The term “heavy duty synthetic ice” is misused, abused, over represented and generally not well understood by potential buyers and customers. This article is going to clear all that up for you (and probably my competitors as well).

Heavy duty synthetic ice is defined by the following characteristics:

1. The type of connection system
2. The strength of the connection system
3. The durability of the material
4. The panel thickness

You see the industry has this false idea that if a product is thicker then we can call it “heavy duty” without any regard to the other criteria listed above. A thicker product does not make it heavy duty. You can have a product 3/4″ thick but using a weak dovetail or jigsaw puzzle connection system where the joint is completely vulnerable to vertical separation. There is nothing heavy duty about that. Yet most competitors offer this. If the joint separates even a little vertically you have just created a very unsafe skating condition. And the larger the rink the bigger the potential problem can be because of expansion and contraction forces. Bad things can happen with temperature changes when the wrong connection system is used.

I have seen it and know of applications where hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent only to have the complete rink taken apart never to be used again.

In the image above it shows a connection system known as the H-Tongue or H-Spline system. My competitors hate it and scoff at it and call it old technology etc. The fact is this connection system has been around a while (30 years) and was even patented. But when it comes to connection strength this product is the “mother of all heavy duty synthetic ice” connection systems. Why? It can not be separated vertically or horizontally (unless you actually understand how to take it apart). Any monkey can take apart what most companies call a heavy duty system…not only that but they can easily be vandalized and even stolen if they are in outside public spaces (that’s happened too!).

We actually test and have lab verified results for the strength of our heavy duty synthetic ice connection systems. I would love to compare results with other companies…but the reality is that we also sell a jigsaw puzzle / dovetail system as well – but we are not so naive that we are going to call it “heavy duty” because we know better. The bottom line is that certain products are better suited for certain applications. There is no one size fits all in this business – so please don’t fall for that type of marketing or salesmanship.

If you are considering buying synthetic ice as a business operator, a hockey training center, a community public rink or something similar then you really should be concerned about panel joint separation. Not only could you prevent a potential safety issue but possibly even avoid potential liability concerns.  We have three “heavy duty synthetic ice” connection systems that can be discussed and we would consult with you about your intended application before we made a recommendation.

If you are serious about wanting to put in the best products to get the best results over the very long term then you owe it to yourself to consider a true heavy duty synthetic ice connection system. Read about how important it is to do your research when choosing the brand and type of synthetic ice rink for you.

,aaAs a hockey parent if someone told me that my kid could skate at home for less than a cup of coffee per day I would absolutely do that. Wouldn’t you? Probably you would.

But maybe you would need some additional information first such as “what the heck are you talking about!”

What I am talking about here is having your very own private synthetic ice training surface right in the comfort of your own home. Dollar for dollar its likely the best hockey training investment you can make for your kids. Most kids I know always did some kind of extra training to work on their skills. Could be shooting, quickness, agility, hands, anything really.

Imagine as a hockey dad you could all of a sudden work with your kid 1 on 1 and help them with all those little things you think they could improve upon. Their shot, stride and power. Even learning to hit is possible on synthetic ice. There really is no limitation as to what you can work on with a kid using synthetic ice.

In Canada we can offer financing to hockey parents who are looking to get that little edge over other kids. The payment terms on approved credit basis can be as long as 10 years. For 5 or 6 years on a 200 square foot surface you would literally pay less than what it costs for a cup of coffee daily.

You spend more on internet and cable TV than that!

So what are you waiting for? Get on the SmartRink site and check out the financing option that is best for you or just give us a call today. Read more about the rationale behind our synthetic ice rink pricing.

Imagine synthetic ice rink summer training for your son or daughter! That would be pretty cool right? That is exactly what  young hockey player from St. George NB will be doing this summer on the 300 square foot synthetic ice surface his dad just purchased from us. They were here for a spring league hockey tournament and decided to come check out the product. They were impressed with the demo – enough that they filled up the back of their SUV with synthetic ice panels.

As I chatted with the proud hockey parents they were telling me how all their son wants to do is practice or play hockey. In all sincerity – this is the perfect hockey kid profile for synthetic ice. The parents who are already spending a lot of money on his budding hockey career will feel that this synthetic ice investment was worthwhile. Meanwhile the kid will be practicing and getting better every single day.

