Flock is short cut fibers. Usually less than 6mm in length.
Flocking is the coating of the flock fibers on a surface or substrate. This could be an object such as a hanger or glove box. In our case we coat these on rolled goods – textiles, non wovens, films, foam, etc. The fibers are held to the surface using an adhesive. These fibers are applied mechanically or electrostatically.
Flock fibers can be applied using electrostatic energy. The energy can be applied using a AC or DC power supply. Each source has their advantage. At Spectro, we mainly use AC power, but also have the capability to flock using DC power.
- Fibers are defined by their diameter and length. The diameter is the measured in denier or dtex. The length is defined in mm or thousandths of an inch.
- Diameter – grams per 9000 meters
- Dtex – grams per 1000 meters
- Precision flock is cut from continuous filaments. These filaments are usually synthetic or man made cellulosic fibers like viscose.
- Some of the common types of fibers we cut are Nylon, Polyester, Viscose Rayon, Acrylic and Polypropylene.
- We can cut natural fibers, but this would have a random length, i.e. cotton fibers.
Adhesives are anything that allow the fibers to attach to the surface of the substrate. The goal is to make sure the product passes the end specifications. In some applications this could mean that the fibers don’t need to anchor well to the adhesive, and in other cases the overall product needs to be washable or have some other quality specifications.
We can process out to 72 inches in some cases. We would need to evaluate the substrate. The minimum width is basically down to 12 inches, but usually this is cost prohibitive.
While our specialty is flock coating, we are capable of a lot more. We coat glitters, water based coatings and other specialty materials. We have unique drying capabilities that allows us to handle most rolled goods and allow us long dwell times. This allows us to apply high coat weights efficiently and cost effectively.
- We like to say – “If it’s in a Roll, We can Coat it”
- Check out our capabilities page to learn more
No…we supply fibers for a variety of industries. This includes paper, filtration, battery pastings, rubber reinforcement, medical, automotive, cosmetics, composites, object flocking. We can customize the fibers for your process and application.