International. The Telstar 18 is the official ball of the 2018 FIFA World Cup that Adidas has produced since 1970, when the original "Telstar" with its iconic 32 black and white panels changed the design of football forever.
"Telstar 18 employs the latest developments in polyurethane-coated textiles, allowing it to handle optimally, excellent flight characteristics and excellent water resistance," says Thomas Michaelis, head of Covestro Textile Coatings EMLA. the company that has developed and supplied advanced materials for adidas soccer balls for over 30 years.
"Its outer layer with its Impranil layers and Dispercoll adhesives make "Telstar 18" a high-tech sports equipment and light year above the sewn leather balls I used to play with as a child," Michaelis continues.
"Modern synthetic materials ensure players get predictable ball performance under any weather conditions, something anyone with experience will notice on wet soccer balls."
Adhesion coating
The innermost layer of the ball cover is an adhesion coating that connects the textile substrate to the upper layers. In addition to this, there is a layer of polyurethane foam, about a millimeter thick, formed by millions of microspheres filled with gas. This foam is very elastic, so that the ball, after being deformed when kicked, immediately returns to its spherical shape to ensure an optimal flight path.
The outer skin comprises two compact layers of polyurethane with different thicknesses. These layers are responsible for the excellent resistance to external influences and abrasion, and the high elasticity of the ball.
