Having been involved in flat lamination machines and coating machines for over a decade, I often receive the same question from customers: "With so many materials available on the market, which one should I choose?"
Today, let's discuss this topic, especially the increasingly popular PET material and the PVC that we have been using.
What are the differences between the flat-lamination machine and the covering machine?
Let's briefly introduce these two devices.
The flat-lamination machine is mainly used to attach various decorative materials to the flat surface of the board. For example, attaching decorative paper, PVC film, and PET film to the surface of density board or multi-layer board.
While the covering machine is more "three-dimensional". It can cover the edges and irregular surfaces of the board with decorative materials, making the furniture and door/window frames have a stronger overall sense.
In actual production, many factories use two machines in combination - the flatting machine handles the large surfaces, while the covering machine deals with the edges and corners. Only in this way can the final product be complete.
PVC Material: Mature and stable, with high cost-effectivenes
PVC is one of the most commonly used materials for flat laminating machines and wrapping machines. After so many years of development, the technology has become very mature.
The advantage of PVC is its good flexibility. When the wrapping machine handles curved and irregular surfaces, the PVC film is less likely to crack.
Moreover, PVC has a wide variety of colors and is affordable, so it is widely used in ordinary home decoration and industrial construction projects.
However, PVC also has its drawbacks.
For instance, its surface hardness is generally not high, and its wear resistance is inferior to that of some high-end materials.
Additionally, some low-quality PVC may have issues with weather resistance, and over time, it is prone to discoloration.
Therefore, in recent years, more and more customers have begun to inquire about PET materials.
PET Material: An Upgrade in Environmental Friendliness and Texture
PET has become the most discussed material in the flat laminating machines and coating machines industry in the past two or three years.
Its greatest advantage is environmental friendliness - no plasticizers are added during the production process, and the finished product has no odor, which is very appealing to current consumers.
In addition, PET has high surface hardness, is scratch-resistant, and has excellent texture. It is matte and has a skin-like feel. The texture of the boards made of PET is significantly better than that of ordinary PVC.
However, there is one point to note when using PET on the coating machine: PET is less flexible than PVC.
If the curvature of the sheet is too large, or if the temperature and pressure settings of the coating machine are not properly adjusted, the PET film is prone to rebounding and blistering.
This is not because the material is bad, but because higher requirements are imposed on the equipment's calibration.
When we provide training to customers, we always specifically explain how to adjust the process parameters for PET coating.
Some suggestions for combining flat lamination machines and coating machines with PET/PVC
Over the years of experience, my conclusion is: There is no absolute good or bad. The key lies in your product positioning and customer needs.
If your order mainly involves industrial-style or economical home decoration, the combination of flat-laying machine and covering machine with PVC materials is highly efficient and cost-effective.
PVC is mature and stable, and it's easy for workers to master. The equipment maintenance is also simple.
If your clients have high requirements for environmental protection and surface texture, such as for high-end full-home customization or commercial spaces, then PET is a better choice.
Using flat PET for the main surface of the door panel and applying PET to cover the same color frame, the resulting product will have excellent overall quality and a high-end feel.
However, be prepared that PET has higher requirements for the cleanliness and temperature control accuracy of the flat-laying machine and the covering machine. You will need to spend time debugging in the early stage.
