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Materials

Standard HDPE

It is essential that we offer a variety of play environments to ensure children of all abilities can benefit from these vital spaces. However, children can be remarkably tough on even the sturdiest equipment, making it crucial that the play products installed are built to be durable and long-lasting. At Playcom Supplies, our products are constructed using suitable materials that will not only keep children safe, but also stand the test of time from the vigorous use they will be subjected to.

High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) has been one of the key materials used in the manufacture of outdoor playground equipment for many years. It has proved itself as a very capable material that has successfully stood up to a multitude of environments all over the world. It’s bright colours and superior strength make it perfect to engage children when using play equipment, as well as ensuring their safety at the same time.

HDPE sheets are extruded so will never delaminate, they are also made with a colour-fast additive to prevent fading so your equipment will look vibrant for years to come. We stock the most popular colours and thickness’s that are currently being used within the play industry today and are all available in a standard sheet size of 1220mm x 3000mm.

Beneficial Properties

  • Low maintenance
  • Longevity
  • Safety (no injury from splintering)
  • Low surface energy (difficult to bond to, so soiling and graffiti is removable)
  • Highly weather resistant
  • No harmful ingredients
  • Self-coloured (scratches are less obvious)
  • Easily processed (only woodworking tools required)
  • Colour-fast
Colour Options

Areas of Application

  • Public Playgrounds
  • Schools & Nurseries
  • Marine
  • Signage
  • Swimming pools
  • Ice rinks
  • Toilets & cubicles

Additional Materials

However practical and visually appealing HDPE is, sometimes you need the addition of alternative materials to complete your product. All the following materials are suitable for the use of outdoor play equipment, and benefit from alternative properties that can be useful when designing your products.

Polycarbonate (3mm thick)

Polycarbonate is a well-known material that is used all over the world in thousands of applications. It benefits from high durability, as well as being transparent like glass. For this reason, the most common application for polycarbonate in play equipment is in window and visual chambers.

Polycarbonate is approximately 30 times stronger than acrylic (a visually comparable material), and over 200 times stronger than glass. So, this makes it a perfect material to utilize in a play environment to ensure the safety of the children that use it.

Materials - Polycarbonate

Eco-Deck

Eco-Deck is well established in the play industry for applications where a slip resistant surface is required. It is environmentally friendly, wear and chemical resistant, and offers excellent anti-slip properties, even when wet.

Eco-Deck is a 100% recycled polyethylene (PE) sheet, with a 2mm top layer of thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), that is enhanced by a studded button structure. While the PE offers strength and rigidity, the layer of TPE has a softer, more flexible feel that is easy to clean and maintenance free.

We currently stock this material in 15mm thickness, with a sheet size of 1500mm x 3000mm.

Eco-deck