Coating of PVC floor

Question for your question;

What kind of prep work is being processed to your materials before the final design coat is applied?

Also, do you allow for the heat on the press bar to reach full temp before applying another coat to another plank?

Also, are the planks ALL being processed the same?

Temperature is the KEY factor in your process. If the temp is off by XX factor, what is the actual finished coat compaired to each of the other parts?

Have you ran test at verious temps to compair and annalys the finished products?

Just food for thought, 8-) Maximo

Maximo, Thanks for getting back to me on this issue. I would say that prep is pretty poor, some wiping with rags and brushing with a rotary mechanical brush. I will find out about temp control but I think I will have difficulty finding this out. I am not sure what you mean by applying heat to the "press bar". The UV coating is applied with a neoprene roller, similar to a printing press. As I said before, the results are very much out of control. We have not run tests at various temps, since I do not think the roller is heated. rstanley

When I was consulting for American Builtrite in NJ, they were the 1st company to apply a UV coating over vinyl-asbestos tiles, which as you likely know won't tolerate solvents. We had a spray system that was modified from a curtain coater, and soft rollers to get into the depressed design areas of the tile. The spray was keyed to a on-off sensor that only sprayed when a tile was going thru the spray chamber. We had excellent results. I suspect your rubber roller is the problem. Varying tension, patial curing of the resin on the roller (perhaps due to delay of the next tile or sheet). I assume that you don't have oxygen reduction of the UV cure, etc? Try filling the coating unit with a solution or dispersion, which has TiO2 or similar dye or filler in it, and run your substrate that you want coated. Match the viscosity of the "test" solution/dispersion to your normal coating, etc. Then examine the dye or "white" pattern on the coated substrate when the substrates exit the coater. It should be uniform and glossy. If not, find out why. Adjust the rubber roller? Speed of the substrate? Angle of attack of the sprayed coating? Bounce of the applied coating? Etc.

Dear Cardio-2, We actually have two problems. First is to address uneven sheen on floor already installed in customers home. My concern is to apply a coating that will even out the sheen, and correctly bond with the UV coating on the PVC planks. I do not want to use something that will create problems for the customer at a later date. I was thinking of using a water based polyurethane in a low sheen finish, however I am not sure how well this will bond to the existing UV coating or in the case of the slightly higher gloss pieces to a pure PVC film with a decorative pattern. We use the UV to actually make a glossy piece of PVC plank achieve a matte finish as well as have additional protection against scratching and discoloration. Our second problem which you are addressing is how to improve our manufacturing process. I would like to know more about TiO2 and the curtain coater as well as oxygen reduction if you have that info available. Thank you rstanley

"Because of the being a hand fed operation..."

Do you mean the problem is caused by the displacement of the coating during this UV process?

If so, is it possible to make a simple feeding device attached to the machine to avoid that displacement?

Sorry if this sounds nonsense to u.

Guest, When you say displacement of coating I am not sure of the technical meaning. We do use a liquid pump to spread UV coating over the UV roller. But I am sure that when flow rate changes, no one is watching, or if 5 gal container of UV runs out, no one is watching. Thanks rstanley

Hi RSTANLEY!

My observation is after reading everyone's help to you. If I understand well, no one is watching means that in your organization needs certain specifics. First, each operation must have a distinct and detailed standard operating procedure. In any SOP don't have any sentence: no one is watching. Second, why your operation is not spraying, the most easier way to apply any coating? You have to know what to do the most easier ways to get satisfied customers and never do any corrections. Imagine, if Toyota makes defective cars? They will be not at a dominating place. You have to morganize each work, each stage of the work. Good luck, Gil.