This is closely followed by production processes and technology, which ensure constant high quality levels. Only using modern manufacturing technology, standardised processes and continual monitoring systems, can stable features be guaranteed with regard to colour, grain size and distribution as well as physical and chemical properties. Not forgetting the experts who, with the necessary know-how and experience, form a finished product from the individual components which satisfies the quality requirements for further processing.
No coincidence: Quality is measureable
The three basic raw materials for the production of EPDM granules are synthetic EPDM rubber, fillers and oils. Other processed materials include additives and various colour pigments. These components are mixed homogeneously in a complex process and according to an exactly defined sequence. The resulting compound forms the base for further production steps.
The quality of the end product, the granulate, is dependent on the selection of high-quality raw materials and the crosslinking process. Through vulcanisation, the rubber compound bonds to a wide-meshed and irreversibly cross-linked elastomer, thus ensuring durable resistance to weathering and sustainable elasticity of the rubber. In particular, sulphur-vulcanisation of EPDM granules has produced especially high-quality and durable products with decisive and positive effects on properties such as tensile strength and elongation at break. This also applies to the oils and fillers used. Only high-quality assortments can promote a balanced property profile, durability and colour fastness of the final product. The natural product chalk is used in most cases as filler. For flame retardant products, the chalk is supplemented with a special filler which prevents flame propagation through chemical and physical processes.
In the system: EPDM provides system properties
Requirements for coloured EPDM granules are steadily increasing. Whether as anti-slip surface in swimming baths and on stadium running tracks, as fall protection on playgrounds or as granules in synthetic turf pitches, the surfaces involved are all outside and exposed to changing climatic conditions. In addition, the material must be resistant to wear and mechanical loading caused by use from visitors or athletes. It is also exposed to moisture, UV radiation and fluctuating temperatures from the first day that it is installed. Consistent surface quality which can be maintained for many years can only be achieved if high-quality EPDM rubber granules are installed properly by qualified personnel from competent companies using suitable technological system components. In the overall system solution created in this way, a number of quality-determining factors are combined – a major one of which is use of the EPDM granules as construction material. The quality properties of the EPDM granules, such as tensile strength and elasticity under load, have a lasting effect on the complete system. The wear resistance of the granulate is of special significance for heavy-duty floor surfacing such as industrial floor coverings, for example. The anti-slip properties and haptic of a surface are determined in part, by the hardness of the granules, their shape and the grain fill distribution. The choice of raw materials and the crosslinking process also have an influence on the life-expectancy of the granulate. In this way, sulphur-vulcanised EPDM granules have been used for more than 20 years in the installation of running track surfaces. Renowned sport associations such as the ASBA (American Sports Builders Association) recommend sulphur-vulcanised EPDM rubber granules for construction of running tracks. The long-term suitability for competition use has been confirmed by the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) within the framework of numerous approvals for international field and track competitions.
In this way, the high quality of the measurable physical properties of EPDM granules have an effect on the quality of the whole system. With regular, expert maintenance, a long-lasting, functional floor covering is possible in many different application fields.
The Melos GmbH company, based in Melle near Osnabruck in the Lower Saxony region of Germany, is one of the internationally leading manufacturers of coloured EPDM rubber granules and supplier of special plastic compounds. The products of the Melos GmbH are mainly processed for construction of running tracks in sports stadiums, as fall protection surfaces for children's playgrounds, as filler material for synthetic turf playing pitches and for anti-slip floor coverings.
Finding the right type of sports surfacing is a frequent subject of discussion. In the case of football pitches, the only question in recent years has been whether to use natural turf or synthetic turf. Often, the latter option...
More than four years after the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) published its proposal to restrict microplastic emissions, the EU Commission proposed in a committee ...
It will hardly have escaped anyone's notice that the age structure of our society has changed considerably in recent decades. Or to put it in a nutshell: the average age is constantly rising. The underlying sociological reasons will not be ...
Compared to many other sports, basketball is still relatively new. Invented in the United States in 1891 by an educator named James Naismith, this sport was intended to be an alternative to other ball sports that require physical contact between players. Today, basketball is ...
For many people, sport and exercise are part of their everyday lives and key to a long and healthy life. However, many others tend to be sedentary, and the level of daily physical activity among children is also steadily decreasing. It is the constant state of change our world is in, especially technical progress, that is the cause of this problem. Yet this process is ...
