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Aileron Is a Skateboard Made from Recycled Carbon Fiber

Formula One industry, hypercars and supercars, rockets, aviation, you name one of these and carbon fiber will be there in a way or the other. Not only is it one of the lightest materials on the market, but it’s also tougher than steel. However, have you ever wondered what happens to the excess and scrapped material companies dispose?
Aileron Is a Skateboard Made from Recycled Carbon Fiber Used in Rocket Manufacture 1 photo
Photo: Kickstarter
Ryan Olliges, an engineering student, did and after some research he realized there could be an opportunity there. He realized that the production of the space vehicles was generating a great deal of carbon fiber waste. So he contacted Greg, an entrepreneurship instructor and they set out to create a win-win solution. They figured recycling it into cool looking skateboards may be just what they need.

Apparently, if the material were collected, processed and stored properly, it would retain its original characteristics, which we all know are both strength and the cool look. However, they had to find a proper way for a manufacturing process that would be cheaper than the regular method and more time efficient than the curing methods (ovens and autoclaves).

Here’s how they came up with the method:

We were given the opportunity to test our upcycling protocols and manufacturing processes on a small scale with excess material and scrap generated by the Rocket Propulsion Lab at the University of Southern California. Ryan designed and built a prototype hot press and began to push skate decks.”

After about a year of testing a prototype hot press, Ryan came with their start-up’s first carbon fiber skateboard. It’s called Aileron, and in a way, stepping on it is just like riding on a spacecraft. They are currently looking for funds on Kickstarter to expand their production capacity and start putting those boards on the shelves.

The cheapest one you can get will cost you $380; that is if the funding works out. However, judging by the fact 117 people have backed the project already and that the $10,000 target was already surpassed, you’d better start saving up.

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