We talked about how they would really like him to get involved in some other sports like soccer or lacrosse. On the other hand they said he loves hockey and they don’t push him into it – he chooses to do it. The easy conclusion for this kid is that he will use his synthetic ice all summer long and most likely every day.

In this situation everyone is happy.

Learn more about synthetic ice rinks for hockey players.

Synthetic ice expansion and contraction in larger community or commercial synthetic ice rinks can be problematic if proper care is not taken during the initial design stage.

In North America there are a lot of geographies that have “wild swings” in temperature. The change in temperature will have significant effects on polyethylene material – which is what most manufacturers use to make synthetic ice panel – albeit to various molecular weights and compositions – but rest assured it all expands and contracts with temperature change.

SmartRink knows exactly how much it will expand and contract from the machined temperature of 20 degrees Centigrade (about 68 degrees F). From this base line temperature we can consider the location design temperature. By that we mean to what temperature range must we design the rink according to. So we will look at historical temperature references by location – seasonal highs and lows – and size our rink relative to that. So what’s the big deal here anyway?

The big deal is that you need to be considering the synthetic ice expansion and contraction with relation to the perimeter boards if there are any, but also you need to be thinking about the forces of expansion and contraction and the effect it can have on the panel joints themselves.

The general rule of thumb I use is that the larger the rink the more important the type of connection system becomes. If it’s a full size rink for example then absolutely no question about it I would be recommending the H-Tongue heavy duty commercial connection system for your synthetic ice rink. It is by far the strongest system known in the industry. Most companies are selling their version of the dovetail or jigsaw puzzle joint system. We sell that as well. But I would never recommend that in a large installation as there is virtually no vertical sheer strength to prevent that joint from separating. It can work OK if the entire surface expands and contracts at exactly the same rate but that is rare because the effect of sun and shading is always present on different parts of the surface. One area for example might have sunshine on it while another area is shaded and full of frost. Then bad things will occur! The frosted area can literally be frozen in place while the sunny area is rapidly expanding. This in turn places tremendous expansion forces on the panel joints. When the expansion forces come up against the frozen panels they will still try to expand but because they are frozen possibly underneath they will not want to expand horizontally  – but vertically and that is very problematic for a jigsaw puzzle type connection system. But this is no problem for an H-Tongue connection system to deal with. While it could still rise up, the joint will not separate. Eventually when the temperature changes it will settle down once again, no harm done.

Ideally however this does not happen at all. It’s really important to allow for horizontal panel expansion around the perimeter of the rink. If there are boards there then what we have experienced is that the boards should be placed on top of the synthetic panels all around the perimeter. The synthetic ice can not be anchored it has to be allowed to expand and contract underneath the perimeter boards. The boards then also need to be anchored in such a fashion that allows the synthetic ice expansion and contraction to freely occur.

So needless to say – there are a few critical things to think about and understand. Expert companies like SmartRink will do these calculations and design a proper system to provide you with trouble free operation over the long term with a view to temperature variables.

Synthetic ice is an opportunity for communities. We’ve seen it provide much needed recreational infrastructure, revitalize diminished shopping districts and even become a catalyst for tourism. It’s an alternative to real ice that offers various financial benefits.

Though it does require slightly more effort to skate on, synthetic ice should still be a premium skating experience. But, as with most products and services, quality and company expertise do matter.

What we see time and again are stories of failed synthetic ice projects due to improper product selection from companies that don’t have validated quality track records or adequate experience.  Instances of raised edges, tripping hazards and difficulty skating are never acceptable.

Outdoor synthetic ice applications call for sinter pressed, very high molecular weight material, with a commercial heavy duty connection system. This not only ensures that the joint system won’t be compromised by changes in groundwork (such as frost heave) you can even flood over this product to achieve natural ice when weather permits and enjoy synthetic ice the rest of the year.

We understand that recreation budgets are limited and the lowest price can be attractive. But there is no doubt here, that cheapest never equates to best outcome. Tax payers deserve an experience that gives their community a boost — in physical activity, in business growth and in spirit.

Read more about our commercial synthetic ice.