Method for manufacturing a floor covering

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a floor covering involves leading a glass fiber matt 1 from a supply reel 2 onto a conveyor belt 3 . At a first scattering station 4 , a saturation material is scattered onto the matt 1 to form a scattered layer. The matt 1 is then led between upper and lower heated belts 10, 11 to gel the scattered layer. The belts are then passed between a pair of smoothing/nipping rollers to form a layer of uniform thickness. The belts are then cooled and the matt 1 with saturation layer applied is wound for further processing. In an alternative arrangement a saturation material is scattered directly onto a substrate belt at the first scattering station 4 , a glass fiber matt 26 , is applied over the scattered material and, at a second scattering station 28 , an amount of the saturation material or a different material is scattered onto the matt 26.

1 . A method for manufacturing a floor covering comprising the steps of: 
 scattering powder, granules or pellets of a thermoplastic material onto a substrate to form a coating;    leading the coating between a pair of belts;    applying heat to gel the coating between the belts;    smoothing the gelled coating to provide a layer of desired thickness; and    cooling the layer.    
     
     
         2 . A method as claimed in    claim 1   , wherein the substrate is a fibre matt material, especially a glass fibre matt material.  
     
     
         3 . A method as claimed in    claim 2   , wherein the fibre matt has less than 100 g of glass fibre per m 2  of material.  
     
     
         4 . A method as claimed in    claim 3   , wherein the fibre matt has less than 65 g of glass fibre per m 2  of material.  
     
     
         5 . A method as claimed in    claim 4   , wherein the fibre matt has from 30 to 50 g of glass fibre per m 2  of material.  
     
     
         6 . A method as claimed in    claim 1    wherein the gelled coating is smoothed by leading the gelled coating between a nipping means.  
     
     
         7 . A method as claimed in    claim 6    wherein the nipping means comprises a pair of nip rollers defining a gap therebetween.  
     
     
         8 . A method as claimed in    claim 7    including the step of adjusting the gap between the nip rollers.  
     
     
         9 . A method as claimed in    claim 1    comprising the steps of: 
 scattering powder, granules or pellets of thermoplastic material onto a first substrate to form a first coating;  
 applying a second substrate over the first coating;  
 scattering powder, granules or pellets of a thermoplastic material onto the second substrate to form a second coating;  
 leading the coatings between a pair of belts;  
 applying heat to gel the coatings between the belts;  
 smoothing the gelled coatings to provide a layered product of desired thickness; and  
 cooling the layered product.  
 
     
     
         10 . A method as claimed in    claim 9    wherein the first substrate is defined by a lower of the conveyor belts.  
     
     
         11 . A method as claimed in    claim 9    wherein the second coating is of the same material as the first coating.  
     
     
         12 . A method as claimed in    claim 9    wherein the second coating is of a different material to the first coating.  
     
     
         13 . A method as claimed in    claim 9    wherein the first coating is of a saturation material to form, on heating, a saturation layer.  
     
     
         14 . A method as claimed in    claim 9    wherein the second coating is of a basecoat material to form, on heating, a basecoat layer.  
     
     
         15 . A method as claimed in    claim 1    wherein the thermoplastic material is scattered to form, on heating, a saturation layer to receive a basecoat layer.  
     
     
         16 . A method as claimed in    claim 1    wherein the thermoplastic material is scattered to form, on heating, a basecoat layer.  
     
     
         17 . A method as claimed in    claim 16    wherein the basecoat is formed by a method including the steps of: 
 scattering a basecoat-forming material onto the saturation layer of the substrate;  
 leading the substrate between a pair of belts; and  
 applying heat to the belts to form a basecoat layer on the saturation layer.  
 
     
     
         18 . A method as claimed in    claim 1    wherein a substrate is defined by one of the heating belts.  
     
     
         19 . A method as claimed in    claim 1    including the steps of: 
 scattering a first thermoplastic material onto a first belt;  
 applying a substrate over the thermoplastic material;  
 scattering a second thermoplastic material onto the substrate;  
 leading the substrate with the first and second thermoplastic material under a second belt; and  
 applying heat to the belts to gel the thermoplastic material to form a backing layer on one face of the substrate and a saturation or basecoat layer on the other face of the substrate.  
 
     
     
         20 . A method as claimed in    claim 19    wherein the second layer is a saturation layer and the method includes the steps of: 
 scattering a third thermoplastics material over the saturation layer;  
 leading the substrate between a pair of belts; and  
 applying heat to the belts to gel the third thermoplastic material to form a basecoat layer on the saturation layer.  
 
     
     
         21 . A method as claimed in    claim 1    including the step, after heating, of leading the substrate over a smoothing roller prior to cooling, preferably the substrate is supported on one of the belts as it is led over the smoothing roller, preferably the method includes the step of heating and/or cooling the substrate as it is led over the smoothing roller, preferably the substrate is heated or cooled by heating or cooling the smoothing roller, preferably the substrate is led over an infeed roller to the smoothing roller, preferably the substrate is led over an outfeed roller from the smoothing roller, preferably the substrate is heated or cooled as it is led over the infeed and/or outfeed rollers.  
     
     
         22 . A method as claimed in    claim 1    wherein the substrate is cooled, after gelling, by leading the pair of belts through a cooling station.  
     
     
         23 . A method as claimed in    claim 1    wherein the substrate is a mineral felt.  
     
     
         24 . A floor covering whenever manufacturing by a method as claimed    claim 1   .