Duraflex International began as Arcadia Air products, a subsidiary of an aircraft tooling company. The founder, Raymond Rude, made an aluminum diving board in 1949 out of an aircraft wing panel. College divers found it to be wonderfully flexible.
Mr. Rude refined the basic design and built machinery to produce it at a reasonable cost, using a large aluminum extrusion for each board. The extrusion is an integrally-stiffened skin; eight ribs underneath the top “skin” give it strength.
By 1960, the flexibility and high performance of the Duraflex diving board was known worldwide. It was the only diving board used at the 1960 Rome Olympics. It has been the only diving board used in the Olympics and all major international competition since that time.
Starting in 2005 major changes to the factory began. New product developments and redesign of the current products are underway. Features that enhance ease of use and appearance have been added and more are being planned. We have reviewed and revised procedures and materials in order to continue to provide our customers with the world’s best diving equipment. All of our products have been modeled in 3D CAD software and drawings of all Durafirm stands are now available.
We are the “next generation” Duraflex. We are striving to improve all aspects of our product and business. Duraflex continues to be the standard in the diving industry.
