Välinge locking system in LVT

Luxury Vinyl Tiles with locking system was explored by Välinge already 10 years ago. This segment has now grown significantly.

Luxury Vinyl Tiles, LVT, has been growing in popularity over the past years. Välinge started to explore this product segment already 10 years ago and focused on resilient surfaces on top of separate core materials, such as HDF, as well as on all types on product build up taking advantage of characteristics the resilient surface layers offers.

Product features
Välinge's LVT locking system has a profile designed to be robust both in terms of manufacturing and locking strength.
The material does not suffer from the dimensional changes due to humidity as wood based products, but are affected by temperatures by expansion and being softened at elevated temperatures, meaning the locking strength can be reduced by 50 % already at temperatures of 10°C over normal room temperatures. This means that sufficient strength has to be achieved also at these temperatures to manage normal use.

Pulling strength tests made on reference material bought on the open market show that a Välinge locking system in the same raw material, in general have better properties.



Graphical presentation over three reference materials and comparison after being re-profiled with a Välinge locking system.


Installation
The well known angle-angle installation method offers a vertical and horizontal locking that secure a durable floor. Reference materials tested that use various vertical installation methods has failed in tests already below 20 kg vertical load near the joint.


Patent situation
Besides the extensive patent portfolio for various locking systems, Välinge hold also patents related to products and processes.

One example is the patent family referred to as VA12, based on a Välinge PCT Application WO 03/012224 with priority from July 2001, which discloses floorboards with a resilient plastic surface with a resilient core as well as with an HDF core. The patent family includes i.a. pending European and US applications, as well as registered German utility model No. 20222019.2, branched from a pending European application.

US 8,293,058, which is relevant for production of for example Vinyl Planks & Tiles, and Luxury Vinyl Tiles, LVT, was recently issued by USPTO. The patent has priority from 2004.

For more information, see also:
- Info re patents and technology related to floating floors with Vinyl surfaces
- Välinge first to patent LVT
- Välinge presents new locking technology for LVT
- Välinge IP related to LVT and resilient surfaces.
- Välinge and Mannington signs cross-license agreement for LVT locking technology
- US 8,293,058 issued relating to material savings of surface layer


Välinge licensees with LVT products, or products utilizing a resilient vinyl surface, are:
- Taizhou Huali Plastics Co., Ltd, China
- KDF Co., Ltd, Korea
- Shanghai Allsun Wood Industry Co., Ltd , China
- Baroque Timber (Zhongshan) Co., Ltd, China
- Chinafloors Holding Ltd., China
- Amorim, Portugal
- Jiangsu Senmao Bamboo & Wood Industry Co., Ltd, China
- Handsome Plastic Co., Ltd, Taiwan/Shanghai Changlong Plastic Co., Ltd, China
- Guang Dong Fu Lin Timber Technology Co., Ltd, China
- etc.

For the complete list of Välinge licensees, see www.valinge.se/licensees