), snowboards are cured for 10-15 minutes at approximately 70 pounds-per-square-inch of pressure. The heat in the pneumatic press activates the ingredients in the epoxy resin, bonding the base, core, and topsheet of the snowboard together with the fiberglass. At the same time, the pressure squeezes out excess epoxy resin.
When curing is finished, the snowboard comes out of the mold and is headed for finishing.
Step 3: Snowboard Finishing
Finishing is the final step in the snowboard building process, and it involves a handful of different sub-processes which are designed to get the board ready to ride.
1. Trimming
Once it’s removed from its aluminum form, a raw snowboard must be trimmed to remove excess fiberglass and topsheet material. This is the step where a snowboard begins to look less like a random stack of materials and more like what you might purchase at a Burton Flagship Store.
2. Shaping
After trimming, it’s time for shaping. The shaping process removes slightly more material from a rough-trimmed snowboard. In this step, Burton’s expert snowboard technicians carefully grind the sidewall edge and machine the sidewall to its final shape.
3. Base Finishing
Once a snowboard is properly shaped, it receives base finishing. At Burton, this process begins in a large automated machine, progressively moving through four different grits of decreasing coarseness. Belt sanding typically requires two to four passes on each belt, which means that every snowboard could receive as many as sixteen passes before it's ready to move forward in the finishing process. After the automated machine, a tech will then hand-finish any part of the base that needs a little extra love to ensure a consistent final product. Once the base has achieved the perfect grind, a final finish is applied using a buffing wheel or belt.
4. Final Graphic Applications
After base finishing, the final graphic screen printing applications and embellishments can be added to the snowboard’s topsheet. This step ultimately depends on the needs of the artist and the creative teams at Burton. These final touches provide extra depth or texture to the topsheet design. Over the years we’ve seen everything from foils, decals, and even integrated watch faces provide the perfect finishing touches to Burton snowboards.
5. Factory Tune & Wax
The final step in the snowboard building process is the factory tune and wax. The technicians start with an edge grind, applying Burton’s standard one-degree bevel to both the sidewall and base edges of the snowboard. Then, a final hot wax of non-fluorinated all-temp snowboard wax is applied, delivering sustainable and versatile performance to get you through those first days on the mountain.
Final Thoughts on How a Snowboard is Made
From graphic design to layup, curing, and finishing, building a snowboard is a multi-step process that has evolved significantly since the 1970s. And thanks to modern technology and Burton's endless drive to continue innovating the sport, we’ve seen some amazing advancements in snowboard construction technology, including The Channel, uber-light Mystery Snowboard Construction, and proprietary board bends like Flying V.
But no matter how much new technology and innovation gets crammed into a snowboard, one thing remains the same, and that’s the care and attention that each snowboard receives from the tech who builds it. So, next time someone asks: “How is a snowboard made?” You can confidently answer: “With love, by hand.”
