Process of Manufacturing Artificial Turf

Abstract

The invention described herein pertains to carpeting of artificial turf used on sports fields, as decorative touches in gardens and areas with greenery as well as for other applications. It features a weaving process differentiated from those normally implemented by the current artificial turf industry, leading to multiple benefits that impact not only the fabricator but also the final user.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . Artificial turf featuring improvements in the weaving process executed primarily by way of altering the configuration of the needles arrayed along a bank of needles compared to the standard configuration in a straight line on that bank, whereby one needle is installed in line with the next one equidistant one from the other, regardless of the separation between the needles. In this instance, the separation of the standard configuration in the bank of needles measures ½″, meaning a separation between needles on one side and the other that measures ½″. In order to implement the improvement of the weave, the alteration of the configuration on the bank of needles is achieved by separating 2 needles by a distance of ¼″, leaving a gap measuring ¾″ and by installing another 2 needles ¼″ apart. The pattern is repeated along the entire length of the bank of needles. The tufting machine is fitted with a special accessory that causes the bank of needles to move horizontally in such a way that the needles penetrate the cloth in a normal manner. With the next stitch, the bank of needles is displaced horizontally rightward for a distance of ½″ producing a diagonal stitch. With the following stitch, the bank of needles remains in place resulting in a straight woven stitch. For the next movement, the bank of needles is repositioned horizontally towards the left at a distance of ½″, back to exactly the same starting point forming a diagonal stitch in the opposite direction from the previous one that was also generated diagonally. The bank's cycle is completed when the improved array of needles is kept in place resulting in yet another stitch in a straight line. The cycle of these successive shifts in position generates a pattern akin to “SS SS SS . . . . ” 
     
     
         2 . Artificial turf featuring improvements in the weaving process.