or monofilament. The obvious questions is which one is the best
choice? Slit film is made exactly as the name implies. It is extruded
as a solid sheet and slit into smaller ribbons or tapes. Therefore,
slit film does a good job of immulating wider blade grass when viewed
from a distance. Slit film also has the advantage that it can be
extruded at higher output rates than monofilament; therefore, a lower
cost. The disadvantage is a slit film yarn will always be basically a
flat yarn. Most real, wider-blade grass viewed up close has a spine
that cannot be immulated with a slit film yarn. This spine also acts
as a support and provides it with rigidity.
Monofilament is extruded where each individual fiber is extruded out
of an individual hole. This allows the manufacturer to make a variety
of cross sections or shapes. This may lead to higher cost due to lower
output rates; however, it makes a yarn that is pound per pound
superior to a slit film yarn. It also makes a yarn that can be made to
very closely copy the look and feel of real grass.
The best example that people can relate to is a beam made of steel. A
flat piece of steel does not have much rigidity or stiffness when
compared to steel configured as an I beam. In our case the flat piece
of steel would be a slit film yarn, and a monofilament could be
extruded with a spine similar to the concept of an I beam.
In summary, as purchasers of artificial grass, consumers should be
aware that using a monofilament yarn may be slightly higher in initial
cost. However, the resulting product can use different monofilament
cross sections to maximize the properties that are required for their
end use.
[Posted by grassestimate.com Bay Area artificial lawns installer.]