For the uninitiated, Padel is a combination of tennis and squash. It is the fastest growing racket sport in the world with a court that is surrounded on all sides by a combination of mesh panels and glass – an essential element, not only for spectator enjoyment, but also for speed of play.
As in squash, the rebound of the ball on the perimeter glass is important, both in official padel competitions and in friendly matches. Any hint of condensation would slow down a competitor’s shot and so ordinary glass would not fit the bill. Pilkington Activ™ with its highly hydrophilic properties provides the clear solution.
Thanks to its specific coating, Pilkington Activ™ facilitates the flow of water, which instead of forming droplets on the surface, causes rainwater to spread out in an even film that washes away dissolved dirt – allowing for improved transparency, despite external condensation.
These hydrophilic properties mean that significantly less cleaning is required, with considerable economic, time and environmental advantages. But that’s not the full story – individual health and safety is also in play here, which is why Pilkington SaniTise™ is proving a perfect partner.
Using a transparent photocatalytic coating based on TiO2 (titanium dioxide), Pilkington SaniTise™ provides effective antimicrobial protection against enveloped viruses when exposed to UV radiation. Water vapor acts as a catalyst for the coating to be activated by natural daylight. It can also, however, be activated by artificial UV radiation.
In addition, when the coated glass surface is treated using a UV disinfection process, protection is hugely increased – in some cases doubled - when compared to uncoated glass, and tests carried out by leading universities and laboratories, show the photocatalytic activity lasts for up to two hours in the dark.
Pilkington SaniTise™ is also oleophobic (i.e. anti-fingerprint) and easier to clean than regular glass. Its hydrophilic and antimicrobial coating is pyrolytic, which means chemically bonded to the glass at the molecular level while it is still in the semi-molten stage. The process makes the properties extremely durable, stable and long-lasting.
The combination of Pilkington Activ™ glass and Pilkington SaniTise™ is therefore particularly attractive to sports’ club managers. It gives athletes confidence in cleanliness and clarity for play and provides considerable protection from infection, from dawn until two hours after sunset.
In summary, this coated glass of choice is: easy to clean, antibacterial, antimicrobial, and photocatalytic naturally and artificially. All properties that make Pilkington Special Glass the padel professionals’ glass of choice.