
by Industrial Print Magazine Staff
Digital printing technology is used around the world by flooring manufacturers. Many of these production facilities benefit from the flexibility digital printing offers, whether that’s in regard to design aesthetic, quick turnarounds, or even the physical printer itself.
Above: Engineered Floors, based in Dalton, GA, refers to the product yielded from Hymmen’s printing technology as PureGrain.
Any color, texture, or pattern can be recreated with digital printing technologies. Efficient speeds meet today’s just-in-time order requests. Finally, current production lines are designed to work within in an existing facility, adding and removing proprietary pre- and post-treatment devices to the process, in addition to feeding and stacking mechanisms.
Fiber to LVT
Engineered Floors, based in Dalton, GA, is no stranger to innovative decorative flooring technologies. Founded in 2009 by Bob Shaw, the company reimagined the way carpet is manufactured with its PureColor solution dyed fiber. Today it is a leader in domestically produced digitally printed luxury vinyl tile (LVT) thanks to a partnership with Hymmen GmbH Maschinen- und Anlagenbau.
The flooring manufacturer owns and operates a Hymmen JUPITER JPT-C single-pass digital printer. Offering 24/7 industrial production, it features a host of advantages like a high-precision continuous substrate conveyor, printing speeds reaching up to 50 meters per minute, and an optical resolution of over 1,000 dpi.
The overall length of the Dalton plant’s JUPITER JPT-C line is 120 meters. It includes a feeding portal, several liquid coating machines for print preparation, the digital printer, coating applications, a Hymmen Digital Lacquer Embossing (DLEplus) system, machines for topcoat application, and a stacking portal.
The digital print process is enhanced by Hymmen’s digital embossing technology, DLEplus. The UV lacquer-based process creates structures that are embossed in register to the décor of the surface. A grain structure is built up on the surface of the board to create an exact texture match to the design, providing an authentic wood appearance all while maintaining surface performance characteristics like abrasion and scratch resistance, adhesion, and chemical reliability of the core lacquer.
PureGrain
Engineered Floors refers to the product yielded from Hymmen’s printing technology as PureGrain. It is a U.S.-made LVT that utilizes digital print technology to create high-resolution designs directly on a high-density stone polymer composite or SPC core.
“Digitally printed LVT is the future. Our PureGrain high-definition LVT is the next generation of hard surface flooring. We will move the industry forward together with this latest innovation,” shares Mike Sanderson, VP product marketing, Engineered Floors.
Visually speaking, Engineered Floors finds five times more color clarity with its digitally printed products versus traditional film products. Its PureGrain collection includes both modern, lighter hues as well as darker designs. Any of which can be used in living rooms, bedrooms, and even bathrooms thanks to water resistance and durability features.
Strong Investment
Engineered Floors is strongly investing in the future of LVT. This is apparent in its implementation of the Hymmen JUPITER JPT-C line in its Dalton plant.
Oct2024, Industrial Print Magazine