Crumb Rubber construction bumper plates have existed for many years and are currently manufactured and/or resold by companies across the world. The combination of nearly indestructible tire rubber, high strength urethane binder (glue), and a simple stainless steel collar delivers a plate which can withstand high levels of use in harsh conditions—all at an economical price point. However, what may seem like a simple recipe has many intricate details that greatly affect the performance and life span of the plate.
Process
Homegrown Lifting (HGL) plates start with domestically-sourced recycled rubber particles, or “crumb”. Crumb rubber makes up the backbone of the plate and is what gives it its distinct look. These particles are combined with specially-formulated, high-strength urethane binder (glue) and vigorously mixed to ensure all particles are coated evenly with glue (which is crucial to ensure proper bonding). For larger weights, such as 45’s , a proprietary mixture of denser materials is added to the mix. This allows the plates to reach their proper weight without too large of an overall thickness. It’s a step that ensures you can fit enough weight on your bar to hit those heavy DL pulls or back squats. Once everything is fully combined, the mixture is carefully weighed and placed in a mold. The mold presses use intense heat (250F) and pressure (over 200,000lbs) to pack the material into a plate, holding it there while the binder cures. We increase all our cure times by 10% to ensure that every particle inside your HGL bumper is fully bonded and cured before demolding. Once cured, the molds are opened and the plates extracted. They then head to our finishing station where each one is carefully cleaned and inspected for imperfections. Once deemed acceptable, plates receive a 304 Stainless Steel collar. HGL has developed a unique process for press fitting these collars into place. To date, this has resulted in ZERO returns or complaints due to collars coming lose, wallowing out, or malfunctioning in any way. After being cleaned and pressed, your plate is placed on a pallet where it awaits either small parcel shipment to individuals and home gyms or bulk-shipment to distributors.
Durometer/Bounce
Homegrown Lifting Bumpers offer a durometer rating of 80A, meaning they are a medium bounce plate. Durometer is a measure of hardness for rubber products, so an 80A plate is harder than a 70A plate but softer than a 90A plate. This hardness directly relates to bounce and, subsequently, the ability of a plate to withstand multiple impacts. Too soft (70A), and the plates will have excessive bounce, likely failing from repeated compressions. Too hard (90A or above), and the bounce of the plate is diminished, meaning it must absorb and dissipate all the drop energy internally. This can lead to premature failure due to excessive force. When creating the proprietary mixture for these plates, our team drop-tested each weight increment over 8,000 times to ensure they could withstand heavy usage and repeated drops.
Packaging/Shipping
Each individual plate is packaged by a trained member of our team, who performs one final quality check. Once completed, the plate is put into a box sized to ensure no movement or damage can occur to the plate during shipping. The box then passes through an automated taping and palletizing machine to ensure each and every one gets the necessary amount of tape, safely securing it for transits of any length. While mistakes and rough handling can occur between the plate leaving our doors and arriving at yours, we are maintain a 99.9% non-damaged delivery record. This speaks volumes about both our shipping team and the partners we use for transporting your order. It’s a stat we’re incredibly proud of, and strive to carry forward.