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Frequently Asked Questions


General Questions About AFMInc Heatsheets®:
  • What makes Heatsheets® heat-reflective blankets the best choice?
  • Can my Heatsheets® be recycled?
  • Are Heatsheets® environmentally safe?
  • Can I reuse my Heatsheets® blanket?
  • Why do athletes risk hypothermia?
  • How do Heatsheets® keep me warm?
  • I am a race director. How should Heatsheets be stored for use at a future event?

    Helping You Choose a Vendor for Heat-Reflective Blankets:
  • What is the “right” size for a mass participation event finish line blanket?
  • How are the sheets packaged? Why does packaging matter?
  • How much does a dispenser carton weigh?
  • How much do the blankets cost?
  • What is the blanket made from and how thick is it?
  • What is the lead-time for delivery of the product?
  • Does the vendor know how volunteers and participants use the blanket?
  • Who are the vendor’s customers? Does the vendor have event references?
  • How reliable is delivery? Timing is everything!
  • If my sponsor changes, can the vendor help me with changing my graphics?
  • Does the packaging allow me to allocate blankets to various points during my event?
  • Will the vendor pre-sort and color-code my blankets for specific uses?
  • Does the vendor pro-actively offer help and guidance to race directors?
  • Will Heatsheets® earn credit towards my Re Sport certification?

    General Questions About AFMInc Heatsheets®

    What makes Heatsheets® heat-reflective blankets the best choice?
  • Heatsheets® LDPE-4 thermal-reflective blankets can be recycled at your local grocery store’s collection points, along with plastic produce and carry-out bags. Other types of heat-reflective plastic blankets are not currently recyclable.
  • Heatsheets® color coding (colored or printed for outside, silver for inside) ensures high thermal return. You run a 50% risk of wrapping yourself with the heat reflective coating out and losing 34% of design performance.
  • Heatsheets® blankets are center-fold and flip-folded without hard creases – they open more easily and are readily stored for reuse. Other blankets are rolled-and-fold and form hard creases that often grab and tear while opening, particularly after they’ve been stored for long periods.
  • Heatsheets® are 30%-50% thicker and more durable.
  • Heatsheets® are puncture resistant and do not fracture when they are edge-nicked, as metallized polyester blankets do. They stand up better in wind and tears don’t have to turn into disasters.
  • Heatsheets® proprietary Met-PE blankets are much softer and quieter than competing brands made from metallized polyester (“mylar”) or the cheaper metallized polypropylene, which rattle with every movement.

    Can my Heatsheets blanket be recycled?
    Yes! Heatsheets are made from metallized low density polyethylene (LDPE) and carry the recycling code Type 4. While Type 4 film plastics are not normally collected at curbside, your community may offer recycling opportunities for number 4 plastics at a central collection point like grocery stores or community recycling centers. Our     2008 Green Initiative project includes a set of recycling guidelines and a road map for setting up a recycling process for your event. Click here to download Recycling Guidelines.

    Are Heatsheets® environmentally safe?
  • Our printing partner holds an EPR Certification (Environmentally Preferred Rating). Heatsheets® are printed in California, where state law (AB 455) prohibits the use of heavy metals in inks or materials. Most of the inks used are water based (as opposed to solvents), minimizing air pollution. During film extrusion and the printing process, scrap and waste are recycled whenever possible.
  • Heatsheets® are produced from FDA food-grade LDPE-4 resin.
  • In August, 2009, key provisions of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act(CPSIA) took effect. Permissible levels of lead and phthalates were greatly reduced. Heatsheets® are in full compliance with the CPSIA.

    Can I reuse my Heatsheets® blanket?
    Yes! We encourage you to be environmentally conscious and save/reuse your Heatsheets® blanket. If you aren't saving it as a souvenir, it can be placed in your car and used in case you are stranded in bad/cold weather. You can fold it up and take it in your backpack while hiking or stash it in your coat pocket while skiing. Please consider the environment before throwing away your Heatsheet.

    Why do athletes risk hypothermia?
    Athletes participating in long distance events tend to wear just shorts and a shirt. The best way to keep cool is to sweat, but often long-distance athletes can't perspire very well due to dehydration. They find it difficult to take in more liquids than they lose through sweating. As they become more dehydrated over the long course, it becomes more difficult for the body to cool. Consequently, the body's core temperature rises.
    After crossing the finish line, their internal sensors tell their bodies to keep shedding heat. In the meantime, when external temperatures are cool, runners will lose body heat rapidly because their heads, legs, and arms are exposed. Under these conditions, athletes completing a race can run the risk of venting off too much heat and becoming hypothermic. Heatsheets enable runners to cool down gradually until they can find some dry clothes and fluids.

