By Industrial Print Magazine Staff
Based in Corona, CA, Concord Flooring is a 100 percent private label flooring manufacturer. Serving the flooring industry with premium quality engineered flooring made in the U.S., Concord Flooring is committed to providing customers with premium-selected wood floors, exceptional customer service, reduced lead times, and dependable value.
One way it continues to honor this is by implementing new technology. In November 2023, it was reported Concord Flooring was one of the first companies in the world to adopt the single-pass digital printing solution, the EFI Cubik with Mineral Inks.
EFI Cubik technology offers a unique concept for staining and decorating solid hardwood floors, boards for doors, and panels for furniture and cabinets. Its mineral inks are specifically created to decorate wood naturally with inkjet printing since they integrate with the material, respecting the nobility and warmth of the wood, according to EFI.
Looking to maintain color consistency, while eliminating downtime, was one of the main reasons Concord Flooring turned to EFI Cubik. Digital printing technology replaces the analog technology traditionally used to stain wood boards and veneers. Commonly found in manufacturers’ facilities like Concord Flooring are ink mix stocks and master pieces. Using digital technologies means these are no longer needed, as inkjet guarantees color consistency. In addition, digital staining with mineral inks enables a greater range of tones.
“The EFI Cubik, with its Fiery digital front end, is able to automatically adjust color based on specifications, taking into account the color of the wood. Wood, of course, is a natural product whose color varies from tree to tree. Also, this automated color management enables us to switch colors quickly as we move from project to project,” shares Sylvia Bulanek, marketing director, Concord Flooring.
The EFI Cubik single-pass inkjet printer, which is available in 27.6- and 55-inch printing widths, is capable of decorating and staining boards and planks up to 1.18 inches thick. Available with optional vacuum transport and printing speed up to 164 linear feet per minute, combined with EFI’s Mineral Inks, it’s a powerful, efficient, and high-quality solution for modern wood decoration. The mineral inks are ideal for staining hardwood, veneers, and plywood, and do not need priming prior to inkjet printing.
According to Bulanek digital printing affords Concord Flooring the opportunity to use different types of wood to achieve the same visual outcome. One example is using different oak woods. “French oak and American oak are two very different woods from different continents. French oak is more white, and American oak is more red. But with the EFI Cubik, we can use either one to achieve the same outcome. And for us, using American wood is more sustainable since it ships from within the U.S. Plus, the inks allow you to really see the beautiful grain in the wood, especially when we use a super matte industrial-grade durable wood finish.”
At Concord Flooring, the wood exits the EFI Cubik ready for post-processing and shipping. This is achieved via a series of finishing stations connected by conveyors. There is no waste and no downtime between job lots. In addition, the automated factory requires very few employees, making it easier to deliver a high-quality product at a competitive price. The full capacity of the factory is 80,000 square feet per day.
Implementing a digital production process at Concord Flooring allows the company to deliver superior products in weeks as opposed to months.
Jan2024, Industrial Print Magazine