Impressions - June/July 2014 - 69

This image shows a powder adhesive
applicator and custom ﬂock screen printing
machine with a humidiﬁer attached for printing
water-based adhesives.

FiberLok Inc., Fort Collins, Colo., is the
exclusive North American licensed manufacturer of the Lextra brand ﬂock transfer
that has taken these products to a new level with multicolor, microﬁber heat transfer
graphics. Lextra transfers are created using
dyed nylon ﬁbers instead of printed rayon.
This inkless process allows brilliant color,
durability, soft texture and ﬁne detail. Lextra is used in the fashion, uniform and promotional markets for apparel, towels, hats,
bags and ﬂeece.
"When a decorator chooses to decorate
garments with ﬂock transfers, he is less
likely to be knocked off by competitors
since the process is more exclusive," says
Brown Abrams, owner, FiberLok. "And this

the ﬁbers in the adhesive. This process is
repeated for each subsequent color and
the ﬁnished ﬂocked garment is then cured
in a textile dryer with hot convection air.
The result is a plush, 3-D design.
For smaller screen printing shops that
don't have a ﬂock attachment for their
presses, it's possible to use a hand-held
(wand) ﬂock applicator. This works similar to a large salt shaker, as the applicator distributes the ﬁbers over the printed
adhesive and the unit provides it's own
electrostatic charge.
Without the electrostatic charge from
the wand, the ﬁbers will randomly drop
into the adhesive - most of them lying horizontally or clumped together in
random patterns. The electrostatic ﬁeld
charges the ﬁbers and makes them stand
on end similar to the way a balloon makes
the hair on a person's head stand on end
when the balloon is rubbed against it.

PROCESS: FLOCK TRANSFERS
Some decorators prefer ﬂock transfers
to direct ﬂocking because it's less messy
and all that is needed is a heat press to apply the transfer. Since these transfers are
labor intensive to make, most garment
decorators purchase them from a company
that specializes in the process.
impressionsmag.com

Chris Blancho is the owner of New
World Graphix, Fort Scott, Kan., a company whose primary focus is ﬂock
transfer production. He says his ﬂock
business is growing in several market sectors, including the work and school uniform, and moisture-wicking performance
apparel niches. The performancewear
ﬂock transfers he makes are made with a
high-elongation adhesive to allow graphics
to stretch with the garments. In addition,
ﬂock transfers provide an upscale look
that will not bleed when heat printed onto
polyester-based materials.
Experienced screen printers have the
option of printing ﬂock transfers themselves; however, the process requires controlling many variables, including squeegee
pressure, adhesive viscosity, room humidity, application of powder adhesive, proper
curing and brushing of the ﬁnal transfer
before application.
If the adhesive is screen printed with
too much squeegee pressure, it will be
driven deep into the paper carrier sheet,
causing the ﬂock to have a poor release
when heat applied to the garment. New
World Graphix uses a custom printer designed speciﬁcally to shear the adhesive on
the surface of the ﬂocked transfer paper.
Another option is Lextra ﬂock transfers.

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Impressions - June/July 2014

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