SportsTurf provides current, practical and technical content on issues relevant to sports turf managers, including facilities managers. Most readers are athletic field managers from the professional level through parks and recreation, universities.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/101565
Tools&Equipment New battery-powered, high-pressure airless sports field striper Sports field line painting is often an overlooked opportunity for improving the environment and saving money. Painted lines are the final touch that turns a well-manicured green space into a sports field. Lines are applied every week during a sports season using inverted aerosol cans or bulk latex paint sprayed by a field marking machine. Selecting the right field marking machine and bulk paint can significantly conserve resources, improve line quality, and save money! Inverted aerosol cans emit potentially harmful propellants and typically end up in a landfill after use. A football field (with numbers) requires close to 40 cans. A full-size soccer or lacrosse field uses 12 cans. On average, a typical highschool could use more than 1,000 cans per year. At an average cost of $4 per can, it���s a hefty burden on your budget and the environment. Bulk latex paint use on sports fields has been growing at a substantial rate over the past 10 years. This has primarily been driven by advancements in paint quality, the introduction of professional field marking equipment, and the significant savings in time and cost (up to 75% less) compared to aerosol spray cans. 44 SportsTurf | January 2013 Maximizing both the environmental and cost savings of using bulk latex paint depends on the field marking machine used. Most field marking machines use low pressure (50-100 psi) pumps and low end spray tips that essentially dump paint onto the ground. Graco changed the game in 2004 with the introduction of the FieldLazer S100. This was the industry���s first high-pressure (900 psi) sports field marking machine which is now the brand professional groundskeepers��� trust. The combination of Graco���s high-pressure technology and precision spray tips provide a fine spray pattern that coats the entire grass blade, not dumping onto the soil. This results in professional, brighter, longer-lasting lines with �� the paint vs. low pressure machines. Graco has changed the game again with its new for 2013 Graco FieldLazer S90, the industry���s first battery-powered high-pressure airless sports field striper. Battery-powered reduces dependency on petroleum, does not use propellants, and is energy efficient and easy to use. Graco FieldLazer High-Pressure technology operates at over 10X higher pressure than low-pressure sprayers. The result is up to 50% lower paint consumption, and significantly less waste water than low pressure models. The S90 makes cleaning green and easy. Save paint and clean with minimal water using the removable Tilt-n-Pour paint hopper. Quickly pour any remaining paint from the 6-gallon hopper back into the original paint bucket for future use. Remove the hopper (no tools required) and clean at a convenient location with minimal water. Graco www.sportsturfonline.com