How synthetic grass is made from +

Ever wonder how simple plastic becomes your beautiful lawn? It all starts with white plastic pellets that act as the base material which are combined with green pellets that hold the colors, U.V. stabilizers and additives.

Equipment melts the plastic together and extrudes it through a perforated steel plate. The strands exit the steel plate into a trough of water which solidifies the synthetic grass mixture. A machine pulls the strands through a large pulley and keeps them separated while they move on to the next station. Rollers stretch the strands until they become as thin as real grass. Spools hold the synthetic grass strands. Once a spool has been filled, different color strands are woven together to form multiple synthetic yarns. The yarn is prevented from slackening by traveling through guides while it is wound around a giant spool.

Mesh fabric merges with synthetic sheeting while the synthetic yarn travels through a tubing to a tufting machine. A tufting machine is like a giant sewing machine and contains over 200 needles to hook the yarn through the sheeting.

While the turf is being tufted, small knives underneath cut the ends to make the yarn appear like grass blades. The backing is moved to a coating roller which picks up adhesive to apply to the turf’s backing.

The adhesive is dried in both open air as well as an enclosed setting. As the turf exits the drying, hot pins burn holes into the turf for drainage.

After undergoing multiple inspection points, including measuring the turf fiber length and minor trimming, the turf is moved to a device that simulates football cleats to affirm the turf’s durability.

What synthetic grass is made from +

Through years of research and development, synthetic grass has been modified and transformed into what we now know as “third generation” synthetic grass, according to the Synthetic Turf Council.

It’s through this constant evolution, synthetic grass has become the high quality material we know today for most landscape installations.

The actual green blade of synthetic grass is comprised of a polyethylene material, a common form of plastic that can be found in items such as bottles and plastic bags. The polyethylene comes in a solid pellet form and is heated down along with any color tones and UV resistant additives.

The thatch layer of synthetic grass is made from a polypropylene, polyethylene or nylon material. The thatch layer provides the turf with an added layer of support and blade recovery.

Synthetic grass blades are inserted into the backing in rows through a tufting machine, which is basically a huge sewing machine with hundreds of needles. This machine gives the grass blades and thatch a more secure hold which also increases the turf’s life and durability.

The History of Artificial Grass

What began as a part of a solution to help improve inner city youth’s physical fitness in the 1950’s, sprouted into an entire industry dedicated to synthetic grass production.

The Ford Foundation’s Education Facilities Laboratory, in conjunction with Monsanto Industries and Chemstrand, encouraged the use of synthetic fiber carpeting in schools. From 1962 through 1966, The Creative Group, Chemstrand’s research organization, tested the synthetic turf carpet surfaces for flammability, water drainage and resistance as well as durability regarding foot traction.

The first large synthetic grass installation took place in 1964 at Moses Brown School in Providence, Rhode Island. The grass was referred to as “Chemgrass.”

In 1965 Houston’s Astrodome was in dire need of a consistent playing field as environmental conditions did not permit a decent atmosphere for natural grass growth. In lieu of the field often coated with green paint among the dirt and patches of grass, Astrodome developer Judge Hofheinz consulted Monsanto about installing Chemgrass.

The Major League Baseball Team the Houston Astros began their season in 1966 throwing pitches and knocking out homeruns on top of Chemgrass, formally re-named “Astroturf,” the household name know to much of America today. Invented by James M. Faria and Robert T. Wright of the Chemstrand Company, Astroturf’s first generation synthetic grass showcased tightly curled nylon fibers woven into a foam backing.

A Trademark patent was officially issued for artificial turf on July 25, 1967.

Following the Astrodome’s success, Indiana State University installed artificial turf for the first outdoor stadium in 1967.

Artificial turf became a surface success that continued to climb slowly but surely through the 1970’s with sports arenas throughout the United States and Canada. Cincinnati’s Riverfront Staidum, Philadelphia’s Veterans Stadium as well as Pittsburgh’s Three River Stadium followed the artificial turf trend.

As the 1970’s came into full swing, the artificial turf industry followed the shag carpet trend and introduced “shag turf.” The longer yarns were created from a softer polypropylene material, much more user-friendly than its first generation predecessor. Sports like field hockey benefited from this surface, however soccer was left in the dust due the soccer ball’s reaction on the grass surface.

Fast forward to the middle of the 1990’s to third generation artificial turf which featured a much softer polyethylene blade fiber. This turf is what you will find on any residential, commercial or sports landscape today. The third generation synthetic grass also features longer fibers spaced farther apart as well as a “thatch,” or dead grass yarn positioned between the grass blades and the backing. For ideal turf form, function and stability, infill is spread throughout for an added extra comfort while providing adequate foot traction.

How artificial grass gained fame +

Artificial turf captured America’s attention after Astroturf installed the first generation of synthetic grass for the Houston Astrodome’s baseball field in 1966. This installation set a precedent for many sports fields across America that could not otherwise maintain natural grass.

Through peaks and valleys of media scrutiny along many product modifications, second and third generation artificial grass became a staple for FIFA at the 2010 World Cup Games in South Africa. In addition to taking root on the lawns of American homeowners, synthetic grass has since replaced Hollywood’s infamous red carpet several times, including the Teen Choice Awards, the Latin Grammy’s, and other large Hollywood parties in order to encourage the “go green” lifestyle throughout

Deinier: Why it is important +

By definition a turf’s denier measures the density of the turf fibers. According to Merriam Webster’s definition, denier is a unit of fineness for yarn equal to the fineness of a yarn weighing one gram for each 9000 meters.

Faceweight: What is is and what it means +

Face weight is determined by the weight of fibers within the product and does not include the weight of the backing. Face weight can sometimes determine how much a product is worth, depending on the amount of product. It is most commonly thought that the heavier the product’s face weight, the more the product will cost.