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Next to the actual kite design, the canopy fabric plays a very important role in your kite’s performance. Fabrics, with different stretch characteristics, will have an important effect on bar pressure, turning speed and the overall crisp feeling of your kite. A quick and lively kite can become dull and slow with heavy bar pressure when made with a different material. Switch Kites is constantly testing different materials in our test laboratory and in real life applications. After 16 months of testing, we have chosen a new 56 gr/m2 double rip stop fabric which has a 37% higher puncture tensile strength in the critical warp direction, with minimal weight increase.
We use Dimension-Polyant Dacron exclusively. Dimension-Polyant Dacron is the only sailcloth manufacturer with its own modern sailcloth-weaving mill and a unique finishing plant where the fabrics pass through a 14-stage program. Weaving, finishing and laminating – all in one location, made in Germany. It’s the most stable and durable structure that ensures the designed shape is retained for ultimate performance.
All stitching locations on any struts are internally reinforced first with Dacron and then adhesive-backed Dacron Mark Cloth to ensure the stitching doesn’t compromise the material. Strut seams are double stitched with a larger thread. Strut attachments are reinforced with webbing and all valve positions have extra reinforcing to prevent blowouts under high pressures and crashes.
We glue and double stitch the seams. One straight stitch folded over would be much faster and cheaper to produce, but it is simply not as strong.
Fully glued canopy framing of Dacron and adhesive-backed Mark Cloth for extra strength along struts, leading edge, trailing edges and wingtips.
Why are we not using one single row of three-step zigzag like all the others? Every added hole in the leading edge weakens the structure. If you need to add holes, they must be spaced out as far as possible. We use a more time consuming two rows of two-step zigzag to produce considerable added strength to the design.
Double-reinforced with Dacron, the LE seam is fully glued, double-folded and double stitched with an exterior webbing cover for ultimate strength and durability. Extra heavy thread is used to protect against ruptures and blowouts.
One is good. Two is better. We use two parallel seams on our durable TPU bladders, plus reinforced valve locations.
Custom moulded bumpers and lightweight abrasion-resistant rub pads wherever you need it during set up, launching, landing and packing.