How Artificial Turf is Made

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At Turf Factory Direct, we pride ourselves on our comprehensive knowledge of artificial turf, its uses, and the details of the manufacturing process. But that&#;s us. We want you to have a full view of how it&#;s made too, so follow along as we dive deep into what artificial turf is, how turf is made, where it&#;s manufactured, and how the installation magic happens.

What is artificial turf, and what is it made of?

Artificial turf is a surface that is made from synthetic fibers (usually with a resin base), designed to look and feel like grass. It&#;s used in a lot of different environments and can see use as a decorative feature, or with practical use in sports fields.

Artificial turf has come a long way from the early days of AstroTurf, which is what most people are familiar with.  The first-generation turf was generally just short fibers, but as we&#;ve moved into second and third generation turf, artificial turf is made with more complex materials, often treated with UV protectant and agents designed to make the turf softer, safer, and more environmentally friendly.

Modern artificial turf generally features a synthetic fiber with an infill, which leads to a much softer, gentler surface that is even and uniform. If you want to understand some of these technical terms in more detail please check out our list of 7 terms to know when buying artificial turf.

A little bit of history

The tufting process, which is the process of sewing synthetic polymers to a backing, was invented in the early s. These tufting machines now can produce a 15ft by 3ft section of artificial turf in a minute!

&#; Judge Roy Hofheinz, A Key Player in the Design of the Houston Astrodome

In the 60s, the Ford Foundation spurred the development of synthetic playing surfaces for urban spaces. The first of these surfaces was called Chemgrass and was installed at a school in Providence, Rhode Island. The first professional use of the material saw use in the Astrodome in Huston, Texas, in . That&#;s where the name AstroTurf comes from.

3M (Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing) Company joined the party shortly after with its own version of AstroTurf called Tartan Turf, and with that, the artificial turf revolution was born.

What&#;s the manufacturing process like?

• Mixing 

  &#; First, the materials necessary are added to a hopper, which is basically a giant basin. Dyes and resin combine to make a taffy-like mixture that is resistant to ultraviolet radiation and is colored correctly for whatever application it will see.

• Extrusion 

  &#; The taffy-like substance is then subjected to an extrusion process, which basically involves stretching it out into extremely thin fibers which are then woven and spooled similarly to a ball of yarn.

• Tufting &#; 

  This is where the magic happens. Depending on which type gauge the turf is constructed at, the artificial turf is fed through the machine, and then hundreds of needles weave the fibers into the backing. The process is called tufting, and it&#;s pretty impressive to behold.

• Coating

   &#; Finally, artificial turf is coated with its final backing.  The backing is polyurethane material and is applied through a coater as the material moves through the process.  In addition, if the artificial turf has added padded backing during the coating process a precoat of polyurethane is applied with the foam material following as the final backing.   There are few other backings available such as natural rubber on certain putting green products.

Installation

While we go into greater detail in our artificial turf installation guide, here are the basics of installation, so you can have an idea of the process, as the manufacturing of artificial turf informs the installation and vice versa. How artificial turf is installed is not a complex process, but one that requires some hard work and elbow grease.

1. First, the area where the turf is going to be laid is compacted, using either hand tools or a mechanized roller. An even, level surface is essential when laying artificial turf, because any elevation changes will be obvious.

2. In outdoor applications, drainage systems are often installed as the artificial turf often cannot absorb any rainwater.

3. The turf is rolled out over the level surface and then fastened to the ground using stakes or nails.

4. If a turf system is filled

   , it will have cork, rubber, or sand spread over it and raked down in between the fibers. This makes the surface a bit more of a natural feel, and also increases the give and take of the material.

Take a look at our article if you&#;re interested in how to maintain turf after its been installed.

Great, how can I get some?

We&#;re glad you asked. If you&#;re looking to get some of the best artificial turf around, Turf Factory Direct is the premier distributor of high-quality artificial turf and grass. Our team of friendly, knowledgeable professionals are here to answer any and all of your questions, so you can find the right surface for whatever job you&#;re trying to accomplish.

Get in touch with us for more information, or browse our products. Thanks for stopping by!

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Link to Xinchengzhi

The third generation artificial grass available in the market today is a great improvement from the first generation synthetic turf that was first introduced in the s. Today&#;s grass looks and feels a lot more like the real thing and performs better in terms of durability, UV-stability, resilience and resistance to wear and tear among other performance parameters.

All this and more improvement is thanks to the advancement in the choice of material and manufacturing technology used to make artificial grass.  Artificial grass manufacturers all across the globe invest in premier-quality raw materials, top-of-the-range equipment and improving their manufacturing process to ensure that customers get nothing short of top-grade artificial grass.

If you have always wondered what material synthetic grass is made from and just how it is manufactured, then this blog post will surely give you some insights and a comprehensive look at both.

