Recyclable Floor Covering Lamination With Heat-Activated Bonding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional recyclable floor coverings face challenges such as high solvent and adhesive usage, environmental pollution, difficulty in recycling due to dissimilar materials, and inflexibility and cosmetic weaknesses in conventional floor tiles, which result in inefficient production and installation processes.
Innovation Solution
A recyclable floor covering system comprising interlocking floor tiles with a heat-activated bonding layer between a rubber-based backing material and a facing material, allowing for seamless installation and easy recycling, produced using a continuous laminator line process that minimizes solvent use and ensures uniform bonding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional solvents and adhesives are used during production or installation, then bonding between layers is achieved, but environmental pollution increases and harmful emissions are produced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of the bonding system by replacing solvent-based adhesives with water-based adhesives. This substitution maintains the bonding function while eliminating harmful organic solvent emissions, directly resolving the contradiction between manufacturing ease and environmental harm.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the typically harmful role of solvents into a beneficial water-based system. By using water as the carrier instead of organic solvents, the system maintains adhesive functionality while transforming a harmful process into an environmentally friendly one, reducing pollution and emissions.
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional carpets and matting are made of dissimilar materials, then design flexibility and functionality are improved, but recycling becomes difficult and ineffective
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the floor covering into distinct functional layers (backing layer, cushioning layer, wear layer) that can be separately manufactured and potentially recycled. This segmentation allows for design flexibility in each layer while enabling selective recycling of individual components, resolving the contradiction between versatility and recyclability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent establishes a system where worn or damaged floor coverings can be discarded and recovered for recycling. The water-based adhesive system facilitates this by allowing layers to be separated and processed through liquidation or other recycling methods, enabling the recovery and reuse of materials while maintaining design flexibility in the original product.
3Ease of manufacture
If liquid adhesive is applied during production, then bonding between layers is achieved, but uniformity of adhesive layer is difficult to provide
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual or less precise mechanical application methods of liquid adhesive with a more controlled delivery system. The water-based adhesive is delivered through a controlled mechanism that ensures uniform distribution across the substrate, maintaining bonding effectiveness while achieving consistent layer uniformity.
4Strength
If conventional floor tiles are made stiff, then structural strength is improved, but flexibility and resistance to damage during bending are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite floor tile structure consisting of multiple layers with different properties. The backing layer provides structural strength, while the cushioning layer adds flexibility and the wear layer provides surface durability. This composite construction resolves the contradiction by combining materials that individually provide strength and flexibility, creating a tile that is both strong and damage-resistant during installation.
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
The system provides a flexible, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective solution for producing recyclable floor coverings with reduced solvent emissions, improved uniformity, and enhanced durability, enabling seamless installation and easy recycling of the tiles.
Implementation Method 1
a heat-activated bonding layer between a rubber-based backing material and a facing material
Data Source
AI summary
A process and system for making a laminated surface covering and the surface covering itself are described. The covering includes several layers bonded to each other. The system performs the process. One example of the process includes passing a first material across a first conveyor, passing a second material across a second conveyor, passing a bonding material across a third conveyor, contacting the first material and the second material to the bonding material, and heating at least one of the first material and the second material. The process also includes introducing the first material, the second material, and the bonding material into a pressure zone such that the bonding material is introduced between a bottom surface of the first material and a top surface of the second material. The process applies pressure to bond the first material and second material together via the bonding material to produce a laminated material.