Introduction

In the world of mouse mats, no matter what the specifications given, it’s all down to the materials used that determines the comfort levels, the sensitivity and the functionality of it. Once in a while a new material is used for mouse mats that promises to bring something new to the table. A manufacturer of conveyor belts, TechBelt has now come up with a mat of their own. It’s slippery and slidey, it’s called the Slidamat; let’s check it out.

About TechBelt

Techbelt is a division of Technical Engineering Services Ltd that specializes in manufacturing and converting PTFE & Silicone high temperature fabrics and belts.

Techbelt PTFE coated fabrics are available in a wide range of grades and thickness. We supply PTFE tapes, materials and conveyor belts to a diverse and extensive customer base in and around Europe and specialise in providing non standard technical solutions tailored to meet our customer’s needs.

Our fast and efficient service coupled with our high level of quality has enabled us to become a reputable market leader and through our continued passion for customer satisfaction we have forged close working relationships with some of the countries largest enterprises.

Slidamat Materials

The surfacing of the Slidamat is completely different from anything created in the mouse mat world before. Poly(tetrafluoroethylene) or PTFE for short, is the material that coats the mat, which many will know under it’s more commercial name, Teflon. This material is often found on mouse feet, making us all aware of the effectiveness of this material at achieving good glide on a mat.

To get into a bit more detail about the material, here’s a section of the Wikipedia entry:

"PTFE is a fluorocarbon solid, as it is a high molecular weight compound consisting wholly of carbon and fluorine. Fluorocarbons are not as susceptible to the London dispersion force(van der Waals force) due to the high electronegativity of fluorine. Therefore, water and water-containing substances, and oil and oil-containing substances, like most foods do not wet PTFE, as adhesion to PTFE surfaces is inhibited. Due to this property PTFE is used as a non-stick coating for pans and other cookware. It is very non-reactive, partly because of the strength of carbon–fluorine bonds and so it is often used in containers and pipework for reactive and corrosive chemicals. Where used as a lubricant, PTFE reduces friction, wear and energy consumption of machinery."

You can read more about the material here.

The difference between this mat though, and others that have used PTFE before is that Techbelt have managed to make the woven material beneath the coating pick up the optical and laser sensors, as apposed to having to add additives to the surface, like glittering. This makes for a much smoother, and slicker surface theoretically giving increased movement speed and accuracy.