A paint roller frame and cage assembly and method of manufacturing includes providing an assembly having a handle and a shaft extending from the handle, and forming a unitary cage having a radially outward surface for supporting a roller cover. The cage includes a first cavity located at an end of the cage proximate the handle and a second cavity located at an opposite end of the cage. Each cavity is defined within the radially outward surface and has a radially opening slot. A cover retainer is receivable through a first slot and into the first cavity. The cover retainer includes radially extending fingers that extend through the slot to engage an inner diameter of the roller cover and secure the cover to the cage. A fastener is receivable through a second slot and into the second cavity to hold the cage on the shaft.

A method of making a paint roller cover includes feeding a single strip of polypropylene, by a core material strip feeder, onto a mandrel; heating the single strip of polypropylene, by a heater, before the single strip of polypropylene is wound about the mandrel; and overlapping edges of the single strip of polypropylene as the single strip of polypropylene is wound about the mandrel so that the overlapped edges fuse together. The method also includes applying an adhesive, by an adhesive applicator, to an outer surface of the single strip of polypropylene; and feeding a strip of fabric cover material, by a fabric cover strip feeder, about the mandrel and onto the outer surface of the single strip of polypropylene.

A method of uniformly applying multicolor paint which comprises two or more paints of different colors in discrete domains. The method includes applying the multicolor paint to a paint roller cover and rolling the paint roller cover on a surface to form a painted surface. The paint roller cover comprises a foam having a surface extending between a first edge and a second edge and a groove on the surface wherein a portion of the groove is positioned at an angle relative to an edge of the foam and has a groove depth of 1 to 15 millimeters and an average cell size in the range of about 0.03 to about 0.5 cm, wherein the average cell size of the foam is within 25% of the average domain size in the multicolor paint.

In an embodiment, a paint roller manufacturing system and method uses a fabric-coating applicator to apply a fabric adhesive onto a portion of a perforated paint roller cover fabric material having a plurality of perforations through which adhesive may flow, and into the plurality of perforations and into interstitial spaces of the fabric material, to yield a length of coated fabric. An inner strip and an outer strip are wound about a mandrel in offset relation. A strip-coating applicator is used to apply a strip adhesive to the outer strip as it is wound about the mandrel. Simultaneously with the step of applying the strip adhesive to the outer strip, a portion of the coated paint roller fabric material is received at the outer strip and the length of coated fabric is wound about at least the outer strip to form a paint roller tube.

A paint roller manufacturing system includes a cover dispenser for continuously dispensing a windable width of paint roller cover fabric, a fabric supporting and advancing device for supporting the fabric and maintaining a width-wise dimension of the paint roller cover fabric as the fabric advances, a fabric coating applicator for applying a coating to the back side of the paint roller cover fabric while the fabric supporting and advancing device maintains the fabric in a width-wise dimension, and a compressing roller positioned downstream of the fabric coating applicator and configured to apply a compressive force on the coating after it has been applied to the back side of the paint roller cover fabric and while the fabric is supported by the fabric supporting and advancing device. In two-strip embodiments, first and second strip dispensers continuously dispense a first and second windable width of strip material. A guide system guides the first and second strip coming from the first and second strip dispensers to be wound about a mandrel and guides the coated paint roller cover fabric from the fabric supporting device to be wound about the first and second strips. An adhesive applicator is configured to apply adhesive on substantially all of the outer side of the first and second windable strips and positioned to apply adhesive to the outer side of the first and second windable strips upstream of a location where the coated paint roller cover fabric is wound about the first and second strips.

A fiber structure 5 for a paint roller, which is wound around a roller core, having a ground weave 8; and a pile portion 9 standing from one side of the ground weave. The pile portion 9 includes covered yarn 10 that is formed by winding sheath yarns 12, 13 around a core thread 11, in order to enhance the stiffness of the pile portion 9.

An exemplary coating applicator is provided for evenly applying a material having an aggregate to a substrate. The exemplary applicator provides for a generally even distribution of the material and the aggregate the coating material to the surface such as a wall or a floor where it is desirable to have a finished, textured surface and a material having an evenly distributed aggregate.

A roller cover and associated pair of cams attachable to opposite ends of the roller cover. Each of the cams has an outer diameter extending radially outwardly beyond an outer diameter of the roller cover a predetermined distance for maintaining the outer diameter of the roller cover a corresponding distance from the surface being coated during rotational movement of the roller cover over the surface to act as a thickness gauge for the coating being applied to the surface.

A method of manufacturing paint roller covers is disclosed in which the paint roller covers are manufactured from a seamless segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric that is placed onto a cylindrical forming tube having a segment of bonding material temporarily secured on its outer surface under the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric. The cylindrical forming tube is placed on a heated mandrel to apply heat thereto to cause the bonding material to bond to the interior of the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric. The cylindrical forming tube is removed from the mandrel and cooled, and the segment of tubular paint roller cover fabric becomes secured to the bonding material to produce a semi-rigid paint roller cover segment. The semi-rigid paint roller cover segment may be finished into paint roller covers by cutting it into appropriately sized segments, combing and shearing the pile fabric to a desired length, beveling the edges of the paint roller covers, and vacuuming stray fibers from the paint roller covers.

A paint roller manufacturing system includes a cover dispenser for continuously dispensing a windable width of paint roller cover fabric, a fabric supporting and advancing device for supporting the fabric and maintaining a width-wise dimension of the paint roller cover fabric as the fabric advances, a fabric coating applicator for applying a coating to the back side of the paint roller cover fabric while the fabric supporting and advancing device maintains the fabric in a width-wise dimension, and a compressing roller positioned downstream of the fabric coating applicator and configured to apply a compressive force on the coating after it has been applied to the back side of the paint roller cover fabric and while the fabric is supported by the fabric supporting and advancing device. In two-strip embodiments, first and second strip dispensers continuously dispense a first and second windable width of strip material. A guide system guides the first and second strip coming from the first and second strip dispensers to be wound about a mandrel and guides the coated paint roller cover fabric from the fabric supporting device to be wound about the first and second strips. An adhesive applicator is configured to apply adhesive on substantially all of the outer side of the first and second windable strips and positioned to apply adhesive to the outer side of the first and second windable strips upstream of a location where the coated paint roller cover fabric is wound about the first and second strips.