Tufted carpet is manufactured on a machine likened to a giant sewing machine, but with more than 1,200 needles rather than just one. Each of these needles is threaded with a colour and stitched into a pre-made primary backing. The “face” loops of each tuft can be left un-cut to create a loop pile carpet or sheared to create a cut pile carpet, patterning is achieved by shifting the needles side-to-side in sequence. A secondary backing is stuck to provide additional stability and comfort. Graphics tufted carpet provides excellent value but limited design options, with only simple designs possible.
Colortec and Tapistron is essentially a tufted product and has the same strengths and weaknesses of construction. They can be produced with up to 7 colours and have a good ‘simulation’ of a woven product as they use the same type of pre-dyed woollen yarns as woven carpets.
Colortec carpets are manufactured with modern, fast tufting technology. Colortec is, compared to woven carpets, a high output production. Designs can lack clarity compared to a woven Axminster and due to a lack of a warp and weft can be difficult to pattern match.
The Design is applied onto the surface of the a plain white and sometimes textured tufted substrate through inkjets and has all the same strengths and weaknesses of the tufted construction. There are two main inkjet processes; Chromajet and Millitron which can create unlimited design repeats but is limited to 12 colours in total. It is a more cost-effective solution for creating patterned floor covering but can result in ‘chalkiness’, ‘blurring/bleeding’ or ‘haloed’ effects around the edges of the colour
The penetration of dyes do not go fully to the backing and the appearance Retention is not as good as woven Axminster.
Carpet tiles provide a flexible flooring layout with various square sizes and plank shapes available, thus reducing carpet waste compared to a broadloom product. Easy and quick installation, with the ability to replace damaged or soiled tiles. Suitable for raised access floor systems.
Available in tufted, printed, and Axminster specifications, different textures available