Ordering a Custom Mat: Things to Keep in Mind
Things to Keep in Mind
You have decided that you are going to purchase an ergonomic anti-fatigue mat by Notrax® and you're measuring up the area and deciding where and how you want your brand-new mat to be placed.
To make sure that you get the best performance out of your mats, and to make both your and our lives easier, we have collated some tips that we think will make the process for ordering a custom mat clearer.
1. Custom matting possibilities
The first thing you should think about is where your mat is going to go. The layout of this area, and if there are workstations, tables, or machinery in or around it affects the complexity of your matting configuration. As part of our custom matting service, our experienced design team can create 3D custom drawings to your specifications based on your dimensions and preferred mat choice.
Considering special shapes: complex custom designs
There are 3 options available for custom matting and these depend on your specific requirements for the space you’d like your mat to go. These can be broken down into:
- Stock sizes – standard sizes placed at individual workstations, tables, or in front of machinery
- Custom simple designs – usually placed alongside production, assembly or packing lines
- Custom complex designs – usually placed around machinery, workstations, or tables
2. When in doubt, draw it out!
A picture speaks a thousand words. If you aren’t sure how to explain what you need, or you need our expert custom matting team to advise you on the most suitable options, we encourage you to sketch out the workstation and/or send us a photograph, and detail your requirements on the drawing. Make sure to let us know which measurements are the most important and which cannot be changed due to immovable objects or walls, as in some cases sizing will have to be altered slightly due to cutting lines, or the addition of bevels.
3. Don’t forget about your feet!
When measuring the area for your mat, remember to take into consideration where the user will stand. We recommend that to ensure optimum comfort for the user, that the mat extends 10 cm under the workstation or machine as the user will align their body with the workstation and this will ensure the feet are completely supported.
4. To bevel or not to bevel?
Bevelled safety ramps can be added to the end of the mat in areas where workers step onto or off of the mat to prevent tripping but also to allow easy access for things such as carts or work trolleys. Edges of a mat which are flush with the machine or workstation, may not require bevels as the area is used for static standing positions. Bevels between mats are also not necessary as this would create an uneven dip in the mat surface creating a tripping hazard. Adding bevels will increase the size of your mat as the inclusion of bevels, depending on the type, adds between 5 – 15 cm.
5. Don’t forget about table legs!
Be sure to mention things like machinery, and don’t forget about table legs! This could mean that the mats have to be cut around the table leg to ensure the mat is neatly and safely placed. On your drawing please indicate where machinery and table legs are as they may need to be cut on-site.
6. Check your approval form
When you order a custom mat from us our design team will create a custom 3D drawing and send you an approval form. This is to make sure that we have understood what you have asked for. We ask that you check this carefully and we are more than happy to offer advice and tips if you need them. Once approved, the order can then be processed. The drawing is also used to help in assembling the mats. Easy!
