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There were a lot of "firsts" for American Surface Technologies, Inc. (AST) at the grand opening of its 25,000 sq. ft. Innisfail production facility in Alberta, Canada, June 25. The plant which is processing crumb rubber at a rate equivalent to approximately 1,000 tires per day at the onset is the first of its kind in Calgary, in Canada and most likely the world dedicated to processing recycled tire crumb rubber to produce a pre-mixed, pre-packaged pour-in-place product.

In July, the company logged another first with the installation of a rubber play surface at the Marilyn Thiele Wilson Elementary School in Mesa, Arizona using pre-mixed, pre-packaged SafetyPlay. This installation is the first project for AST's newly established headquarters facility in Scottsdale, Arizona and represents the company's launch into the U.S. market.

Calgary Alderman David Bronconnier would like to add another first to AST's list. Recently, the city installed SafetyPlay on a playground in southwest Calgary - the city's first such surface- as part of a six month pilot project to study the performance of the rubber surface. "If it holds up to our expectations, I think you'll see it become standard for playgrounds throughout the city," Bronconnier said.

So far, SafetyPlay has also been installed at a 1,600 sq. ft. area at the Calgary Science Center, at play areas at both a city (public ) school and a private school and at the Canadian National Institute for the Blind.

Responding to the market
SafetyPlay is supplied pre-mixed ready -to-install in 55 gallon drums, 5 gallon pails and later this year 50-lb. bags. The pre-packaged product remains stable for over three months and can be shipped directly to the job site ready for installation, Jim Loggie, Vice President of Business Development and Marketing said.

Traditionally, pour-in-place products require on-site crews and equipment to mix urethanes, binders, pigments and chemicals with the rubber. "We spent several years researching the market and found that it was difficult to surface smaller play areas due to the economics of transporting crews and equipment," Loggie said.

In addition, physical equipment limitations often restricted the accessibility of the job itself. SafetyPlay was created in direct response to this market need, Loggie said. "What this means to the marketplace is a surfacing product that is delivered and performs to the exact specifications required by the end user," he said. "The mystery over ratios, curing and mixing is eliminated because the material is prepared in a quality controlled manufacturing setting."

Now, small 100-200 sq. ft. surfaced as effectively as the conventional, larger multi-facility areas with pre-mixed SafetyPlay.

There are currently two types of SafetyPlay products available, Loggie said. The S1 base course or shock pad is primarily intended for an underlay or base course over compacted gravel, concrete or asphalt. It uses a large crumb rubber particle (4-6mm) and is primarily black in color. A second product W2 arose from the demand for a cost effective alternative for EPDM. The material is 100 % recycled SBR with particle size (1-3mm) and is manufactured using colored urethane and color-pigmented crumb rubber.

"Our market research with end users provided direct feedback in regard to color selections," Loggie said. This Spring, AST introduced its first two colored surfaces - Sedona Red and Cactus Green and a 50-50 speckled red or green (black primary) .

Quality in every step
AST's SafetyPlay products are designed to meet guidelines set by the Consumer Products Safety Commission and the ASTM and ADA accessibility standards. To meets these guidelines and other industry standards, AST maintains a full research center and in-house testing lab at its Innisfail production facility. The company has also adopted Internal Quality Standards. In addition, SafetyPlay has been tested by independent outside laboratories for critical fall height parameters, slip resistance, weathering, tensile strength and environmental characteristics.

For the manufacturing process, AST begins with a high quality scrap recycled rubber feedstock which it sources from an approved local supplier. All crumb rubber is tested on arrrival for moisture content, size, shape and for any contaminants, Loggie said.

"The morphological shape of the rubber material is one of the most important factors in selecting feedstock for SafetyPlay," he said. Rubber crumb material which is uniform in geometric shape is used in the SafetyPlay process because it imparts high tensile strength as well as resiliency and long term durability.

At AST's Innisfail manufacturing plant the rubber is processed and treated through a series of conveyors, shakers and augers, then passed into staging mixers. Binders and additives are mixed and dispersed through an electronic compu-blend system which automatically changes the recipe for different product runs. Computer monitoring totally eliminates guesswork associated with conventional on-site mixing, Loggie said.

Another benefit of AST's in-house quality control is cost savings. "We're able to use 25 percent less binders than other types of pour-in-place methods," Loggie said

Process-sampling ports and electronic monitoring incorporated into every step of the operation -- even electronic weighing of the drums and updated labeling of contents - also help AST control costs while producing the highest quality product. For further savings on the packaging side, AST offers its dealers and installers a container recycling program through the Reusable Industrial Packaging Association.

With the launch of SafetyPlay surfaces in Canada and the U.S. in the last three months, AST is on track with its aggressive new marketing program, Loggie said. The next step is development of its distribution network. Recently, AST named Phoenix, AZ-based Modified Asphalt Technologies, Inc. as its first U.S. distributor.

By year's end the company hopes to further improve and simplify material installation and delivery with the introduction of a "bagged" product. "It's just one more step in our continuing quest to make SafetyPlay the most "market/user" friendly surfacing product available today," Loggie said.

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