Artificial grass continues to grow in popularity. It is a great option instead of taking care of real grass. It is perfect for areas where you have a hard time growing real grass or you just don’t want to invest the time to take care of it.
When artificial grass was introduced, it was used for sporting events and stadiums to make them look nice all year long. Today, it is common to see them as part of the curb appeal for a home, around playgrounds, and to help create inviting landscaping for businesses.
Materials Used
Artificial grass is made from different materials and it greatly impacts the performance of the finished product. Thanks to advancements in technology and the excellent manufacturing, the synthetic surf we now enjoy looks and feels like grass.
The materials make it durable, and it can be used frequently without destroying the appearance. It does well with regular wear including kids playing on it or sports teams competing on it.
Artificial grass is also UV resistant, which prevents the colour from fading.
Today, we enjoy lush green grass that looks like natural grass, lush, soft and with longer blades.
The main materials used in manufacturing artificial grass are:
- Nylon
- Polypropylene – Commonly used in creating the blades, this material is solid but can be melted and mixed with colours and chemicals to make it durable.
- Polyethene
The Manufacturing Process
Creating the grass elements is similar to the same methods used to create carpet. All of the raw materials to create the blades of grass are placed into a hopper. Colours and other chemicals are added to give it the look of real green grass. Such chemicals also help protect the artificial grass from harmful UV rays.
The product is placed into a steel mixer so it can be blended completely. When everything’s blended, the mixture is placed in an extruder machine which creates thin strands. The strands are placed on a carding machine and spun, creating a loose rope.
The ropes are pulled, straightened, and woven together to create yarn coiled in large spools which then goes through a twisting process to help in the tufting process.
While mesh fabric merges with synthetic sheeting, the yard is fed into a tufting machine connected to the turf, causing the turf backing to be penetrated and the yarn is pushed through it into a loop. There is a flat hook to hold and release the nylon loop as the needle moves along the backing. This process continues until the entire backing has been stitched in rows.
The result is the artificial grass in a form that looks similar to carpet. It is rolled and latex is spread on the backside of it. Another backing is also coated and the two entities are rolled together so they can be pressed and sealed. This creates one unit that is durable and ready to use. The artificial grass is placed under heat lamps to help the latex cure. This curing process makes it stronger.
The artificial grass carpet goes through a machine that cuts off any extra length of grass in the rows. This ensures it is uniform everywhere. The artificial grass is rolled in specific lengths and packaged so it can be shipped to various retailers.
Artificial grass is a great choice!
The technology and manufacturing process of artificial grass makes it a great choice. The products offered today are resistant to both water and UV rays. They are soft and they look natural. Artificial grass is a terrific option for a small lawn, for landscaping, or larger projects such as a football field in a stadium.
For your artificial grass and synthetic turf needs, Ecolawn is here to help.
