Sekisui Alveo, European manufacturer of high-quality polyolefin foams, has expanded its well-known Alveosport product line. Alveosport NUT 3011-14 is a new foam designed especially for use as a shockpad in artificial turf systems designed without infill. The innovative material not only meets the technical and quality requirements for sports fields, it presents an alternative to the questionable rubber infill used in many artificial turf systems.

Various artificial turf systems in use today incorporate rubber infill in order to achieve the desired performance characteristics. Problem is, this ground rubber is a material of concern. It impacts both the environmental and health, and this has been a topic of discussion at the European level. Artificial turf systems designed without the infill appear to be a promising alternative.

New shockpad with enhanced performance

In artificial turf systems without infill, more of the vertical sports performance must be provided by the substructure. The shockpad beneath the artificial turf carpet must be designed for this purpose. Alveosport NUT 3011-14 is a new product specially developed to meet these technical requirements. The chemical composition, in combination with the physical design of the shockpad, results in an excellent balance of shock absorption, vertical deformation, and ball bounce – directly after installation as well as throughout the lifetime of the turf system.

Pioneering installations

Alveosport NUT 3011-14 was used in a new non-infill football turf built this year for DSV Concordia in Delft, the Netherlands. In this system, FieldTurf Ultra 360 non-infill carpet is installed over the shockpad. Rob Heusinkveld, Product Manager at FieldTurf Tarkett Benelux, explains the design: “This system is a real further development in the field of non-infill synthetic turf systems. Because there is no performance infill, most of the performance properties have to be provided by the shockpad. Alveosport is our go-to shockpad for synthetic systems because of its proven technical performance – so Alveosport NUT 3011-14, developed especially for use in non-infill systems, was an obvious choice for this turf.” In addition to this example, four non-infill synthetic turf fields based on Alveosport NUT 3011-14 were successfully installed in Norway last year.

Technical development

These pioneering installations as well as recent studies indicate that by optimizing test methods and standards, non-infill systems will be able to fully meet players’ expectations and the technical requirements of FIFA and other organisations. When this happens, non-infill systems are expected to become a high-performance alternative to football turf systems using performance infill. Sliding performance and shoe grip remain key points of attention as non-infill systems develop. As more clubs opt for non-infill systems, acceptance will grow and the system and components will be further developed. Sekisui Alveo’s leadership role in this trend towards healthier artificial turf systems is fully in line with the company’s mission of Innovation in Foam.

Alveosport: an all-round winner

In terms of installation, technical performance, and environmental impact, Alveosport is an all-round winner. Installing the shockpad is quick and easy. It can be done in one day under any weather conditions and requires neither special machinery nor skilled personnel. The cushioning significantly reduces the risk of injuries. In terms of environmental performance, Alveosport releases no harmful chemicals or gases known to pollute soil, water, or air.
Artificial turf systems without infill are even quicker to install, easier to maintain, and ultimately easier to recycle at the end of their service life.

Sound long-term investment

In many cases, the Alveosport shockpad can be reused when a field is being renovated. When the artificial turf wears out after a number of years, the owner only needs to invest in a new carpet. This saves significant costs. It also saves time, energy, and material – and minimizes the interruption so the players can return to a comfortable, healthy, high-performance field within a very short time.

Sekisui Alveo, European manufacturer of high-quality polymeric foams, has resumed deliveries of Alveosport, their high-performance underlay for artificial turf. After recovering from a factory fire in late 2016, the company is now delivering its highly regarded shock pad once again.

Alveosport is back after having been unavailable since a fire damaged the factory at Roermond, Netherlands in December 2016. The eagerly-awaited product is once again in serial production and available for immediate delivery.

Rebuilt factory with new state-of-the-art machinery

The factory has now been rebuilt, the damaged machinery replaced, and commissioning successfully conducted. At the heart of the Alveosport production process is a very special machine built exclusively for Sekisui Alveo. This machine represents unique technology – there is none other like it available anywhere in the world. It precisely cuts the patented groove pattern into the foam rolls.

Quality in focus

The recovery project involved a lot of people, and many hours were worked in order to expedite the rebuilding of the factory and replacement of the machinery. The successful commissioning was not only about assembling equipment parts, but also sophisticated programming of equipment controls. In addition, intensive training for operators is needed to achieve the expected high quality of the well-known Alveosport products.

