LAMINATES

CONTENTS:

• Introduction
• Manufacturing of laminates
• Types of laminates
• Advantages of laminates
• Application of laminates
• Uses of laminates
• Advantages of laminates
• Disadvantages of laminates
• Properties of laminates
•Reference
 INTRODUCTION
LAMINATES:

•A sheet of material made by bonding two or more sheets or layers.

•It is made out of paper, at the base there is a graph paper, in the middle
there is a normal paper and at the top there may be two papers Indian
paper or European paper.
•Laminate is effected by sunlight.
MANUFACTURING OF LAMINATES:

Laminates are made up of papers that are treated with

chemical resins to impart them with strength and stiffness. The main
ingredients required in the manufacturing process are listed below.

Step 1: Soaking the paper in resins:

The manufacturing process starts by soaking the paper in

resins.
The brown paper that is going to form the bottom side or
base of the laminate is soaked in a bath tub that is filled with phenolic
resin. On soaking, the brown paper does not just get wet but rather
absorbs the resin and is saturated with it. This soaking process is also
known as impregnation, and the machinery which moves the rolled
up paper from its spools through the resins is called a PIL (Paper
Impregnation Line).
MANUFACTURING OF LAMINATES :

The decorative printed paper and the translucent paper is

similarly soaked and saturated with the melamine resin. The resin
helps to make these surfaces harder, stiffer and better at resisting
scratches and wear and tear.

Step 2: Drying the papers:

This is followed by a drying process in which the soaked

papers are allowed to dry. After the drying is complete, the paper
which earlier was easy to tear acquires new physical properties. It
becomes stiff and brittle.

Step 3: Cutting:

The hardened rolls of paper are then cut to the desired

MANUFACTURING OF LAMINATES :

by the cutting machines (called cutters). In India, the standard or

most common size for laminate sheets is 8'x4' (8 feet by 4 feet). So
the machines accordingly cut the papers to this size.

Step 4: High-pressure pressing and bonding:

The next step in the laminate manufacturing process is to hard

press these papers together under high pressure and temperature. This
is done using hydraulic presses. The papers or sheets are stacked
upon each other. The brown paper forms the bottom sheet followed
by the decorative sheet, and the topmost layer is of the clear
translucent paper. The huge hydraulic presses are designed to press
large number of laminate sheets at a single go. So all the laminates
that are to be pressed are placed one upon another with steel separator
plates interspersed between them (so that the separate laminate sheets
MANUFACTURING OF LAMINATES :

do not stick with each other while being pressed). The steel sheets
also serve another purpose. They are designed to carry textures or
patterns on them that get etched on to the surface of the laminate
sheet while being pressed. The pressing is one of the most important
processes in the manufacturing of laminate sheets and is the reason
why decorative laminates are often referred to as HPL and HPDL
(High-pressure decorative laminates).

Step 5: Sanding the non-decorative side:

In the final step of the process, the bottom side is

uniformly sanded by a sanding machine. The sanding process makes
this surface better suited for adhesion to surfaces. This sanded surface
is the one on which carpenters apply Fevicol while glueing these
laminate sheets over plywood or other base substrate materials.
MANUFACTURING OF LAMINATES :

Step 6: Testing, Packing, Shipping:

Samples of the finished products may be subjected to standard

quality tests for laminates as per norms, and these sheets are then
packaged and shipped to the regular distribution channels of the
laminate companies.

Thickness:
•The thickness of Laminate sheets usually ranged from 0.6 mm to 1.5
mm, and accordingly more layers of paper can be used in the process.
•Much thicker laminate sheets (3mm to 30mm thickness) are also
manufactured and these are known as compact laminated sheets.
•These compact types are stiff and self-supporting. Such compact
sheets can be used independently without the need to glue them onto
plywood, particle board, MDF or any other base materials.
TYPES OF LAMINATES :

Classification of Laminates based on Manufacturing Process:

•High pressure laminates
•Low pressure laminates.

High pressure laminates (HPL):

High pressure laminates (HPL) such as those
manufactured under the brand names of Sunmica or Formica, are
hard decorative sheets that are commonly fixed by carpenters over
plywood while making the furniture.

Low Pressure Laminates (LPL):

Low Pressure Laminates (LPL) only the decorative
paper is soaked in Melamine resin, and the laminated paper is then
directly bonded to Particle Boards or Fiber Boards (MDF and HDF).
TYPES OF LAMINATES :

Classification of Laminates based on Manufacturing Process:

Regular Laminate sheets and Compact Laminates:

•The regular laminate sheets usually have a thickness that ranges
from 0.6 mm to 1.5 mm, and these sheets are glued by carpenters to
substrate materials such as plywood using common adhesives like
Fevicol.
•There are also other thicker types of laminates manufactured called
Compact Laminates which have a thickness ranging from 3 mm to 30
mm.
•These Compact Laminates are self-supporting and hence do not need
to be glued to woods or any other material.
•Both the top and bottom sides of compact laminates have decorative
surfaces
TYPES OF LAMINATES :

Types based on usage:

•Based on the final or intended use of the product, the laminates are
of two types viz. Decorative and Industrial.
•For decorative laminates the look and feel are the important aspects
as they are commonly used to decorate and protect wooden furniture,
while for industrial laminates the focus is more on having a surface
that has higher strength, higher resistance to scratches and wear and
tear, and which is very durable.

Classification of Laminates based on Surface Finish:

•Since Decorative Laminates are artificially created surfaces, they
have a large variety in colours, patterns and textures.
•Based on the surface finishing of the sheets, decorative laminates
can be classified as solid colour, floral patterns, gloss finished, matt
finish laminates, wooden finish laminates.
ADVANTAGES OF LAMINATES:

•It’s eco-friendly
•Easy on the wallet as well as the eyes.
•Tons of choices
•Great in any room
•Totally customizable
•You can dress it up or down
•Incredibly durable
•Versatile
•Seamless Looks
•safe surface
USES OF LAMINATES:

•Furniture
•Joinery
•Structural
•Flooring
•Bench tops
•Doors
•Panelling
PROPERTIES OF LAMINATES :

•Strength
•Stability
•Sound Insulation
•Appearance
•It can be permanently assembled by heat, pressure and adhesive.
REFERENCES:

•https://www.google.co.in/search?q=uses+of+laminates&source=lnm
s&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiQuI3-m4nTAhXFDsAKHRWpCJ8Q_AUI
BSgA&biw=1047&bih=504&dpr=1.3#q=properties+of+laminates
&*
•https://www.google.co.in/search?q=manufacturing+of+wood+lamin
ates&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjmo66al4nTA
hXsJsAKHZtzAwEQ_AUIBigB&biw=1138&bih=548#tbm=isch&q
=uses+of+laminates
&*
•https://www.google.co.in/search?
noj=1&biw=1138&bih=548&q=advantages+of+wood+laminates&oq
=advantages+of+wood+laminates&gs_l=serp.3..0i30k1.1687.4880.0.
5684.15.11.0.0.0.0.697.3143.4-
2j4.6.0....0...1.1.64.serp..12.3.1631...0i7i30k1j0i8i30k1.NBCVMDeq
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