Hundreds of raw and manufactured materials are sent to freight yards and receiving docks at high-racking roofing plants. These materials will then be turned into high-quality sturdy roofing shingles that homeowners and professionals in the roofing industry have come to love.
Shingles produced with asphalt as the primary ingredient are the most popular shingles being sold which is why it is of utmost importance that these roofing facilities process the asphalt to the standard quality requirements needed to produce durable yet flexible shingles.
The Raw Materials
- Fiberglass: Fiberglass is a reinforced plastic material that consists of fibers of glass. They are a vital component of asphalt shingles because they are durable and lightweight.
- Limestone rock: Limestone rock is a sedimentary rock consisting predominately of calcium carbonate. Crushed limestone rocks are used as a weather and heat-resistant layer on asphalt shingles.
- Asphalt: This material is also known as bitumen. It is a mixture of sand, aggregates, and bitumen, and it is used for construction and is the primary ingredient in asphalt shingles.
- Mineral Granules: These are crushed-colored stones/minerals used to protect the shingles from damage caused by too much sun exposure.
- Sealant/adhesive: This is a material used to seal the openings between materials such as glass, concrete, e.t.c
- Release film: This is sealant protection; it keeps the shingles from sealing together while they are still in the bundle – in storage.
The Process
- Once the limestone rocks are transported to the plants, they begin the processing procedure which involves crushing mills into a smooth limestone powder. This powder is then mixed with asphalt. The final product is known as the filled coating. Rolls upon rolls of organic felt or fiberglass mat – which serve as the base materials of shingles – are mounted and fed into the roofing machine, where the superheated filled coating is sprayed onto both surfaces of the mat.
- These are crushed rocks or minerals with ceramic coating. They are used as a final layer on the top surface of the shingles to give them an attractive finish and to make them resistant to fire. A light coating of sand is applied to the back surface of the mat to prevent it from sticking together during storage. After this process, the sheet then is passed through a series of rolls, where a fine mist of water is sprayed over it to remove the heat from the mat. The sheet is then coated with strips of adhesive to increase its chances of withstanding harsh weather conditions.
The finished base mat is passed into complex cutting machines, where it is cut into shingles of different sizes and shapes, separated, stacked, and packed into bundles.
The products are ready to be packaged and transported to warehouses across the country before they finally make their way to your homes.