Batting Cage Netting Materials

A Review of Batting Cage Net Material Options

 

 Nylon Batting Cage Nets 

 

Nylon is a polyamide. It was invented by the DuPont Corporation in the late 1930's.. It was intended to be a synthetic replacement for silk and substituted for it in parachutes and also making things like ropes, flak vests, vehicle tires, combat uniforms and many other military uses after the United States entered World War II in 1941, making stockings hard to find until the war's end. Nylon fibers are now used in fabrics, bridal veils, carpets and ropes, and solid nylon is used for mechanical parts and as an engineering material.
Nylon is stronger than sisal, hemp or cotton. It is stronger than most Polyethylene. It has tremendous shock absorption properties and it is this elasticity that gives it its tremendous strength. It just ....s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-s ....... so much before it breaks. This makes it an excellent material for batting cage nets, because it allows the netting wall to absorb the impact of the baseball.

Nylon FACTS

*FACT: UV light is the worse enemy of any fiber (nylon or polyethylene) Nylon in it's natural state is a white fiber. It must be treated to keep out UV rays. That is why nylon batting cage nets are typically treated in some sort of net coating - most commonly a black dye.

*FACT: Nylon has a Specific Gravity of 1.14 which means it sinks in water. It also means it absorbs water. In fact, when nylon is soaked in water (or rained on) the H²O molecules penetrate into the polyamide molecules and cause the fibers to slip and slide (like they were greased ). This sliding motion keeps the fibers from locking fully and wet nylon becomes weaker by approximately 10% -- this is why it's important to allow your net to sun-dry in between use. If it's consistently used when water-logged, the lower strength of the fibers when impacted will cause the net to deteriorate quicker.

*FACT: Nylon has very good abrasion characteristics. When coated in an oil based net coating, it becomes very abrasive resistant. This also helps the life-span when used as a batting cage net.

*FACT: What does tensile strength have to do with a baseball hitting a flexible net? Very little. The spinning ball actually wears the batting cage netting down by abrasion and heat. In years past, when hardballs were used exclusively, the need for very abrasion resistant netting was a must. Nylon was very prevalent as it was used extensively in the fishing industry. Tar and oil based coatings were also very easily obtainable. Now most teams are using PVC or dimpled balls in their batting cages. These poly balls are ideal for 'sliding' across a slick surface. Its a Poly type ball sliding across a Poly or Nylon dipped net which proves to be the most effective against abrasion inside batting cage nets.
As a result, Break-Strength is not nearly as important as Abrasion Resistance for batting cage net durability. Nylon netting is known for its high break-strength -- in many cases this is excessive, and you are paying for something you will never really use. To be sure you are receiving a Nylon net with the highest level of abrasion resistance, it will need to be coated in a water-resistant dip. Another alternative and more economical option is our Poly batting cage netting.

*FACT: Most companies that manufacture nylon netting, get their raw fibers from auto tire makers. They are able to purchase these nylon filaments because the fibers fail to pass the government's stringent tests for raw nylon required by the DOT and other agencies. The "reject" tire fibers are sold for twine , rope, and other nylon products. The problem is, that there is no numbering or criteria for determining exactly how much the fiber failed by. A batch of nylon twine may be made with a fiber that barely missed the cut off point or it may be constructed with a batch of filament that was extremely far from acceptable......or worse case, a batch could be made with a mix of filaments both very good and very bad!

High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) - Poly Batting Cage Nets

 

Poly has received a bad reputation over the past several years, much of which was warranted. However, when the right material is used, it can also be a very effective application for sports netting, by virtue of it's high abrasion resistance and durability - as a result of it's anti-element properties.

Where does Poly come from?
Polyethylene starts out as pellets or chips. They are melted down, extruded and then twisted and spun into fibers that make twine. If the extrusion process is harsh enough so that the tiny molecules of HDPE align themselves in a straight line, like BB's inside of straw, then the HDPE is very much stronger than any nylon fiber. This is called molecularly aligned PE. You know it by the trade names of Spectra and Dyneema (commonly used in bulletproof vests, and two of the strongest materials ANYWHERE - even stronger than KEVLAR and 15x stronger than STEEL). The more the molecules are spread out, like BB's in a coffee cup , the weaker the HDPE becomes. Semi-aligned PE construction makes the in-between material called Sapphire. It's a unique HDPE that has tremendous strength, tremendous abrasion resistance and still does not require any net coating to be an effective outdoor batting cage net. Unfortunately this form of Poly just isn't affordable an option for batting cage netting use, which is why Nylon with a "dip" treatment is still the most effective and cost-efficient solution.

*At the time of extruding these melted HDPE pellets into HDPE twine, a 2-3% UV Inhibitor chemical is added into the mix. That means that HDPE is protected from the inside as well as the outside. With HDPE the UV Inhibitor is evenly distributed at the very beginning of the creation of the twine itself....not just 'bathed' in a coating after the twine is knotted and set.

The first FACT concerning High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) is that it comes in many different degrees. A netting may be made with 52% PE and the rest Polypropylene (which is a much weaker and inferior fiber when it comes to strength and UV degradation). Because it is mostly PE, a manufacturer might call it PE.
In other words, some of the warnings you heard about PE are TRUE! However, our Poly batting cage nets use only 100% original (NOT re-cycled) Polyethylene.

*FACT: Some PE is made from re-cycled poly. This creates problems for the end user as the material is not stabilized, it will not be consistent in strengthen and it shrinks at uneven %'s. It is one of the reasons Poly netting gets a bad name.

*FACT: HDPE requires no coating to make it water proof. It is approximately .94 specific gravity. This means it floats, it absorbs no water and it never, ever requires any coating.

*FACT: HDPE, when processed as it should be, is an excellent netting material and can be used in any application nylon can, and some more at that. HDPE is extruded and processed into filaments. It is then twisted into twine and the twine is put onto netting machines for manufacture into fish net. From here the netting is brought to an autoclave. This is a giant steam cooker. The netting is stretched out from selvage to selvage on rods and placed into the autoclave. The autoclave is de-pressurized and a vacuum is created. 190-220 degree steam is applied evenly as the batting cage netting is stretched with several thousand pounds of tension. The knots are now 'heat set'..

Bottom Line: Nylon is still a superior material for sports applications when used indoors, due to it's shock-absorption properties - which extends the life-span. While it's true that some forms of Poly are stronger than Nylon, this material just isn't affordable for use as batting cage nets (used for bullet-proof vests etc.) - which is why Nylon with a "dip" treatment is still the most effective and cost-efficient solution.
When used outdoors in a very rainy climate with little opportunity to sun-dry in between uses, the life-span of regular Nylon will be reduced, when compared to a Nylon batting cage net which has been water-proofed (dipped), or a Poly net.

In Conclusion - the batting cage net with the absolute longest life-span in any climate, is Nylon Type 66-728 with a Varnish / Oil-based dip.

If you can't afford this option, the regular Black Nylon Type 66-728 and standard Nylon are excellent options for batting cage nets. If you will be in a very wet climate, and can't afford the top-shelf option, the "regular" Nylon with a Latex Dip is a great option -- and Polyethylene is a good option, and the most economical for a backyard or youth batting cage net with light usage.

Thanks for reading our batting cage netting review. Contact Us with any questions on pricing or materials.