    How do Heatsheets® keep me warm?
    The reflective insulation layer of Heatsheets® brand blankets reflects up to 97% of your body's radiant heat to form a warm 'envelope' of air. This is achieved by wrapping the blanket around your torso to reduce the risk of hypothermia. Athletes can become hypothermic, even in mild weather conditions. The best way to prevent this is to trap body heat in BEFORE core temperature begins to drop. This happens very quickly after completing high-endurance events such as marathons.

    I am a race director. How should Heatsheets® be stored for use at a future event?
    We recommend you store your Heatsheets® (unopened, if possible) in a cool, dry place. The metal may begin to oxidize over time. That process can be accelerated if exposed to moisture for an extended period of time.

    Helping You Choose a Vendor for Heat-Reflective Blankets:

    What is the “right size” for a mass participation, endurance event finish line?
  • Based on basic body measurement (anthropometry) tables, and the slightly smaller size of the average male and female runner, Heatsheets® brand blankets are 48” x 72” to provide coverage for the upper torso, hips, and as much of the upper leg as possible, without creating a tripping hazard. 48”x 72” blankets have been used at events for almost 30 years, without incident.
  • Blankets that are too long pose a serious tripping hazard to finishers who may be exhausted, unsteady, or disoriented. AFMInc can produce Heatsheets in various sizes, based on the individual needs.

    How are the sheets packaged? Why does packaging matter?
  • Some vendors produce folded blankets for finish line use. While this package may be easy for volunteers to hand out, most finishers don’t have the manual dexterity or mental focus to break through the packaging and unfold their own blanket. And, it would take more than a minute for a volunteer to unfold each blanket if the event elects to do that before the finishers arrive. Either way, folded blankets take eight to ten times per blanket longer than unfolded blankets to deploy.
  • The original AFMInc flat-pack was a major improvement over individually packaged and folded “Mylar” blankets, but this packaging option generated a tremendous amount of static electricity and the blankets were difficult to separate under cold, windy, or wet conditions.
  • In 2005, AFMInc introduced the first heat-reflective plastic blanket in a dispenser carton. Blankets are perforated every 72” and pulled through a perforated slot in the carton top, so individual blankets are dispensed one at a time, and torn off like paper towels.
  • Heatsheets are center-folded to reduce the width to only 25 inches, making transport and handling of the cartons easy. The center-folded blankets are overlapped 1” to help volunteers find the open edge. If you’ve ever searched for the opening in a trash bag or a produce bag at the grocery store, you know why that’s important.

    How much does a carton weigh?
  • A single dispenser carton filled with 200 Heatsheets-on-a-Roll™ weighs about 28 lbs, light enough for volunteers to move without risk of injury.
  • Consult with your blanket vendor about how long it takes to deploy the blanket if you are considering a different kind of packaging. AFMInc is the only company currently offering “on-a-roll” dispensing systems designed for mass participant environments.

    How much do the blankets cost?
  • Cost depends on volume, and if you are purchasing printed Heatsheets, it also depends on the amount of ink coverage (number of colors and size of the print area) and degree of complexity.
  • When comparing costs, be sure to compare “apples to apples” and beware of exaggerated claims of savings.
  • Consider the total cost of acquisition, not just the unit price. AFMInc would welcome the opportunity to review total cost of acquisition with you.

    What is this blanket made from and how thick is it?
  • Heatsheets® are made from low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and are 1 mil thick (nominally, 0.001”). LDPE plastic is recyclable, puncture resistant and does not tear.
  • Mylar or metallized polyester blankets are typically 0.00048” thick or ˝ mil. To AFM's best knowledge mylar is not recyclable. Once punctured, mylar shreds apart.

    What is the lead-time for delivery of the product?
  • Lead-times can vary greatly depending on where the product is produced. For example, a shipment from China can take as long as 4 months.
  • Unprinted Heatsheets® are generally stock items but AFMInc suggests allowing two weeks lead time, plus delivery time from Atlanta, GA to your location to ensure delivery prior to your event.
  • For AFMInc printed Heatsheets®, you should begin your order process 10 weeks before your event to allow adequate time for artwork modification and approval and production of printing plates. If there is no new artwork, that time is reduced to about 8 weeks.

    Does the vendor know how my volunteers and participants will handle and use these blankets?
  • Determine whether the vendor has experience with the complex needs at a finish line. AFMInc has no competition when it comes to the depth of experience with events of all sizes. Our founder has run several marathons, with his last race being in 2001 at ING New York. In addition, he introduced the concept of adding print to finish line blankets to allow events to sell branded space to offset the cost and generate positive revenue.
  • AFMInc is small and family-owned. We’ve have a tradition of working behind the finish line with many of our customers almost since our inception (1980), providing Heatsheets® to events who were pioneers in the development of mass-participation marathons.
  • We’ve physically worked side-by-side with volunteers and have separated blankets in every packaging format and with every plastic material to make sure that we had done it right. AFMInc is still testing new ideas today.

