Jan 6 2011
Mondo, the leader in sports flooring, this week at the American Football Coaches Association convention in San Antonio will showcase its latest artificial turf innovations: 3NX fiber; Thermo-bonded backing; Fine Tuned underlayment; and Ecofill infill.
"These products raise the bar for artificial turf performance and safety, and Mondo is proud to deliver innovations that improve the game for football players and coaches," said Federico Stroppiana, president, Mondo North and South America.
3NX Fiber
Engineered by the Mondo Research Center in collaboration with other high-performance laboratories, the 3NX fiber has proven core characteristics that allow it to perfectly mimic the responses of natural grass, and to do so with outstanding resilience and durability while offering superior player comfort.
The innovative monofilament fiber features a new semi-concave structure with three asymmetrical spines. The unique, patented design combined with a new state-of-the-art polymer provides superior molecular alignment and orientation of the fiber. The result is the new 3NX fiber has the optimum level of resilience, dimensional stability and recovery. With its increased resilience and structure, the 3NX fiber's translational and rotational friction characteristics lend themselves to easy pivots and turns, even in high torque scenarios. Ball roll and bounce mimic natural grass.
Thermo-bonded Backing
Thermo-bonded, Mondo's newest artificial turf backing, provides a dimensionally stable tufted turf without needing a polyurethane secondary backing. Instead, a dual primary backing holds the turf fibers more securely in place compared to traditional primary backings, so it can be handled as necessary without substantial fiber loss. The non-stretchable backing prevents elongation or other stretching of the turf. As a result, the quality of the turf, including the integrity of the pattern and the quantity of the fiber per unit area, remain consistent.
Fine Tuned Underlayment
Mondo's Fine Tuned underlayment is a prefabricated shock pad/drainage system made of recycled tire granules that are treated and encapsulated in polyurethane, preventing the possibility of contamination. The underlayment compacts less than traditional systems, so the field's play and performance characteristics remain consistent throughout the entire surface, ensuring optimal play and outstanding ball action while minimizing the risk of injuries to athletes, even if the infill migrates.
Ecofill Infill
Ecofill is a patented, environmentally friendly infill made from factory-manufactured polyolefin-based granule infill, not reground tire pellets. Ecofill overcomes the problems of excessive energy return (which can lead to premature fatigue and lower back pain), infill splash and granule migration (the loss of infill granules during rain) all of which are challenges associated with football fields that have infill made from reground tires. It is lead free and virtually odor free, even in hot, humid conditions, and it retains up to 30 percent less heat than traditional black rubber granules for reduced athletic fatigue and dehydration and field watering prior to use. It also is completely recyclable, which is an industry first.