CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa., Jan. 7, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mondo, the leader in sports flooring, next week will introduce 3NX, a new artificial turf fiber that sets new standards in performance, durability and safety.
3NX will makes its debut at the at the American Football Coaches Association convention in Orlando.
Engineered by the Mondo Research Center in collaboration with other high-performance laboratories, the new 3NX fiber has proven core characteristics that allow it to perfectly mimic the responses of natural grass, and to do so with outstanding resilience and durability while offering superior player comfort.
The innovative monofilament fiber features a new semi-concave structure with three asymmetrical spines. The unique, patented design combined with a new state-of-the-art polymer provides superior molecular alignment and orientation of the fiber. The result is the new 3NX fiber has the optimum level of resilience, dimensional stability and recovery. With its increased resilience and structure, the 3NX fiber's translational and rotational friction characteristics lend themselves to easy pivots and turns, even in high torque scenarios. Ball roll and bounce mimic natural grass.
"Mondo's new 3NX fiber raises the bar for artificial turf performance and safety and sets new benchmarks for the industry," said Federico Stroppiana, president, Mondo North and South America. "It delivers improved performance at the highest levels of sport while providing unparalleled athlete safety."
Manufactured by Mondo, the 270 micrometer thick fibers are lead free and two toned, which makes them look like natural grass fibers. New UV stabilization helps the fibers retain their color and technical properties.
The new 3NX fiber is ideal as part of Mondoturf FTS3, a complete artificial turf system that features Mondo's Fine Tuned System and Ecofill infill.
The Fine Tuned System's underlayment is a prefabricated shock pad/drainage system made of recycled tire granules that are treated and encapsulated in polyurethane, preventing the possibility of contamination. The underlayment compacts less than traditional systems, so the field's play and performance characteristics remain consistent throughout the entire surface, ensuring optimal play and outstanding ball action while minimizing the risk of injuries to athletes, even if the infill migrates.
The system's infill, Mondo's Ecofill, is a patented, environmentally friendly, factory-manufactured polyolefin-based granule infill, not reground tire pellets, Ecofill is lead free and virtually odor free, even in hot, humid conditions, and it retains up to 30 percent less heat than traditional black rubber granules for reduced athletic fatigue and dehydration and field watering prior to use. It also is completely recyclable, which is an industry first.
About Mondo
Mondo is the global leader in the sports flooring market, manufacturing floor surfaces for virtually every sport. Throughout its 60-year history, the company has invested heavily in research and development to produce cutting-edge products that meet the highest quality standards, deliver optimal athletic performance, are durable, require minimal maintenance and are environmentally safe.
More than 1,100 Mondo tracks and 800 Mondo artificial turf fields are installed worldwide. The official supplier of the athletic track for the past nine Olympic Games, Mondo also is the official supplier or official sponsor of more than 100 sports federations and associations, including Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association, FIBA, IAAF, National Soccer Coaches Association of America, NIRSA, U.S. Track Coaches Association and YMCA.
The company also supplies a wide variety of commercial flooring and is the world's largest producer of sports and toy balls with an average daily production of 450,000 units. In addition, it manufactures large luxury yachts under its Mondo Marine division.
A family-owned business since its founding in 1948, Mondo sells its products in more than 196 countries. The company's global headquarters are in Italy, and it has manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe and Asia. More information about Mondo is available at www.mondousa.com.
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Mondo and Ecofill are registered trademarks of Mondo.