ANODIZING
This electrochemical process puts the vibrantly colored finish on our aluminum parts like baseplates, heel loops, tailclips, etc. More than just adding pretty colors, anodizing actually creates an aluminum oxide layer on the parts that hardens the material to make it stronger, more resistant to corrosion, more slippery to prevent snow stick, and in general preserves the material. It is a much more environmentally friendly process than powder coating or painting and adds almost no weight or thickness to the parts. The anodizing station is like a mini chemistry lab and requires precise operation and maintenance. All wastewater is reused and our system features custom insulated dye and rinse tanks to reduce energy consumption.
PLASTICS & INJECTION MOLDING
We do almost all of our plastics in house, from the smaller pieces like snap blocks, all the way up to our larger parts such as our Rip 'N' Flip highbacks and Pillow Line straps! We now have two injection molding machines to keep up with the growth in this area of our manufacturing. One of the coolest aspects of our plastics programs is that we are also creating all of our own molds in our machine shop.
PAD PRINTING & PRE ASSEMBLY
Our product graphics were originally all laser etched, but we have been pad printing in-house since 2012 and it has opened up a world of possibilities for product graphics. Not only is it faster, more colorful, and more consistent ….it’s super fun. We select, test, and color match our own inks and every Spark product with graphics has been hand-printed by one of our own employees. Pre-assembly is the final preparation before a part hits the assembly table. Every final product is a little different, but pre-assembly generally includes a mix of printing, bending, fitting, and even baking.
ASSEMBLY
Our modern assembly line is equipped with a grip of air guns, several quality control checkpoints, an incredible team of detail-oriented hardworking guys and gals, and everything from hip hop to hair metal blaring from the shop speakers. Beyond the eye-catching technology in our factory, Spark R&D’s greatest asset is its people. Our team is as passionate about putting out good product as they are about shredding with it in the mountains nearby.
We take building splitboard bindings seriously, but we try to have some fun too