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Polyurethanes improve flight properties
of championship soccer ball

High-tech product on the soccer pitch: Fiver layers of the high-performance material Impranil from Bayer MaterialScience make the Tango 12 accurate and robust. [Image: adidas]

 

 

The European Soccer Championship games (UEFA EURO 2012, June 8 – July 1) are being played to the rhythm of the "Tango 12," a cutting-edge synthetic ball that is fast, tough, and precise. The adidas ball sports a new design and is based on proven materials from Bayer MaterialScience.

The surface texture of the official European Championship ball feels like denim, allowing for better ball control. The players are quite taken with this innovation. "I really like the new structure because it provides good grip," says Johan Elmander, a player on the Swedish national team. "The ball's weight is also optimal, making it easy to control."

Advanced internal structure
The shell is made of five Impranil polyurethane layers with a total thickness of 1.1 mm. These layers make the European Championship ball robust and accurate in all weather conditions. The middle layer – an Impranil foam containing millions of gas-filled microcells – is responsible for the optimal contact of the Tango 12 to the foot. The upper layers protect the foam from external influences and help keep the ball looking new longer.

Another specialty material from Bayer MaterialScience is used for a patented thermal adhesive layer that makes the ball virtually impermeable to water. "Even in heavy rain, its weight increases by no more than 0.1%, which means that the players are able to control it better," says Thomas Michaelis, project manager for ball development at Bayer MaterialScience.

New design combined with proven materials: Colorful accents provide for a fresh look. The host nations' national colors – red and white for Poland, yellow and blue for Ukraine – have been immortalized on the Tango 12. [Image: adidas]

 

 

 

 

adidas also aimed to make the ball even rounder and ensure it retained its appearance. Fewer cut edges and greater curvature also mean fewer seams and edges in the outer shell. Soccer players are more likely to strike smooth surfaces and can therefore control the ball with greater precision. Measurements of the diameter at 16 different points for each ball show that the deviation between the largest and smallest diameters is no more than 1%.

Not only did the ball deliver impressive results in comprehensive laboratory tests, it also impressed both amateurs and professionals in eight countries who played with it during a year-long test phase. "Never before has a soccer ball been subjected to such exhaustive testing," says Michaelis.

The ball's name and design are every bit as traditional as its insides are modern. The Tango debuted at the 1978 World Championship in Argentina, and its successors provided for plenty of goals at subsequent championships in the 1980s.

Classic design
The new ball sports the classic black-and-white design updated with colorful accents. The host nations' national colors – red and white for Poland, yellow and blue for Ukraine – have been immortalized in the triangles. Another unique feature is that, unlike its predecessors, it does not have a glossy surface – matte balls are currently in vogue.

From leather to synthetic ball: High-performance materials from Bayer MaterialScience have improved ball properties in each successive iteration of the Tango ball's development. [Image: adidas]

 

 

The Tango 12 isn't just the official game ball of the European Championship, however. It is also being used in the German Bundesliga, the Champions League, Major League Soccer in the United States, and the Primera División in Argentina.

The design is modified for each, but the structure and properties remain the same. Bayer MaterialScience and adidas want to continue their successful collaboration. The two companies are currently working on the next advancement.

Bayer MaterialScience's involvement in sports goes beyond soccer. Safer, more stable, and faster sports equipment, such as skis, snowboards, and inline skates, benefit from high-tech plastics. Raw materials from Bayer MaterialScience can also be found in goggles, helmets, and shoes.

Source: Bayer MaterialScience

Published June 2012

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