Swedish Välinge Innovation is well known for having an innovative mindset and for continuously leading technological developments within the flooring industry. The company’s latest installation technology—PRO—increases both strength and durability of all resilient floors.
At the beginning of this year, Välinge successfully launched its PRO performance concept, first at Domotex Hannover in January and then at TISE in Las Vegas in February. At both events, it drew much attention, making it evident that this new and improved locking technology is just what resilient flooring producers have been looking for.
“We are very confident in the technology, and we know it will help solve several problems resilient flooring producers are experiencing but still, it’s incredible to see the great interest in such a short amount of time,” said Laetitia Kimblad, floor locking director at Välinge.
For resilient products such as LVT, SPC and WPC to be as strong and durable as they are designed to be, the installation system needs to be well-adapted. Both flooring manufacturers and customers have experienced issues related to the longevity and locking strength of the new generation of resilient products. Välinge’s new PRO technology successfully solves these problems by ensuring the vertical connections are up to 2x stronger and significantly increase durability. The upgraded installation technology, available for angling, push-down and fold-down installations, will benefit the whole flooring segment.
The new-and-improved long-side profile can be combined with the 5G-i Push Down to enhance the results of its reliable push-down installations, with the well-known 5G Fold Down to further improve its advantages, or with the 2G profile for robust angling installations.
“5G Fold Down is known worldwide for being the easiest and most reliable installation system,” Kimblad said. “5G PRO further enhances these features by being optimized to perfectly suit the needs of resilient products for increased locking strength and longevity, and 5G-i PRO contributes the same features for push-down installations.”
The upgraded profile is optimized to increase the strength and longevity of resilient products without manufacturers having to alter product design, material or production. Vertical Load tests show that flooring as thin as 3.5mm doubles its locking strength when using the upgraded long-side profile compared to other locking technologies.
Castor chair tests show that resilient flooring using Välinge’s PRO technology can withstand up to 3x as many revolutions as the same product equipped with a traditional system. The improved quality allows products to handle heavier traffic, which can lead to existing products reaching Class 31 and Class 32 standards simply by changing the installation system.
“In addition to getting stronger and more durable products, the ease of implementation is a contributing factor to PRO’s immediate success,” Kimblad explained. “For manufacturers who already use one of our installation systems, only minor adjustments to profile and setup are required.”
The new technologies, 2G PRO, 5G-i PRO and 5G PRO, contribute to improvements for resilient floors and are ideal solutions for flooring manufacturers interested in offering easy-to-install, long-lasting products. Therefore, Välinge already has several customers ready to sign license agreements for the new PRO technology.