things to know
The choice of an infill material requires careful valuation, which can’t take into account only the immediate economic advantages, but must consider overall medium and long-term costs and benefits. The infill should be chosen especially for the guarantees it can give in terms of performance, durability, health and environment safety.
THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF INFILL PELLETS, THOSE IN THERMOPLASTIC ELASTOMER (TPE) AND THOSE IN VULCANIZED THERMOSETTING ELASTOMER (EPDM, SBR)
ThermoPlastic Elastomers (TPE)
The infill pellets based on Thermoplastic Elastomers, like Forgrin®, have been purposely designed for turf infill and are made with virgin raw materials.
CONTROL ON THE RAW MATERIALS AND ON THE PRODUCTION PROCESS
POSSIBILITY TO CERTIFY THE PELLETS ORIGIN AND CONTENT PRODUCTION CONSISTENCY AND QUALITY GUARANTEED
When exposed to high temperatures they become fluid and mouldable, without their chemical structure undergoing irreversible modifications: they can therefore be reprocessed various times.
TOTALLY RECYCLABLE
When correctly formulated, these materials are completely non-toxic and ecocompatible, with excellent mechanical characteristics, softness, elasticity and weathering resistance.
NON TOXIC ENVIRONMENTAL FRIENDLY
The pellet rounded and regular shape guarantees:
- A perfect spreading of the infill
- Optimal drainage capacity, no surface compaction
- Homogeneous playing conditions on all the game surface
Vulcanized Thermosetting Elastomers (SBR)
Most of the infill materials based on Vulcanized Thermosetting Elastomers (SBR) come from the grinding of old tyres.
NO CONTROL ON THE RAW MATERIALS NOR ON THE PRODUCTION PROCESS
NO POSSIBILITY TO CERTIFY THE MATERIAL ORIGIN AND CONTENT NO GUARANTEES ON PRODUCTION CONSISTENCY AND QUALITY
These rubbers, when exposed to the high temperatures of the transformation process, undergo an irreversible change in their chemical structure called reticulation, which makes impossible to transform them again.
NOT RECYCLABLE
The rubber vulcanisation process used for the tyres production, makes use of hazardous chemicals (plasticizing oils containing Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons-PAH). Such substances are restricted by EU Directive 2005/69 effective 1st January 2010.
The tyre manufacturers engaged themselves to replace these substances with harmless ones before 01.01.2010.
THEY CONTAIN HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES
The irregular shape of the pellets favours:
- Surface compaction, because the smallest pellets tend to occupy the interstices and fill up the empty spaces.
- Worsening of the draining capacity.
- Non homogeneous playing conditions on the game surface.