×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Need info on laminating poly carbonates etc

Need info on laminating poly carbonates etc

Need info on laminating poly carbonates etc

(OP)
Hello.  I have been on google for hours and came up with nowhere.

I need to come up with a low cost solution for laminating glass with PVB or other poly as sublayer. In some cases there will be 1/16 or 1/18 glass on top of a sublayer of acrylic or polycarbonate.   In other versions, there will be Lexan MR on top of a sublayer.  

The point is to have a transparent top layer of glass or some poly material, the top layer gets digitally printed from the back side in reverse.  The sub layer covers a PCB(electrodes for capacitive touch sensing(Qprox)).  The panels are 4" x 6.6", and total thickness will be around 1/8" when laminated.

Can anyone recommend a source to do this lamination process on a shoe string?  Ideally, some small oven or oven with press would be great, small quantity production is OK.  I understand that heat and pressure are the method, but I see no small solution.  

I have talked to big companies, but their processes are too time consuming and costly for prototyping and experimenting to  get the right look. The quotes I have from several companies are not doable, so home brew is the only path.  

Thanks for any suggestions on how to set up for lamination.  






 

RE: Need info on laminating poly carbonates etc

Lexan MR is polycarbonate with a special surface coating. I am not aware if it is available coated one side only. If so it should be easy to laminate with a solvent cement or maybe a polyurethane adhesive.

Also polycarbonate can be coated to give an MR finis. This is how automotive headlights are done.  am not up to date on the inal method, but I know siloxane and PU coatings were on the short list.

Regards

eng-tips, by professional engineers for professional engineers
Please see FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.
 

RE: Need info on laminating poly carbonates etc

(OP)
Great.  Plenty of stuff to work with with these responses.  

Now that I have got some insight into how to do this, I will probably do 3 layers:

Top     Lexan MR or Makrolon AR one side  (.05")

Middle  Graphic Layer.  Ink jet printed Velvet Polycarb(.05")

Bottom  Stiff acrylic for strength in black .1".  

Now that the films are sorted, it's time to look at a low cost ink jet printer to  print the inner layer.  Then come up a hash marking scheme to lay the parts together and heat press in some type of small press (modified pan cake cooker--top and bottom heat), then laser or machine the entire thing, cutting the real border and required holes.  

I appreciate your input guys, those are helpful for the layers needed.

RE: Need info on laminating poly carbonates etc

Here is a very similar process to what you are trying to do, I think. I had this marked to checkout in my favorites for a friend in the Graphic Arts business.

http://www.contravision.com/index.html

RE: Need info on laminating poly carbonates etc

(OP)
Nice product.  In some cases that would be great, I did not mention however that my sub layer is drilled (or lasered) with small holes to allow a speaker to play through, there are also several holed to be cut that led's will load through the rear for back lighting.  The center layer will only be drilled (lasered) for the speaker holes only and there will be transparent areas for led light transmission, as well, the top MR layer will be drilled for the speaker holes.  

In reality, each part contains different cut-outs and drills that are unique to the layer, then all parts are aligned and heat pressed with or without a cement which remains to be sorted out.



 

RE: Need info on laminating poly carbonates etc

That's sort of how these are done:

http://microadvances.com/

 

Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources