28/02/2017
Method of Artificial Grass Manufacture & Quality Procedures
Yarn
We use top quality polyethylene & polypropylene yarn from the world's leading supplier
Bobbins
We generally use 6kg size to give good run time
Creel
This holds the bobbins - the yarn passes through tubes connecting the creel to the collector board on the tufting machinery
The Tufting Operation
The Collector board feeds the yarn through threading bars and yarn detectors down to the needles. The yarn sheet is the term used to describe the yarn passing through the bars down to the needles.
The yarn is then stitched into the polypropylene primary backing material.
Process of stitching = needle moves down through the primary backing, the looper makes a loop the other side, needle goes back up and a knife cuts across the thread.
Factory inspection staff (2 girls photographed) stand to view the initial stitched primary backing as it rolls forward in order to:
1. check the pile height (same at left and right side as in the middle)
2. pull out a random tuft to check correct length
3. count the stitch rate per 10cm
4. ensure quality is acceptable for every roll that comes off the line
The tufting machinery accommodates different sizes of roll for different types of artificial grass production - ie. for the leisure industry, gardens, patios, landscaping it's usually 25m rolls which go into stock and for the sports industry (soccer, rugby, gaelic football, hockey, cricket, tennis) the roll size varies according to the specification required by the client (pitch size etc).
As the tufted primary backing comes off the machine having been checked by factory inspection staff it goes through a lapping frame and is lap folded into lapping barrows. Lap folding preserves the quality of the product as putting it into a roll at this stage could distort the pile or backing stitches.
The Backing Plant Operation
Lapping barrows (on rubber tyres) are wheeled down to the latex backing plant where the tufted primary backing undergoes 'tip to tail sewing'.
The leader cloth as it's referred to goes onto the backing plant machinery and is fed under tension to the lick application roller. This is where the latex coating is applied to the finished, tufted material. The machine works on a basis where the harder it turns the more latex is applied.
A scraping blade or doctor blade as it's sometimes called then scrapes off the latex to ensure the correct weight is achieved (800-900 gm per m2). The material is then fed via rollers into ovens for the curing process (time taken for this depends on how much latex backing has been applied).
Once out of the ovens, the material is fed into the perforation unit where draining holes are punched. The final product then goes to the accumulator which allows storage of the carpet whilst inspection and re-rolling takes place.
The Inspection Process
Strict visual inspection is done, checking the surface of the carpet for any defects before the finished product is wrapped and forklifted into the storage area.
Other Inspection processes at this stage involve:
weight check
tensile stress test
checking of quantity of latex applied
checking for proper curing
checking of pile height (left, right, centre) to ensure no shrinkage
checking for stitch length
checking for stitch rate (amount per 10cm)
