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Various materials are used for manufacturing the fibres. The synthetics are selected according to the use. Preferred materials are:
Polyamide (PA)
Polyamide (PA 6 is also known as Nylon) was the fibre of which the first and original artificial turf (Astroturf) was manufactured. The material is extremely stiff with good elasticity. This means that fibres of polyamide have an excellent resilience and are very resistant to wear. On the other hand, the surface hardness and stiffness of the material means that the fibres feel hard.
Polypropylene (PP)
As a further development, polypropylene was used as the fibre in the second generation of artificial turf. In this type of carpet, polypropylene is known as a lower cost and softer replacement for polyamide. The use of PP meant that artificial turf again became popular and was more widely employed than was possible with polyamide.
Polyethylene (PE)
Most of the fibres of the third generation of artificial turf consist of polyethylene. Compared with polyamide and polypropylene, polyethylene is more flexible and has reduced surface hardness. Due to this, the fibres have a very pleasant feel plus PE is very weather-resistant. A blend of various types of PE is used in order to achieve best-possible fibre characteristics.
Fibrillated fibres & Monofilament fibres
Fibrillated fibres
Fibrillated fibres consist of relatively broad but very thin foil material, which are partially cut into at regular narrow intervals and then twisted. This method of manufacture and the considerable width of the foil, give very good coverage of the turf surface. However, the cuts in the foil material means that the fibres are already damaged and therefore in use they wear relatively quickly.
Monofilament fibres
Monofilaments, are directly extruded individual endless fibres, which are brought together into fibre bundles (multifilaments) in a further process. This results in good coverage and a surface which is similar to natural turf. Monofilaments guarantee consistent quality, softness and long life. Monofilaments are now mostly used for artificial turf for football fields.
The different cross-sectional profiles support the recovery behaviour of the individual fibres and increase resistance to bending and kinking. By way of example, you can see a selection of the large number of cross-sections.
Smooth and crimped fibres
Smooth turfs already resemble natural turf very closely, but require a somewhat greater degree of care. Crimped turfs are less similar to natural turf but always have a certain volume due to the infill layer and require less care.
