When netting is installed for the purpose of hitting, driving, or shooting objects directly into, the term ‘impact netting’ is most typically used to classify the application. For instance, a net that is hung-up with the intention of catching golf balls that a person is driving into it from a relatively short distance. Or, when a netting panel is installed in order to function as a impact barrier for catching and dropping baseballs hit from a tee or during soft-toss training. There are lots of different applications in which netting can be considered functioning as an ‘impact net’, and you can generally assume that the following characteristics will apply:
- the mesh size of the netting is correct for close-range and full velocity impacts
- the twine thickness is suitable for the amount of expected continuous abrasion
- the netting panel is installed in a fashion that allows for proper ‘sag’ in the material to account for displacement and to avoid rebound
Essentially, any of the netting options that are supplied by Gourock.com can theoretically be used and classified as an ‘impact net’. Consider the situation where somebody may be hitting wiffle-balls or foam training balls. Obviously the abrasion of lightweight objects like these is pretty much a non-issue, so in that situation a relatively thin twine thickness can easily be selected – and the primary consideration would be using the proper mesh size to block the objects. Alternatively, consider the opposite end of the spectrum where a university or high-traffic facility requires an impact net to catch and block discuses and shot-puts. This is obviously a high-abrasion and traffic application that will require a thick/strong netting twine (in the proper mesh size) to maximize the functional usage of the netting. So all-in-all, an ‘impact net’ has the purpose of being the primary barrier and blockade for blocking/dropping directly hit objects – and the selection for which netting choice is best suitable for the application simply follows the 3 bullet points noted above.
Gourock.com facilitates custom impact nets for a huge variety of customers that have a very wide range of uses. Many of the common impact netting installations are sports related, while many of them are quite unique and individual. Custom nets are supplied from the available nylon netting selections, and can have many different features including specific dimensions/shapes, rope bordering characteristics, and design enhancements. Here are a couple of helpful examples from the last couple of weeks:
This netting order was for a well-known company/brand that had constructed a custom framing structure at their corporate campus for golf use. They required heavy-duty impact netting that would be suitable for high-impact golf hits, and also could be customized to fit the sizing and shape of their custom framing. The final result was 4 netting panels with:
- #21 X 3/4″ (241 lb./twine) DuPont® Type 66-728 Twisted-Knotted Nylon Netting
- 5/16″ Braided Dacron® Rope Borders (sewn-in)
- Custom tapered shape for the end
- Separate netting panels to cover the sides and top
This next example was supplied for a commercial sports facility that Gourock has facilitated lots of custom netting for over the last few years. Using a design that was also previously supplied in the past, the following impact net is for a heavy-duty baseball/softball hitting station and training area. They install the netting in a “winged” type of shape, meaning that the primary back wall of the hitting area has a pair of netting extensions that come off the sides and help contain objects within a 3-dimensional area. The back wall is blocked-off by rope riblines, allowing for the wings/extensions to be functionally hung so that they come towards the athlete. The features on this net were:
- #72 X 1-3/4″ (740 lb./twine) DuPont® Type 66-728 Twisted-Knotted Nylon Netting
- 5/16″ Braided Dacron® Rope Borders (sewn-in)
- 5/16″ Braided Dacron® Rope Riblines (sewn-in)
- (8x) 5/16″ Braided Dacron® Rope Tails installed to hang the netting with
- Custom dimensions to fit the designated impact area
