Method for recycling floor coverings
AssigneeDZS Inc.
InventorDimitri Peter Zafiroglu
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention concerns a method for recycling used floor covering. Post-consumer or post-industrial fibrous floor coverings are shredded to form a fibrous dispersion. The dispersion is maintained at a content of about 20-65% low-melt thermoplastic. The shredded fibrous dispersion is conveyed into a chute feeder which converts it into a batt that is heated, compressed, and cooled to form a durable backing particularly suitable for flooring applications. The batt comprises vertical layers or strata of fibers to provide additional cushion for the backing. Additionally, a portion of the shredded fibrous dispersion can also be diverted and used to form a face layer and/or adhesive layer for a reconstituted floor covering.
Claims38
A process for forming a portion of a surface covering comprising the steps of:
- (a) conveying a dispersion of low-melt thermoplastic components and high-melt thermoplastic components into a chute feeder, wherein the low-melt thermoplastic component has a melting temperature of at least about 20° C. below melting temperatures for the high-melt thermoplastic components;
- (b) maintaining about 20% to about 65% of the dispersion as the low-melt thermoplastic components;
- (c) forming a batt with the dispersion;
- (d) applying heat from above or below the batt, wherein the heat temperature is below the melting temperatures for high-melting components;
- (e) applying pressure to the batt to compact the batt to form a sheet;
- and
- (f) cooling the sheet, wherein before the step (a) the dispersion is produced by shredding a fibrous floor covering, wherein between steps (c) and (d), the batt is again shredded and then conveyed into a second chute feeder to form a second batt.
A process for forming a portion of a surface covering comprising the steps of:
- (a) conveying a dispersion of low-melt thermoplastic components and high-melt thermoplastic components into a chute feeder, wherein the low-melt thermoplastic component has a melting temperature of at least about 20° C. below melting temperatures for the high-melt thermoplastic components;
- (b) maintaining about 20% to about 65% of the dispersion as the low-melt thermoplastic components by the step of adding low-melt or high-melt thermoplastic material to the dispersion;
- (c) forming a batt with the dispersion;
- (d) applying heat from above or below the batt, wherein the heat temperature is below the melting temperatures for high-melt components;
- (e) applying pressure to the batt to compact the batt to form a sheet;
- and
- (f) cooling the sheet.
A process for forming a portion of a surface covering comprising the steps of:
- (a) conveying a dispersion of low-melt thermoplastic components and high-melt thermoplastic components into a chute feeder, wherein the low-melt thermoplastic component has a melting temperature of at least about 20° C. below melting temperatures for the high-melt thermoplastic components;
- (b) maintaining about 20% to about 65% of the dispersion as the low-melt thermoplastic components;
- (c) forming a batt with the dispersion;
- (d) applying heat from above or below the batt, wherein the heat temperature is below the melting temperatures for high-melt components;
- (e) applying pressure to the batt to compact the batt to form a sheet;
- and
- (f) cooling the sheet,
- wherein the dispersion comprises relatively short fibers and thermoplastic binder particles, wherein before step (a) some of the relatively short fibers and thermoplastic binder particles are filtered out of the dispersion, and wherein after step (c) the filtered fibers and thermoplastic binder particles are deposited over the batt.
A process for forming a portion of a surface covering comprising the steps of:
- (a) conveying a dispersion of low-melt thermoplastic components and high-melt thermoplastic components into a chute feeder, wherein the low-melt thermoplastic component has a melting temperature of at least about 20° C. below melting temperatures for the high-melt thermoplastic components;
- (b) maintaining about 20% to about 65% of the dispersion as the low-melt thermoplastic components;
- (c) forming a batt with the dispersion;
- (d) applying heat from above or below the batt, wherein the heat temperature is below the melting temperatures for high-melt components;
- (e) applying pressure to the batt to compact the batt to form a sheet;
- and
- (f) cooling the sheet,
- wherein the thermoplastic components comprise fibers and the dispersion are arranged into a plurality of strata of fibers.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.