First rolls of Alveosport already delivered

Customers have been placing orders for Alveosport again since Sekisui Alveo announced last October that production would be resumed in March 2018 – and now the first rolls have left the plant in Roermond. The equipment is new, but Alveosport remains the same proven product, with the same quality and the same performance that customers value and expect. One key to the consistent high quality is the material and the design. Only pure virgin base materials are used, so that the mechanical properties can be precisely controlled and matched to the type of artificial turf and the sport. The physically cross-linked closed-cell polyolefin foam material has very low water absorption. This, in conjunction with the drainage design, keeps the performance of the field constant as temperature and moisture conditions vary. This can extend the outdoor playing season by months when temperatures are low.

Excellent performance

Alveosport excels in terms of installation, technical performance, and environmental impact. Installing the shock pad is fast and easy. It can be done in one day under almost any weather conditions and requires neither special machinery nor skilled personnel. Sports performance is optimised. The shock pad provides excellent shock absorption, energy restitution, and ball rebound uniformly across the entire field. The cushioning significantly reduces the risk of injuries. And in terms of environmental performance, Alveosport releases no harmful chemicals or gases known to pollute soil, water, or air – and at the end of a long service life of the artificial grass component, the Alveosport shock pad can be reused.

Best long-term investment

Assurance that a field with a shock pad will still deliver the required performance after many years of use is decisive for clubs or municipalities that want to choose a high-quality field with the best life-cycle cost. Considering maintenance, replacement cost, and service life, an artificial turf field with good strong fibres and with a shock pad turns out to be the best long-term investment. Alveosport shock pad can be reused when a field is renovated. When the artificial turf wears out after a number of years, the only investment required is for a new carpet. This saves significant costs. It also saves time, energy, and material – and minimises the interruption so the players can quickly return to playing on a comfortable, healthy, high-performance field.

Successful start of collaboration between Sekisui Alveo and Trofil Sportbodensysteme

Lucerne, April 2014. Sekisui Alveo, manufacturer of polyolefin foams, and Trofil
Sportbodensysteme have completed their first joint project: The elementary
school in Haiger, Hessen now has a small football pitch and a multi-use
field with artificial turf. Trofil provided the artificial grass and the
granulate filler for the project and handled the installation, whilst Sekisui
Alveo provided the Alveosport shockpad. “We are pleased with the good start of
our collaboration and we see a successful partnership in the future”, say Frenk
Stoop, responsible Key Account Manager at Sekisui Alveo and Eike Wedell, Managing
Director of Trofil.

Both fields feature high-quality artificial turf products specially made for the sports
applications: The Trofil grass fibres on the football pitch have a pile height of
40 millimetres, which gives balls natural rebound and rolling characteristics.
A key contributor to the overall mechanical performance of the artificial turf system is underneath the
grass mat: the Alveosport shockpad made of cross-linked polyolefin foam with a closed
cell structure. Alveosport meets the standard DIN SPEC 91335 (Sport areas with
synthetic turf systems – Usage of factory made shockpads), in effect since
October 2013. Across the entire 450-square-metre football pitch, the shockpad provides
good traction and optimal impact absorption, so the playing surface is easy on
athletes’ joints. At the same time, the structure of the ten-millimetre thick base layer provides
energy return, making for excellent rolling and rebound characteristics of the
balls. A further advantage of the robust foam is very good resilience: Even
after long and hard play in any type of weather, no unevenness is caused. This
reduces the risk of injury for the athletes and reduces maintenance costs for
the operator.

The 216-square-metre multipurpose field enjoys the same benefits: Here the shorter
grass fibres (20 millimetre pile height) together with the Alveosport shockpad
provide an optimal solution for nearly all types playing and sports activities.

Because Alveosport is delivered in rolls, the shockpad is fast and easy to install. It remains
dimensionally stable under fluctuating temperatures and can be laid in one day
in nearly any type of weather. No special machines or technical specialists are
necessary. This installation system has been proven in fields around the world
and is now being used increasingly in the German market.

Overall, the patented Alveosport shock pad ensures that the mechanical properties of the playing field remain
intact for years. This in turn enhances the longevity of the other components
and thus the entire artificial turf system. It benefits the users – the
students and other athletes – as well as the school, as the operator.

“The collaboration gives us valuable synergies – we can learn much from one
another”, explains Frenk Stoop of Sekisui Alveo. Because artificial turf
functions well as a system only when the individual components are perfectly
coordinated with one another. “We are now looking forward to the next projects.”