Self-Adhesive Floor Covering Edge Alignment via Neutralization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for manufacturing self-adhesive floor coverings struggle with continuous lamination, resulting in adhesive film edges that do not align flush with the coating edges, leading to burrs and incomplete bonding, which complicates the welding process and increases production costs.
Innovation Solution
A process involving an adhesive transfer tape with a non-adhesive protective support, where neutralization means are used to sandwich and remove the adhesive film edges, ensuring a clean break and flush alignment with the coating edges, and a device for implementing this process, including calenders for laminating and removing the neutralization strips and protective film.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If adhesive film is continuously laminated on the underside of the covering strip, then the self-adhesive property is achieved, but the adhesive film edges do not align flush with the covering strip edges, creating burrs and incomplete bonding
Solution Approach 1:
The process is divided into distinct segments: first laminating the adhesive film with protective support across the entire width, then separately treating the edge portions through neutralization and removal. This segmentation allows continuous production while achieving precise edge alignment, as each segment can be optimized independently.
Solution Approach 2:
The adhesive film edges that cause problems (burrs and misalignment) are extracted and removed from the final product. The neutralization means sandwich and remove these edge portions, taking out the harmful elements while preserving the main adhesive function on the central area of the covering strip.
2Reliability
If the adhesive film is made to overflow the covering strip edges to avoid edges without glue, then complete bonding is achieved, but burrs are created on the edges that prevent correct welding
Solution Approach 1:
The adhesive film overflow, which initially creates harmful burrs, is converted into a beneficial process feature. The neutralization means utilize this overflow by sandwiching and removing the edge portions, transforming the harmful burr formation into a controlled edge removal process that ensures both complete bonding and clean edges suitable for welding.
Solution Approach 2:
The neutralization means act as an intermediary between the adhesive film and the covering strip edges. These means temporarily hold and manipulate the adhesive edges during the removal process, mediating the interaction to achieve clean separation without creating burrs that would interfere with subsequent welding operations.
3Manufacturing precision
If continuous deburring is performed to avoid burrs, then clean edges are achieved, but production costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The deburring function is merged with the existing continuous lamination process. The neutralization means are integrated into the lamination line, combining the adhesive application and edge treatment in a single continuous operation. This eliminates the need for separate, costly deburring equipment and operations, achieving clean edges at minimal additional cost.
4Loss of substance
If the adhesive film width is exactly matched to the covering strip width, then material waste is reduced, but alignment precision becomes extremely difficult to achieve in continuous lamination
Solution Approach 1:
Different portions of the adhesive film are treated differently: the central area is retained to provide bonding function, while the edge portions are removed through neutralization. This local differentiation allows the adhesive film to be wider than the covering strip during lamination (ensuring complete coverage), while the harmful excess edges are selectively eliminated afterward.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method allows for continuous, cost-effective production of self-adhesive floor coverings with adhesive film edges that align perfectly, facilitating easy installation and effective welding of strips, while avoiding burrs and reducing production costs.
Implementation Method 1
laminate on the underside of a continuously moving covering strip, an adhesive transfer tape comprising a film of glue
Implementation Method 2
a film of glue intended to be fixed on the underside of the covering strip
Implementation Method 3
neutralizing the two longitudinal edges of the adhesive film on each side of the covering strip, by sandwiching them each between the longitudinal edge of the protective support
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 3a~7E
Figure 4A~5C
AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for spreading an adhesive continuously on a sheet of floor covering (1), thereby enabling the obtainment of a self-adhesive floor covering (1) coated with an adhesive film (2) over the entire width thereof, without any adhesive dripping over the longitudinal edge surfaces of the self-adhesive sheet of covering (1). To accomplish this, the method consists of: laminating an adhesive transfer tape (7) on to the lower surface of a continuously running covering sheet (1), said adhesive transfer tape including an adhesive film (2) for being attached to the lower surface (3) of the covering sheet (1) and a non-adhesive protective substrate (8), the width of the adhesive transfer tape (7) being greater than the width of the covering sheet (1), such that the adhesive film (2) and the protective substrate thereof project beyond each side of the covering sheet (1); neutralizing the two borders (9, 10) of the adhesive film (2) on each side of the covering sheet (1), by sandwiching each of same between the longitudinal edge (17, 18) of the protective substrate (8) of the adhesive transfer tape (7), and neutralizing means (iii.1, iii.2) in contact with the borders (9, 10) and meeting flush with the edge surface (5, 6) of the covering (1); then removing the protective substrate (8) of the adhesive transfer tape (7), so as to obtain a clean break in the adhesive film (2) along both longitudinal edges of the covering sheet (1); and laminating a protective film (19) onto the adhesive film (2), which has a width larger than that of the covering sheet (1). The invention also relates to a device for implementing said method.