The sustainable alternative for thermoplastic flooring

Liteback® is a core technology for thermoplastic flooring, i.e. LVT/SPC & WPC, that opens up opportunities to reduce raw material consumption during production and to make transportation more efficient.

Features & benefits

• Makes floors up to 20% lighter
• Contributes to more sustainable transportation
• More efficient use of raw materials

How does it work?

By using a grooving unit, grooves are milled on the backside of the floorboard. The grooving unit can be integrated in the regular production process thereby eliminating the need for extra handling of the panels. The material that is removed in the process is recycled back into the production process, thereby reducing material consumption with up to 20%.

Reduces product weight

The technology involves the removal of material from the core, thereby reducing the weight of the final product with up to 20%. All handling of the product thus becomes easier and more efficient: from delivery out of the production unit to the
handling of the products at the time of purchase and during installation by the final user.

With lighter products, every shipping container can be filled with more square meters of flooring, in turn saving the environment by reducing the number of required transports.

Provides same product quality

Besides long-term testing in a heavy traffic production environment, we have successfully conducted several standard tests to ensure that
Liteback® provides all the benefits while maintaining product appearance and quality.

Castor Chair

• Standard castor chair test 25,000 revolutions (EN 425:2002)
• Standard + elevated temperature (50°C)
• Standard + uneven subfloor; cavities
• Standard + uneven subfloor; protrusions

Result: No visible trace of the cavities

Aging process

• Test 1: 6 hours, 80°C
• Test 2: 6 hours, 70°C
• Test 3: 2 months, cycling 23°C to 50°C

Result: No visible trace of the cavities

Real-life testing

• Hallway installation, high traffic area (>72 months)
• Electrical floor heating test (30 months)
• Workshop entrance, high traffic, heavy loads (28 months)

Result: No visible trace of the cavities

Grooving unit

The grooving unit used for the milling operation has been jointly developed by HOMAG and Välinge.

Specifications

Speed: Up to 100 m/min
Cutting depth: 0-4 mm
Installation: Inline or standalone
Product width: Up to 400 mm
Product thickness: 3-8 mm