Over the decades, there’s been innovation in everything we wear – except our belts. Arcade was founded to change that. We designed belts to perform better and be more comfortable, utilizing performance stretch and low-profile buckles made to move with you.
We’ve spent 13 years perfecting the design and materials used in our line of performance belts. There’s nothing more important to us than the use of high quality materials that continues to help us build a better belt.
A big part of our ability to revolutionize traditional belt design was our decision to go metal free. Here’s a quick guide to how our metal free belts are made and why. Let’s dive in.
Why Go Metal Free?
Early on in our design process, it became clear that in order to create a belt that performs, it needed to be as lightweight as possible. From there on out, we made the decision to craft our belts from plastic rather than the zinc alloy that traditional metal belt buckles are created from.
Besides its weight, the molding process metal buckles undergo can introduce blemishes that weakens the buckle, leading to a lower breakage point. Metal buckles are also known to become brittle in cold temperatures, increasing its risk of breaking during performance.
It was clear to us that to develop a buckle that’s as durable as it is comfortable, high density plastic was the way to go.
The Production Process
The creation of our buckles begin with small pellets of either POM or nylon, depending on the style of belt, placed into a thermo-molding machine. This machine heats the molds, melting the pellets and injecting them into our custom designed mold cavities.
After the molding process, the buckles are cooled. It's worth noting that most of our buckles are designed in three pieces, meaning they’re the result of three individual molding processes that allow for the unique properties of our buckles, including its tapered design and micro-adjustable dial.
Advantages of Plastic Buckles
Our goal is to design belts that challenge the norm, and blend performance and style. We chose high density plastic over metal since the beginning because, just as there are disadvantages to metal buckles, there are advantages to plastic ones.
Compared to zinc alloy, the plastic we use in our buckles is less likely to break under stress or when exposed to cold temperatures. When paired with our performance stretch webbing, our plastic buckle belts last for years to come.
Plastic buckles are also lightweight and feel good against the skin, allowing us to create a low-profile, lightweight design that enables freedom of movement. When traveling, we particularly appreciate that plastic buckles don’t set off metal detectors, meaning that they’re conveniently travel friendly.
We’re proud to offer belts with no metal that deliver on the innovation and quality that we stand for, creating durability and freedom of movement that just isn’t possible in traditional belts. Our patented, non metal belt design has been rigorously tested by athletes and adventurers to make sure it stands up to even the most demanding conditions – whether that’s a mountain top, your daily commute, or a long travel day.
[CTA: Shop Metal-Free Belts]
