Material and manufacture of anti-slip mats

Material properties of anti-slip mats

It is not uncommon for roadside checks to reveal serious violations in the area of load securing. The persons responsible are often unaware of how dangerous these gross negligence can be.

The introduction of the Professional Driver Qualification Act aims to prevent this and thus provide the necessary knowledge to those responsible. These seminars also provide information about load securing aids, which would otherwise remain unknown to most people. Most mistakes are made in the area of anti-slip mats and their use for load securing. Many people think that a simple rubber mat is sufficient to secure a load in accordance with the required safety standards. But this is not the case, because not all rubber mats can be used as anti-slip mats for load securing. Of course, anti-slip mats are usually made of solid rubber, but they offer a few more features than normal rubber mats so that they meet the higher requirements for load securing as specified in VDI 2700 ff. Essentially, care is taken to ensure that a mat with an anti-slip effect always has a smooth and continuous surface. This prevents moisture from penetrating the mat and, in the event of frost, the coefficient of friction from falling below the required limits due to ice formation. In addition, these high-quality anti-slip mats are manufactured to be highly resistant to operating fluids. After all, contact with such substances – such as diesel or oil – occurs time and time again. Another important feature of a mat that can be used for load securing is that it has high tear resistance despite its flexibility. This is achieved by using only highly compacted solid rubber mats and avoiding hollow spaces. These usually occur in mats that consist mainly of granulated rubber. High-quality securing mats return to their original shape even after heavy continuous use. This means that these mats can be used several times before they reach the point where they should be taken out of service. Multiple use offers a price advantage over cheap products, as cheap mats are usually unusable after a single use. As high-quality mats do not absorb any liquids, they can be easily cleaned with water even when dirty. There is no need to worry that this will affect the coefficient of friction. So if you really want to play it safe when it comes to load securing, you should only use high-quality mats when choosing anti-slip aids. You can find these high-quality anti-slip mats here in our shop.

Anti-slip safety elements with a long service life

Anti-slip mats contain granulate fibres made from recycled rubber, which are bound together using PU (polyurethane) binding agents. The quality of anti-slip mats is determined by the shape and number of fibres (void ratio) and the binding agent used. Various types of anti-slip mats are available on the market. These include anti-slip rubber mats made from pressed rubber granulate and mats made from solid material, a vulcanised rubber with a very low void ratio. A sandwich coating with a layer of several millimetres of wear rubber is used for heavy goods. There are also latex-coated anti-slip mats. New scientific findings and practical experience have been incorporated into the manufacturing processes, e.g. special granulates increase the friction coefficient of the anti-slip mats. Due to the use of very high-quality plastic with high resistance to abrasion, the anti-slip mats have a long service life (eight years and longer). Proper cleaning and smooth laying also increase the service life of the anti-slip mats.