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A laminate is a material 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 sealing them with heat and/or pressure, usually with an adhesive.






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Transformer
A laminate is a material 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 sealing them with heat and/or pressure, usually with an adhesive. However, in electrical engineering, lamination is a construction technique used to reduce unwanted heating effects due to eddy currents in components, such as the magnetic core
Magnetic core

The magnetic core is a key component in electrical and electromechanical devices such as electromagnets, transformers, and inductors. A magnetic core is a magnetic material with a high magnetic permeability, but are usually chosen to be magnetically 'soft', that is, they are made of materials that do not maintain a significant magnetic field...
s of transformer
Transformer

A transformer is a device that transfers electrical energy from one electrical network to another through inductive coupling conductors — the transformer's coils or "windings"....
s.

The materials used in laminates can be the same or different. An example of the type of laminate using different materials would be the application of a layer of plastic
Plastic

Plastic is the general common term for a wide range of synthetic or semisynthetic organic chemistry solid materials suitable for the manufacture of industrial products....
 film — the "laminate" — on either side of a sheet of glass
Glass

Glass generally refers to a Hardness, brittle, transparency amorphous solid, such as that used for windows, many Glass Bottles, or eyewear, including, but not limited to, soda-lime glass, borosilicate glass, acrylic glass, sugar glass, Muscovite , or aluminium oxynitride....
 — the laminated subject. Vehicle windshields are commonly made by laminating a tough plastic film between two layers of glass. Plywood is a common example of a laminate using the same material in each layer. Glued and laminated dimensioned timber is used in the construction industry to make wooden beams, Glulam
Glued laminated timber

Glued laminated timber, also called Gluelam or Glulam, is a type of structural timber product composed of several layers of dimensioned lumber glue together....
, with sizes larger and stronger than can be obtained from single pieces of wood. Another reason to laminate wooden strips into beams is quality control, as with this method each and every strip can be inspected before it becomes part of a highly stressed component such as an aircraft undercarriage
Undercarriage

In aviation, the undercarriage or landing gear is the structure that supports an aircraft on the ground and allows it to taxiing....
.

Examples of laminate materials include Formica
Formica (plastic)

Formica is a brand of composite materials manufactured by the Formica Corporation based in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. In common use, the term refers to the company's classic product, a heat-resistant, wipe-clean, laminate of paper or Textile with melamine resin....
 and plywood
Plywood

Sorry, no overview for this topic
. Formica and similar plastic laminates (such as Pionite, Wilsonart or Centuryply Mica are often referred to as High Pressure Decorative Laminate (HPDL) as they are created with heat and pressure of more than 5 lbf/in² (34 kPa). A new type of HPDL is produced using real wood veneer
Wood veneer

In woodworking, veneer refers to thin slices of wood, usually thinner than 3 millimetre , that are typically glued onto core panels to produce flat panels such as doors, tops and panels for Cabinet , parquetry flooring and parts of furniture....
 or multilaminar veneer
Multilaminar veneer

Multilaminar wood veneer uses plantation wood to reproduce decorative effects which are typical of quality wood species . This aids the preservation of biodiversity and complies with the principles of Sustainable forest management....
 as top surface. Alpikord is one of these laminates produced by Alpi spa.

Laminating paper, such as photograph
Photograph

A photograph is an created by light falling on a light-sensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic imager such as a Charge-coupled device or a Complementary metal?oxide?semiconductor chip....
s, can prevent it from becoming creased, sun damaged, wrinkled, stained, smudged, abraded and/or marked by grease, fingerprints and environmental concerns. Photo identification
Photo identification

Photo identification is generally used to define any form of identity document that includes a photograph of the holder.Some countries use a government issued card as a proof of age or citizenship....
 cards and credit card
Credit card

A credit card is part of a system of payments named after the small plastic card issued to users of the system. It is a card entitling its holder to buy goods and services based on the holders promise to pay for these goods and services....
s are almost always laminated with plastic film. Lamination is also used in sculpture using wood or resin. An example of an artist who used lamination in his work is the American, Floyd Shaman
Floyd Shaman

Floyd Shaman was a prominent twentieth century United States sculptor.Born in Wyoming, Shaman studied sculpture as an undergraduate at the University of Wyoming where he trained under Robert I....
.

Further, laminates can be used to add properties to a surface, usually printed paper, that would not have them otherwise. Sheets of vinyl
Vinyl

A vinyl compound is any organic compound that contains a vinyl group , −CarbonHydrogenCovalent bondCH2. These are derivatives of ethene, CH2=CH2, with one hydrogen atom replaced with some other group....
 impregnated with ferro-magnetic
Magnetism

In physics, magnetism is one of the phenomena by which materials exert attractive or repulsive forces on other materials. Some well-known materials that exhibit easily detectable magnetic properties are nickel, iron, cobalt, and their alloys; however, all materials are influenced to greater or lesser degree by the presence of a magnetic fiel...
 material can allow portable printed images to bond to magnets, such as for a custom bulletin board or a visual presentation. Specially surfaced plastic sheets can be laminated over a printed image to allow them to be safely written upon, such as with dry erase markers or chalk
Chalk

Chalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. It forms under relatively deep marine conditions from the gradual accumulation of minute calcite plates shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores....
. Multiple translucent printed images may be laminated in layers to achieve certain visual effects or to hold holographic images. Many printing businesses that do commercial lamination keep a variety of laminates on hand, as the process for bonding many types is generally similar when working with arbitrarily thin material.

Invention

Lamination of photographs was invented by Dr. Morris M. Blum, a doctor of dental medicine in New York
New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
, in 1938. Although the field of applied dentistry today uses advanced dental laminates, the practice dates to the mid-1800s, when clear plastic resins were first used to cap and bond to the enamel surfaces of teeth. Dr. Blum, however, saw a different use for the thin shells of laminate material: the protection of photographs. In 1938, Dr. Blum laminated the first photograph -- one of his wife -- and lamination was born. To this day, the University of Minnesota recognizes his achievements with an annual Morris Blum Memorial Lectureship.

Types of laminators

Three types of laminators are used most often in digital imaging:
  • Pouch laminators
    Pouch laminators

    Pouch Laminators use a lamination pouch that is usually sealed on one side. The inside of the lamination pouch is coated with a heat-activated film that adheres to the product being laminated as it runs through the laminator....
  • Heated roll laminators
  • Cold roll laminators
    Cold roll laminators

    Cold roll laminators use a plastic film which is coated with an adhesive and Gloss backing which does not adhere to the glue. When the glossy backing is removed, the adhesive is exposed, which then sticks directly onto the item which needs to be laminated....


Film types

Laminate film is generally categorized into these five categories:
  • Standard thermal laminating films
  • Low-temperature thermal laminating films
  • Heatset (or heat-assisted) laminating films
  • Pressure-sensitive films
  • Liquid laminates


See also

  • Carbon-fibre reinforced plastic
  • Composite material
    Composite material

    Composite materials are engineered materials made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties which remain separate and distinct on a macroscopic level within the finished structure....
  • Epoxy
    Epoxy

    In chemistry, epoxy or polyepoxide is a thermosetting epoxide polymer that cures when mixed with a catalyst agent or hardener. Most common epoxy resins are produced from a reaction between epichlorohydrin and bisphenol-A....
  • Glass-reinforced plastic
    Glass-reinforced plastic

    Glass-reinforced plastic is a composite material or fiber-reinforced plastic made of a plastic reinforced by fine glass fibres made of glass....
  • Laminated bow
    Laminated bow

    A laminated bow is a Bow in which different materials are laminated together to form the bow stave itself. Traditional composite bows are normally not included, although their construction with horn, wood, and sinew might bring them within the above definition....
  • Sandwich structured composite
    Sandwich structured composite

    A sandwich structured composite is a special class of composite materials that is fabricated by attaching two thin but stiff skins to a lightweight but thick core....
  • Wood
    Wood

    Wood is an organic material; in the strict sense wood is produced as secondary xylem in the stems of woody plants, notably trees but also shrubs, etc....
  • Composite laminates
    Composite laminates

    In material science, Composite laminates are assembles of layers of fibrous composite materials which can be joined to provide required engineering properties, including inplane stiffness, bending stiffness, strength, and coefficient of thermal expansion....


External links

  • - Heaps of practical information on working with wood laminates