    Who are the vendor’s customers? Does the vendor have event references?
  • It’s important to know if your vendor is reliable so be sure to get references before you place your order.
  • Customer lists for AFMInc include all the major marathon events in the US, and several international events. In addition, we supply many ˝ marathons and 10Ks throughout the country, and have done so for 30 years.

    How reliable is delivery? Timing is everything.
  • Ask about where the blankets are produced and about any delivery issues that may affect the delivery date.
  • AFMInc produces Heatsheets®, from start to finish, right here in the United States. This eliminates any risk of customs delays, dock strikes, or late shipments from overseas.
  • AFMInc asks you to allow 10 weeks for delivery of printed blankets so that if anything goes wrong, we may still have time to re-run your order at no extra cost to you.

    If my sponsor situation changes, what kind of flexibility does the vendor have to help me with that?
  • Find out how the vendor will handle changes in design graphics mid-production.
  • If the print run has not started, AFMInc may be able to make the changes.

    Does this vendor offer flexible quantities so I can allocate my blanket inventory to minimize waste?
  • If you deploy your heat-reflective plastic blankets at aid stations along the course, and behind your finish line in a medical tent, your elite or VIP area, baggage claim, family reunion, or on your sweep bus, you need options.
  • Heatsheets® are available in rolls of 25, 100, and 200, so you can mix-and-match sizes and reduce waste. Sending a few hundred sheets to a location that only needs 20 can quickly add to your cost.

    Will the vendor pre-sort and color-code my blankets?
  • You may need different packaging counts and options for start, course, finish, elite, VIP, baggage recovery, family reunion and sweep.
  • AFMInc has a simple distribution plan, so things end up where we need them.
  • After witnessing frequent mistakes in the pre-race deployment of Heatsheets breakouts, AFMInc realized that we had to make it easier. We have added color-coded labels for various drop-points and post-finish deployment locations.

    Does the vendor pro-actively offer help and guidance to race directors?
  • All events, and especially new ones, can benefit for experienced vendors who have been at finish lines and observed what happens behind the scenes. This experience can be very important in planning for your event.
  • AFMInc is not only present at many events around the world, but we also maintain a presence at workshops and conferences to share their experience. For example, in 2008, AFMInc attended a Road Race Management sponsored workshop called “How Green is My Event?” which convinced their founder that they should aggressively pursue a means to recycle Heatsheets.
  • AFMInc moved quickly to help with research to use their recyclable LDPE-4 plastic and devoted staff time to work with recycling consultants to find a viable way to recycle our Heatsheets®.

    Will Heatsheets® earn credit towards my Re Sport certification?
  • Recycling finish line blankets can earn 1 point towards the 22 points it takes to earn a basic Re Sport certification. To earn points, apply for an "innovation credit" and supply documented acceptance from a plastics recycler. To learn how to apply for a Re Sport certification, go to ReSport.org.

    Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008(CPSIA): Heatsheets® fully comply with the strict requirements of H.R. 4040 Section 101 “Children’s products containing lead; lead paint rule” and Section 108 “Prohibition on Sale of Certain Products Containing Specified Phthalates”. For test results see our MSDS below.

    Material Safety Data Sheet:
    The following document provides technical specifications about Heatsheets®. It includes information such as physical data, flash point, recommended disposal, reactivity data, health hazard data, and more. Heatsheets® Material Safety Data Sheet

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    • AFM NEWS - HOME
    2010 - Certified Space Technology Saves Manatees
    January 25 - AFMInc Launches Rapid Unwind Racks™ for Heatsheets®-on-a-Roll
    Dec. 2009, AFMInc Donates Heatsheets® Blankets to Aid the Homeless
    June, 2009 - Stephanie Deigan Steps Down as President and COO of AFMInc
    April, 2009 - New Rapid Unwind System Speeds Heatsheets® Finish Line Blanket Distribution
    Feb. 2009 - AFM Donates Heatsheets® to Special Olympics World Winter Games
    Jan. 2009 - AFMInc Publishes Recycling Guidelines For Mass Participant Sporting Events
    Jan. 2009 - Inaugural Parade Participants Will Be Wrapped In Certified Space Technology Typically Used By Marathon Runners
    Oct. 2008 - AFMInc Announces Preliminary Findings Of Pilot Heatsheets® Recycling Program
    Sept. 2008 - AFMInc Launches Pilot Heatsheets® Recycling Program
    May 2006 - AFM assists Pakistan Earthquake Response with Heatsheets
    2006 - Reflecting on Space Benefits: A Shining Example, from Spinoff

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