How to make LVT flooring? Elucidation of hot press/extrusion process.

We noticed that some passages(probably written with AI)are mixing the notion of hot press and extrusion production together and thus might lead to many misunderstandings.

This passage aims to provide an easy explanation of 2 mainly applied method of LVT flooring production.

Despite "Hot Press" and "Co-extrusion" represents two main methods of LVT flooring production, co-extrusion itself barely stands for a process to make the vinyl core layer.

Co-extrusion production

During the co-extrusion process, the heated materials in semi-fluid form will go through a panel-shaped exit, and cool down to be a continuous sheet of vinyl flooring core.

After the extrusion process, vinyl core that took shape would further go through rollers, to attach different function layers -- decor layer, wear layer, ... to the vinyl core. Leading manufacturers would employ customized machine, which includes many different rollers to reach the best laminating effect.

Hot press production

Things take place very differently when it comes to the hot press production process: you see there being a lot many machines lined up in the workshop, workers putting layers after layers on a platform. When all layers are placed, the materials will go through a heat presser, where all involved layers are combined together.

Below are the advantages and disadvantages of this two process:

【Advantages of the Hot Press / Hydraulic Press Process】

• Manual operation / manual control

• The layer arrangement can be adjusted flexibly at any time, allowing for the production of more distinctive LVT products (e.g., incorporating a glass fiber layer)

• Compared with the extrusion process, it is believed that LVT flooring produced by this method offers better dimensional stability and stronger interlayer adhesion.

【Disadvantages of the Hot Press / Hydraulic Press Process】

• Higher cost

• High labor demand and low efficiency

• Possible errors due to manual handling

• Raw materials need to be pre‑cut into smaller sizes

【Advantages of the Extrusion Process】

• Continuous, high‑efficiency operation

• Materials are mixed and then directly extruded

【Disadvantages of the Extrusion Process】

• It is difficult to stop production or switch product types at short notice

• The structure is relatively fixed, and the overall strength largely depends on the core material's strength; it is not possible to optimize structural strength by replacing individual layers