Adligenswil, Switzerland, October 2022 – As a major manufacturer of polyolefin-based underlays, Sekisui Alveo is at the forefront of market developments. Our underlays are well established in the market and  are known for precision and the highest quality standards. We follow the market needs and provide our customers with the best solutions.

Sekisui Alveo foams have been at the forefront of polyolefin-based foams for 50 years; represented in a wide variety of markets, across industries.

With a new line of High-Performance Polyolefin flooring underlays, Sekisui Alveo brings together the acoustic benefits of PE underlays with high strength, dynamic load capacity and tolerance to elevated temperatures.

The products are suitable for direct lamination at the flooring manufacturer or are available in rolls for floating installation of parquet, laminate or modular multi-layer flooring.

Application service laboratory as key position

A key position in the development process is held by the efficient application service laboratory. Here, effects, influencing factors and limits are investigated that affect the performance and service life of our installation underlays. The knowledge gained supports the ongoing development of our products and forms the basis for new products. At the same time, we are able to support our customers directly and efficiently in many application-related questions.

The greatest benefit for the subsequent user results from tailor-made components. Often during the development of a floor covering, initial system tests are carried out with various substrates. Finetuning in combination with long-term tests completes the information and leads to ideal solutions.

Application-oriented system tests

Although most tests are carried out according to internationally established standards, new test situations and facilities are always needed to investigate the behavior of flooring systems in a practical way.

One example is the investigation of heat-induced expansion, which focuses on the effects of excessive heating due to solar radiation. On a test area of about 3m² the behaviour when heated by IR emitters is investigated. With unfavourable combinations, deformations (bulges, waves, lifting edges, etc.) are already visible in the temperature range between 40°C and 50°C. The deformation of the floor system is also visible. In comparison, floor systems with underlays from the new product series remain flat up to high temperatures. Our practical tests show that with selected floor systems (heat-sensitive, flexible Click LVT, 4.5mm, basis weight 7.7kg/m²) in combination with High-Performance PE underlays 1mm below 70°C (average surface temperature test area) no disturbing effects such as unevenness or waves occur.

We reach peak temperatures above 80°C at which no relevant dimensional changes occur.

Environmental advantages of SEKISUI ALVEO underlays

In addition to increased temperature tolerance, the new High-Performance underlays have a number of environmental advantages:

•      they are made of environmentally friendly materials

•      they are non-toxic and not subject to labelling, free of plasticizers

•      they are durable

•      they are lightweight, which facilitates installation and saves energy during transport

•      they are Made in Europe, manufactured in Germany and the Netherlands in compliance with high environmental standards

•      most of them are recyclable

•      some underlays are available as sustainable products according to ISCC PLUS standard

In the ISCC PLUS variant according to the mass balance approach, the polymers are made from renewable raw materials. As biological waste materials, these renewable raw materials do not compete with food and would be incinerated if not processed into polymers. By using these raw materials to manufacture our durable Alveocel floor underlays, which can be 100% recycled at the end of their service life, we are making an active contribution to saving resources and improving the sustainability of our products.

Combining good things - For the best solutions

The diversity of floor systems offers challenges and opportunities. Coordinated components help the system to perform well. Not only the values measured initially, but also the long-term view should be convincing. Durability in particular is a winning argument for polyolefin underlays.