I should be crowned as a legend for find this article: ‘Aggressive’ inline skates by Rollerblade feature frames of DuPont™ Zytel® and DuPont™ Delrin® Munich, July 11, 2007 — Inline skates for aggressive techniques, such as grinding, have rough-and-tough lives. That is why Rollerblade, the people who invented inline skating, chose DuPont engineering polymers to provide the ultimate in slideability combined with abrasion-resistance for two new advanced-level models. For the frame of the high-end Point 8 model Rollerblade designers chose DuPont™ Delrin® acetal resin reinforced with DuPont™ Kevlar® aramid. “It is the first time that this recently developed material has been used for an inline skate frame,” says Mr Lino Piva of Rollerblade’s R & D group. “Delrin® has an inherently low-friction surface that makes it ideal for grinding and other aggressive techniques. The tougherthan-steel Kevlar® reinforcement adds abrasion-resistance for greater durability.” The frame of the mid-range DT 4 is injection-moulded from DuPont™ Zytel® 70G33GRA. This is a nylon 66 reinforced with 33 % glass fibre which boosts tensile strength, stiffness and abrasion-resistance. In addition, it contains a lubricant which lowers the friction coefficient to give better sliding action. “The DT 4 represents another important ‘first’ for us,” says Mr Ippolito Sanfratello, a former Olympic skating gold medallist and now Rollerblade product manager. “In both new models, the use of these recently developed DuPont resins allows faster, smoother grinding, yet ensures a longer service life. And the first-ever use of these advanced materials for inline frames strengthens Rollerblade’s claim to be the industry’s technology leader.” The switch-frame of Delrin® reinforced with Kevlar® allows four different wheel combinations: * 4 x 56 mm diameter wheels * 2 x 72 mm diameter wheels with 2 grinder wheels * 2 x 56 mm diameter wheels with 2 grinder wheels * 2 x 56 mm diameter wheels with 2 x 72 mm diameter wheels. The Downtown (DT 4) will reach shops in the USA for the Christmas 2007 season; the Point 8 will be available for the spring 2008 season. Both models will reach shops in Europe shortly after. The new Rollerblade inline skates will be shown on the DuPont stand at ISPO: Hall B2 BrandNew Village, Stand BN47. - DuPont Magic