LAMINATION OF PAPER WITH PLASTIC

A laminate is a material that can be constructed by uniting two or more layers of material together. The process of creating a laminate is lamination, which in common parlance refers to the placing of something between layers of plastic and gluing them with heat and/or pressure, usually with an adhesive.

In electrical engineering, lamination is a construction technique used to reduce unwanted heating effects due to eddy currents in components, such as the Magnetic cores of transformers. Decorative plastic laminate is a durable flat sheeting material used in home and industrial furnishings.

Decorative laminate is commonly used to surface kitchen counters, table tops, and cabinetry because of its resistance to stains, scratches, and heat. The laminate sheets are made up of three layers: the bottom layer of brown paper coated with phenolic resin, a second layer of paper decorated with the desired pattern, and a third layer of clear sheet.

There are different lamination processes, depending on the type of materials to be laminated. The materials used in laminates can be the same or different, depending on the processes and the object to be laminated. An example of the type of laminate using different materials would be the application of a layer of plastic film the "laminate" on either side of a sheet of glass the laminated subject.

Plastic laminate was first used as an insulating material for industrial products. Laminating paper, such as photographs, can prevent it from becoming creased, sun damaged, wrinkled, stained, smudged, abraded and/or marked by grease, fingerprints and environmental concerns. Photo identification cards and credit cards are almost always laminated with plastic film. Boxes and other containers are also laminated using a UV coating. Lamination is also used in sculpture using wood or resin.

Decorative plastic laminate sheeting is mode of resins thot react with aldehydes during the thermosetfing process. Manufacturing improvements soon enabled plastic laminate to resist cigarette burns, and the material became more attractive, colorful, and durable, spurring its use by manufacturers of kitchen and dining furniture.

Laminating Aluminum Foil Laminating consists basically of combining a web or sheet of aluminum foil with one or more other materials, such as paper and plastic films, using an adhesive, pressure, and usually heat for controlling adhesive viscosity, drying and/or thermosetting the bonding agent.

Raw Materials
Decorative plastic laminate sheeting is made of resins that react with aldehydes during the thermosetting process. The resins are laminated onto layers of kraft paper topped with a decorative sheet. Kraft paper is the same brown paper used in grocery bags. The first plastic laminates were made with phenolic resin, a polymer of formaldehyde and phenol. Phenolic resins produce only dark colors. a urea-based resin called melamine was developed that produced a clear surface. In the modern manufacturing process, the top two layers of paper are impregnated with melamine resin, and the lower layers use phenolic.

The Manufacturing Process

Impregnating the paper
1. The process begins by soaking strips of paper in resin. Decorative plastic laminates can be made in different grades or thicknesses, depending on its intended use. The kraft paper is run through a "bathtub" or vat containing phenolic resins. This is run through a vat of melamine resin. The layer just beneath the top is the decorative layer.

Drying
2. The resin-impregnated sheets are then put into a drying chamber. Next, they are cut and stacked in layers. The clear layer and the decorative layer are on top of the kraft paper.

Thermosetting
3. The layers of paper are then loaded onto a flat-bed hydraulic press for final curing. The heat catalyzes a reaction in the resins. The phenol (or melamine) and formaldehyde molecules to each other in an alternating chain fashion, releasing water molecules in the process. The resins flow together and then set. Thermosetting converts the paper sheets into one single, rigid laminated sheet. This sheet is dry and insoluble, and it cannot be shaped or molded, even at high temperatures.

Finishing
4. The dry sheet is cut into the desired size and shape. It may also be bonded to a building material such as plywood, flake board, fiberboard, or metal.

Byproducts/Waste
The plastic laminate manufacturing process produces several byproducts, some of which are considered hazardous. Toxic emissions emanate from phenolic resins during the laminating process, and acrylic resins and hardeners used in applying plastic laminates to surfaces are also considered hazardous. Decorative plastic laminate itself is not considered a "recyclable" plastic.

Paper and laminate residue generated during the manufacturing process are burned in power boilers. Metal-based pigments used in decorative papers also create a waste problem, as these can be hazardous. The leading manufacturer of plastic laminate has for this reason reduced the use of such pigments, and plans to totally eliminate the use of metal-based pigments in the future. Although used laminate is not recyclable, some companies have collated old laminates into new sample sets suitable for distribution.

ALL KIND OF PAPER &PLASTIC APPLICATION:

POLYCARBONATE FILM

Application printing, insulantion, electro plate, forming grade etc.

PVC, HIPS, PP, PS, PE, PMMA

Application in printing & electronic insulation.

DIFFUSION AND REFLECTOR FILM

EL-Grade Application in EL overlays and name plates. Auto glass file, solar cells and opto electronics. TOUCH PANEL Grade Applicable in display/touch panel display area, liquid crystal cell of LCD and TFT display.

ELECTRO-PLATING MIRROR SHEET

Applicable in convex mirror, display panel, toy product.

POLYESTER FILM Polyester film is used in a wide range of electron: and electric insulation applications, because of the outstanding dielectric strength and superior mechanical property.

POLYIMIDE FILM
Polyimide film is widely used for electrical and electronics appliances with properties of heat resistance (almost no organic or inorganic solvents except caustic alkali), dielectric, flame retardant, physical, mechanical and compounded with many materials performances.