Covering new ground

 

Creating a rubber that has both high reaction as a tension rubber and the high rotational performance of a tacky rubber. The R & D staff at Butterfly sought to develop a rubber that has seemingly paradoxical properties but an ideal performance for table tennis players. The goals were:


  • High rotation performance that can catch the ball with closed-angle and forward swing
  • High reaction that enables powerful shots
  • Stability in counter topspin
  • Ease of short stops with crisp rotation
  • Easy to change the tempo or rotation in play

They sought out to develop a rubber that meets the above five at the same time. It was a challenging effort to develop a completely new state of rubber.

About three and a half years after the start of development, Timo Boll had a chance to try out the prototype Dignics 09C. Unexpectedly, he got a better feeling than ever. “This would become a great rubber”—this was the moment when both Boll and Butterfly felt so. Since then, our development has progressed with him. With the know-how cultivated in the rubber development so far, we repeated trial and error tests to approach the performance set as the goal while responding to feedback from Timo Boll.

The rubber that satisfies both the standards of performance and quality has been completed by accumulating the days of research and development. The Dignics 09C was developed in collaboration with Butterfly staff utilizing their vast knowledge of rubber research and development, and Timo Boll, who has an insatiable aspiration. An unprecedented category of rubber that meets the needs of the plastic ball era, which requires even more spin performance, will open up new frontiers for your play.

 

A synergy effect of the original blended sheet and the harder Spring Sponge X creates uniqueness

A sheet that achieves both high reaction and tacky surface at a high level

The key to Dignics 09C is its sheet with a unique combination that greatly enhances the High Tension effect while exhibiting the characteristics of an adhesive rubber. In general, when High Tension is applied, the adhesive performance of the sheet’s surface tends to decrease, and the features of the adhesive rubber are hardly exhibited. We succeeded in solving this difficult problem with our unique blending technology.

No.209 pimple shape that brings out the personality of rubber

Adopted the newly developed shape of development code No. 209, which features a thicker base and a thinner, lower pimple. It supports a playstyle that makes use of the characteristics of a sticky rubber, such as a stop that bounces close to the net with heavy spin.

44° Spring Sponge X for power

A harder Spring Sponge X is used to provide a high-quality counter topspin that can withstand the opponent’s rotation, and to facilitate the use of the play close to the net. Spring Sponge X, with its flexibility and bounce exhibits high rotation performance, and can provide enough power to play from mid-distance.

Combination with outer-ply artificial fiber blades for victory

Combination recommendation

The Dignics 09C enables a short stop with a large amount of rotation, a high-quality response to banana-flick, and a stable and sharp counter topspin. This rubber is recommended for players who value a close-to-the-table play such as net technique and counters, and players who want to change the rotation and tempo of play. Since Dignics 09C is very good at holding the ball, it will be a well-balanced racket when combined with an outer-ply artificial fiber blades (*) that have a high reaction. The combinations, for example, with Timo Boll ALC used by Timo Boll himself of course, Jun Mizutani ZLC or Zhang Jike Super ZLC can create a good harmony.

* A blade with artificial fiber applied close to the surface veneer. On Innerfiber blades, these artificial fibers are applied directly above the blade’s core.