Synthetic Turf Trends--Minimizing Static Electricity

Now the synthetic turf manufacturing industry is designing solutions into the fibers to minimize the buildup of static electricity. One of the latest introductions is a new technology by ForeverLawn announcing their Playground Grass Ultra with Patent Pending XStatic™ Technology. This technology is being first applied to playgrounds due the high usage with high contact activities. I suspect it will be introduced into sports turf facilities to help minimize maintenance costs and reduce the nuance of crumb rubber buildup on uniforms and players.

Two important synthetic turf reference sites include the Synthetic Turf Council and the Sports Turf Managers Association.

There have been several recent articles in trade journals that help explain the changes in the synthetic turf industry. Synthetic Turf Fields Benefiting from Latest Fiber Technology, by Paul Steinbach, in Athletic Business magazine covers some of latest trends over the last year (prior to April 2011). Park and Rec Business published an article, Natural Grass Or Synthetic Turf?, by Mary Helen Sprecher, where she covers pros and cons of both field solutions and suggestions on how to move forward in making a decision.

Tru Mark has been distributing field marking solutions for synthetic turf fields to include Tru Mark TrailBlazer removable and permanent field marking paint, aerosol and Tru Mark Switchback bulk liquid chalk (removal without using cleaning agents), as well as field line striping equipment (Tru Mark Model E-100, Graco FieldLazer S100, Titan Speeflo Powrliner 850).