What is lamination?

Lamination is the technique of making multiple layers of materials, so composites use different materials to improve strength, stability, sound insulation, appearance, or other properties. Laminates are permanently assembled objects made using heat, pressure, welding, or adhesives. Various coaters, presses, and calendering equipment are used. There are different lamination processes, mainly depending on the type of material to be laminated. The materials used in laminates can be the same or different, depending on the process and what is being laminated.

Laminated fabrics are widely used in different areas of human activity, including medical and military. Woven fabrics are often laminated with different chemical polymers to give them useful properties such as chemical resistance, dust resistance, grease, wind resistance, photoluminescence, tear strength, stiffness, thickness, etc. Coated fabrics can be considered a subtype of laminated fabrics. Nonwovens are also often laminated. According to a 2002 source, the nonwovens industry is the largest single consumer of different polymer bonding resins.

Materials used to produce coated and laminated fabrics are often heat treated. Thermoplastics and thermosets are also used in the lamination and coating textile industry. Key materials used in 2002 included polyvinyl acetate, acrylic, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyurethane, and natural and synthetic rubber. Copolymers and terpolymers are also in use, as are plastic films.

Depending on the application, materials vary from polyethylene and PVC to Kapton. For example, in the automotive industry, PVC/acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) blends are often used in interiors by lamination to polyurethane foam to provide soft-touch properties. Specialty films are used in protective clothing such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyurethane, etc.