Fusion-bonded carpet: cut pile yarn set into a PVC adhesive layer (Debron, Kidderminster; US rights to Milliken 1969)
Research finding · not yet checked at the source
- Made by
- Debron division, Carpet Manufacturing Co. (later Carpets International)
- Date
- by 1969
- Place
- Kidderminster, England; LaGrange, Georgia
- Materials
- PVC plastisol, glass-fibre scrim, nylon pile
- Themes
- Rug-making techniques, Tools & equipment
Cite this source
Research notes
How it works: pile is not woven or tufted. In the U-bond method a pleated layer of yarn has its folds pressed into adhesive on a backing sheet on both sides, and the sandwich is cut through the middle to make two carpets of cut pile set in adhesive. In I-bond, short cut lengths stand on end in the adhesive. The usual adhesive is PVC plastisol, heated to gel and fuse, or a hot-melt. Glass-fibre scrim and fleece stabilise the product, which can be cut into tiles (US patents 5616200, 6089007). History: Floor Daily credits the process to the Debron division of the Carpet Manufacturing Company in England. An Interface blog calls Kidderminster the birthplace of the Debron technology used in the earliest fusion-bonded carpet tile. Encyclopedia.com says Milliken bought US rights in July 1969 on Ray Anderson's advice. Grace's Guide says Carpets International was formed in 1969 by merging John Crossley-Carpet Trades Holdings and the Carpet Manufacturing Co. Anderson saw the process at CI and founded the CI-Georgia joint venture (later Interface) in 1973 (already in repo under co-milliken). The exact invention date was not found. Sources: https://floordaily.net/floorfocus/carpet-tile-50-years-later-augsep-2007/ · https://blog.interface.com/50-years-of-history-past-forward · https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences-and-law/economics-business-and-labor/businesses-and-occupations/interface-inc · https://gracesguide.co.uk/Kosset_Carpets · https://patents.justia.com/patent/5616200 Research note (Oct 2026): from search results; pages not opened.