Schmitz Foam, a leading manufacturer and supplier of shockpads for artificial turf playing surfaces, has announced that it will rollout a new version of its ProPlay-Sport20 product.
To keep up with industry demand, Schmitz Foam will update the product with a new material composition consisting of an 8mm foam layer combined with 12mm foam flakes, sourced from foams that were deemed redundant.
The renewed ProPlay-Sport20 provides similar or even better sport technical performance, is equally robust and offers a drainage capacity that matches that of the original ProPlay-Sport20.
The industry has progressed, and the time had come to rethink the product’s concept, says Jens Ulb, Chief Commercial Officer at Schmitz Foam Products. “ProPlay-Sport20 is produced from foams that the foam industry considered redundant. In the last few years Schmitz Foam Products has experienced an above average growth which exceeded the growth of the foam industry. As we foresaw that this could lead to challenges in sourcing our raw materials in the run-up to our peak-season, we decided to review the design.
No additives are involved in bonding the polyethylene foam layer and polyethylene foam flakes to a single sheet. It is done with thermal bonding, similar to the way Schmitz Foam Products produced the ProPlay-Sport20. “As this heat-bonding is done by a state-of-the-art laminator, it is impossible for the foam layers to separate spontaneously. The only time they will come apart is when Schmitz Foam Products recycles these pads by the time they no longer have any meaningful purpose.”
Over the past few months, the renewed ProPlay-Sport20 has been tested by international testing institutes. Since the shock pad comes with similar or even better sport technical characteristics, system test efforts if desired can be kept to a minimum. This ensures a smooth industry transition from the original ProPlay-Sport20 to the renewed version. Jens Ulb continues; “Due to its look you can differ between the two ProPlay-Sport20 pads, but an installer or athlete will not experience any difference with our renewed shock and drainage pads.
