Painters and decorators are set to benefit from a new seamless knitting innovation after a US based high-pile circular knitter won an award for developing and manufacturing a seamlessly knitted collapsible paint roller which is said to be superior to existing products already in the market.

Monterey Mills Inc. of Janesville, Wisconsin was awarded the William Cordes Innovation Award by the American Brush Manufacturers Association (ABMA) for its sliver knitted innovation which is creating strong interest with leading paint roller manufacturers.

Okay, so it might not be in the same league from a knitting complexity point of view as a Nike Flyknit running shoe, a Shima Seiki Wholegarment or a Santoni seamless high-tech base layer – but Monterey’s seamless roller is nevertheless an innovative piece of knitting which has been awarded a number of patents and which looks set to make its developer some decent profits whilst bringing real benefits to users.

Monterey Mills says paint rollers have been manufactured in much the same way since the 1940s – and President, Dan Sinykin contends the company’s Seamless innovation will set the paint roller on a new and improved course.

"The economic slowdown of the past few years led us to look inward to reassess our resources and opportunities," explained Sinykin. "As the leading supplier of fabric to the paint roller industry in the U.S., Monterey Mills set out to accomplish innovation in the sector we know best."

"Now, with an economic recovery in sight, Monterey Mills is well positioned to introduce an innovative process and fabric alternative to our long-term customers, whose expertise in paint roller manufacturing will bring our product to the next level and ultimately to the consumer,” said Sinykin.

“Monterey was determined to find a less expensive method, one that could transform the industry. Our goal was to create a method that could reduce the cost of a paint roller by $.05 to $.10 per cover and to improve the cover’s overall performance. We believe we have succeeded with Seamless and our paint roller innovation has yielded fifteen utility patents.”

Benefits

Monterey’s product is a novel way to provide fabric for paint rollers which provides fabric in a sock form, rather than supplying fabric which is slit to the desired width and helically wound around a core to make a paint roller. The tube is close in size to a paint roller and is said to provide numerous benefits compared to traditional fabric covered rollers.

Fabric costs are said to be dramatically lower as the tubular technology eliminates several finishing processes in manufacturing the fabric and the core materials used are less expensive than those traditionally used as well as being 100% recyclable. According to Monterey, its Seamless technology also eliminates common defects such as dog-ears, gaps and overlaps and labour savings are made in both the fabric manufacturing process and in roller manufacturing.

Performance is also said to be improved because the elimination of the seam in the paint roller will reduce shedding in the cover and adjusting fibre orientation perpendicular to the core will increase pick-up and release, in much the same way a sheepskin cover performs.

Other claimed benefits are ease of use and flexibility, as the Seamless cover can be placed on traditional cores or cores made from a range of new materials. Because the Monterey innovation is collapsible, storage and shipping costs can also be reduced.

“The William Cordes Innovation Award recognizes that all new and exciting endeavours have beginnings that connect with real people. The seamless, collapsible paint roller developed by Monterey Mills exemplifies the type of innovation that can have a unique impact on our industry and consumers seeking new and more efficient ways to get a job done,” said David Parr, of the American Brush Manufacturers Association.

Established in 1946, Monterey Mills is the largest high-pile knitting manufacturer in North America and supplies fabric to a variety of industries such as apparel, stuffed animals, pet, medical, automotive aftermarket, and produces the Denali Home Furnishing and Tout USA collections of luxurious throws and bedding.

The company ships to more than a dozen countries worldwide and domestically sells to companies such as Vermont Teddy Bear, Harley-Davidson Motor Company, The Walt Disney Company, and to nearly every paint roller manufacturer in the United States.

“Monterey Mills has earned distinction as an industry leader and expert in the invention and production of specialty fabrics to maximize pick-up and release of oil and latex-based paint products. It has also been recognized for its innovative work with specialty fabrics designed to remove contaminants from water, which have been EPA-approved to clean up oil,” the company concludes.

www.montereymills.com