The Materials Used

As stated, the quality of the materials used in the manufacture of synthetic grass ultimately plays a significant role in how well the grass performs. The first generation artificial grass was made from synthetic fibres similar to those used to make carpets.

Using these materials rendered the turf that characteristic plastic look and feel that brought along its own set of challenges. It quickly became apparent that manufacturers had to find better materials to use in the production of synthetic grass.

Today&#;s synthetic grass is lush and softer and is manufactured from the following materials; polyethylene, polypropylene and nylon.

The Grass Blades

The grass blades of today&#;s synthetic turf are made from polyethylene, which is a form of plastic. This is the most popular choice of material among different manufacturers thanks to its inherent superior properties. Polyethylene is long-lasting, and that is why artificial grass can withstand heavy traffic and is tolerant to wear and tear. Nylon is also another material that is commonly used in the manufacture of the fibres that make up the grass blades.

The Thatching

One of the things that ultimately revolutionised the feel and look of artificial grass to make it as close to real grass was the addition of the thatch layer. This layer serves to add cushioning and extra support to the artificial grass. Artificial grass thatching comes in brown or tan colour, which helps to break up the green colour of the turf, making the whole spread look similar to a natural lawn. The material most commonly used in the making of this thatching layer is polypropylene.

The Backing and Cushioning

The backing and cushioning on artificial grass is made from polyester or recycled rubber and plastic. Most installation companies will recommend having both a primary and secondary backing layer.  The blades are securely fitted onto the backing using a tufting machine which sews the layers together. The tuft backing layer helps the grass blades to easily bounce back into their original upright position even after being subjected to some kind of traffic.

Synthetic Grass Infill

Helping the backing layer to keep the grass fibres upright and ensure they return to their original state is the infill. The grass infill is spread between the grass blades. This infill also serves other purposes such as weighing down the grass, protecting the grass from UV exposure, helping with drainage, and not to mention the fact that it helps the turf feel more like natural grass underfoot.

There are different kinds of infill materials, the most common of which are sand and rubber. The application of the synthetic grass among other factors determines which type of turf infill will be used for that particular synthetic turf installation.

The Process

After looking at the raw materials used in the manufacture of artificial grass, focus now shifts to the process itself.   In a lot of ways, the manufacture of synthetic grass is quite similar to the process involved in the making of carpets. As a matter of fact, some manufacturers even make use of machines that were used in the carpet making industry.

Without getting too technical, here is a brief overview of the 10-step process that is involved in the manufacture of synthetic grass

1. 1. The raw materials used in making the fibres of the grass blades, be it nylon, polypropylene, polyethylene or a mix of these materials are fed into a hopper where they get mixed up.

   2. Dyes and other chemicals are added to this mixture in the hopper. The dyes, are, of course, added to impart the characteristic green colour to the blades. There are different shades of green, and the appropriate dye is added. The other chemicals add UV-resistance properties, so that the final product is resistant to and stable against exposure to UV rays.

   3. This coloured and treated mix is then poured into a steel mixer where it goes through a thorough mixing process until it thickens, after which it is taken into an extruder.

   4. The thick mixture that goes into the extruder comes out as long thin strands, which are put into a carding machine.

   5. The carding machine spins the strands to produce loose rope which is then tightened and woven into yarn. This yarn is wound into large spools.

   6. The woven yarn is set into shape by being subjected to heat.

   7. This shaped yarn is put into a tufting machine which has tufting needles that secure the yarn onto the primary layer of backing.

   8. The artificial grass turf from the tufting machine is rolled out and its underside is coated with latex as it passes under a latex dispensing machine. This latex is also coated onto a robust secondary backing, and this backing layer, together with the artificial grass carpet are sealed together.  The latex coating is treated by again subjecting the roll to some heat, usually from heat lamps or by being passed through an oven.

   9. The artificial grass is passed through a machine which cuts off any extra lengths in the grass to produce a turf with uniform pile length.

   10. Finally, the artificial grass carpet is rolled into the desired lengths and packaged, ready for delivery to where it is needed, which includes wholesale outlets and companies like Perth Artificial Grass.

Watch This Video Showing How Artificial Grass is Manufactured

For any more questions on what artificial grass is made of, and the processes involved therein, our expert and knowledgeable team will be more than glad to assist you.

When choosing artificial grass for whatever application you may have in mind, be it residential or commercial, indoor or outdoor, the quality of the turf should ultimately be the number one factor to consider. It goes without saying that the quality of the raw materials used and the process involved in the manufacture greatly influence the quality of the final product.

For the best results and to get value for your money, always work with a reliable supplier such as Perth Artificial Grass who source all their products from reputable manufacturers. The quality of raw material and the manufacturing processes and practices of such manufacturers can be trusted and you can look forward to enjoying nothing short of top-quality artificial grass. We take pride in partnering with only the very best that there is in the industry.

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