Industrial laminates are typically made from layers of fibrous reinforcement that are attached together with high-quality thermosetting resins. They are available in various grades. Lamination covers a wide variety of applications in the packaging industry.
Industrial laminations have two main differences: hot and cold laminations.
Cold Lamination
A cold laminator uses adhesives and pressure to bond the products between plastics. Then the roller of the cold lamination applies a lot of pressure and is a key point to finishing the process.
Many people prefer the cold lamination technique because the process delivers a high-quality product without the heating element.
- Cold laminators require less maintenance and set-up time. The machines are less expensive and easier to use, but they still do require a specialist to use them.
- The pressure that is applied by cold laminator rollers removes bubbles and even the smallest bubbles appear.
- Cold laminators also preserve the quality over time as well as the colours of the documents that have been printed. Using hot laminations can cause the colour to degrade.
- As cold laminators allow you to decorate one side of the graphic, this makes it perfect for decals and adhesive decorations.
Hot Laminations
Hot lamination machines are used to heat, melt, or activate an adhesive material. This makes the plastic secure around the product.
A primary advantage of hot lamination is that they provide more durable protection and a faster laminate job.
- Hot laminators provide more application and incorporate various materials like vinyl and other heat settings.
- Materials that are used for hot laminators are cheaper than materials used for cold laminators.
- Colours, materials, and ink may be damaged by the heat but there are special plastics available to protect your product from the heat.
- The heat laminator must be used by a specialist as the hot laminator can be extremely dangerous to use if not trained.
- Learning how to use the machine takes experience.
Other types of Laminations
Flame Lamination – is described as altering the surface of the material (if it’s a polyurethane foam) to a molten form and then quickly cooling to perform a cohesive bond. This is effective for bonding foams and other materials.
- Fast and efficient method
- Flame lamination can be used on numerous products and the core material is Polyurethane foam.
- By not using adhesives and recyclable materials, flame lamination is environmentally friendly.
PUR Adhesive Lamination Specialists – PUR will make contact with the moisture of the air and let it form a strong bond after the curing process. PUR also has a highly flexible and strong adhesion, which makes it suitable for a wider range of climates.
Hot Melt Lamination Process – This lamination is used as an adhesive when applied to surfaces with a hot roller, which makes them bond to one another. The adhesives can be installed as a continuous layer or in a certain dot pattern. Hot lamination is useful for binding the same material or two different types.
Infrared Lamination Specialists – Similar to flame lamination, this process contains a thin layer of molten polymer on the surface’s materials. This is done by exposure to infrared radiation as well as compressing the material with another piece The last part of this process involves the material passing through an embossed roller.
Foam Lamination – Foam Lamination is a process used for making foam composites, which can make two kinds of materials work together as one part. It is a useful process that bonds foam as well as other materials like adhesive, fabric etc.
