Beater bar/gravity method

Flocking material is sprayed using an air compressor, reservoir, and a spray gun similar to the spray painting. It is primarily used when large areas require flocking. It is an untidy process, because some of the flocking fibers become air borne. Flocking is also applied by printing an adhesive on to a substrate, and then rapidly vibrating substrate mechanically, while the flock fibers are dispensed over the surface.

The vibration increases the density of fibers. This is critical to good fiber coating, and causes the flocking fibers to adhere to the adhesive pack into a layer. This process is called beater bar or gravity flocking system and is basically a mechanical process. With this process the flocking fibers are randomly adhered to the surface of the substrate, and each fiber adheres to the adhesive at a different depth, creating an irregular flocked surface. Since the fibers adhere to the surface of adhesive, rather than penetrate or imbed in it, some fiber shedding occurs. Loose flocking fibers generated during production also have a tendency to migrate, so many of these systems are installed in a separate area to prevent fiber contamination of the factory.