Hand laminating process

In the vacuum infusion process, the fibre sheets are placed in a dry state with a plastic sheet laid over the entire form to create a vacuum. Resin is introduced at one end. The vacuum enables the flow of the resin and an even distribution of the matrix through the fibres. In comparison with the hand laminating process, a higher volume of fibre can be achieved in the composite material. However, it is difficult to control the flow of the resin along edges, comers, etc. It is also not possible to vacuum-infuse honeycomb materials for a sandwich structure. 

By this process lemon oils are found to contain some 2 5 to 3 per cent, aldehydes, hand-pressed lime oil 8 per cent., citron or cedrat oil 4 per cent., and orange oil 0 75 to 1 per cent, but more recent work has shown that these results are somewhat too low, due probably in part to some of the aldehydes distilling over with the terpenes, and for oils containing only a small percentage of aldehydes, a volumetric method, such as the hydroa lamine process, as modified by A. H. Bennet is much to be preferred, as being both simpler and more rapid to carry out, and also. more accurate. 

Spray molding is the modification of the hand-lay process where the resin and glass fiber are deposited simultaneously on the molding tool. The fibers are mixed with the resin at the spray head before being deposited on the mold surface. Subsequent consolidation of the laminate is achieved by rolling in a similar manner to the hand-lay process. This method is suitable for large components. Here the capital cost is higher and the process is very operator sensitive. 

Microfabrication by means of laser radiation covers a wide range of different methods (24,25). On the one hand, these are processes where material is removed in an intense electromagnetic field by melting, evaporation, decomposition, photoablation, or a combination of these phenomena. On the other hand, generating processes exist where structures are built up from liquid resins, laminated layers, or powders using, e.g., photochemically induced crosslinking of organic compounds... 

Numerous methods have been developed in the course of time for processing thermosetting resin mixtures. The best-known is hand laminating. It is used mostly for individual articles, small series, and articles with large surfaces. Little investment is required. This method is therefore best suited for applications at craftsman s shops. 

Several different processes can be used to produce a laminate. In what is called the hand application process, for example, glass-fiber mats are impregnated with unsaturated polyester resins. The impregnated mats are then removed from the mold by hand and pressed between rollers. The final molding is effected by cold pressing. The method is suitable for small numbers of objects with large surface areas (e.g., boat hulls). 

Hand Lay-uplSpray up Spray up and open contact molding (hand lay-up) in one-sided molds is one of the cheapest and most common process for making fiber composite products. Typical products are boat hulls and decks, truck cabs and fenders. In a typical open mold application, the mold is first waxed and sprayed with gel coat and cured in a heated oven at about 49°C. In the spray up process, after the gel coat is cured, catalyzed resin (usually polyester or vinyl ester at 500-1,000 cP viscosity) is sprayed into the mold, along with chopped fiber. A secondary spray up layer imbeds the core between the laminates (sandwich construction). Then it is cured, cooled, and removed from the reusable mold. In hand layup processing, continuous fiber strand mat and other fabrics such as woven roving are manually placed in the mold. Each ply is sprayed with catalyzed resin (1,000-1,500 cP) and the resin is worked into the fiber with brush rollers to wet-out and compact the laminate. 

Ergodyne announced a partnership with OutDry , provider of a revolutionary laminate membrane technology, and the imminent integration of the technology into Ergodyne s ProFlex hand protection line. OutDry s patented lamination process bonds a water-proof/breathable membrane directly to the external layer of the product — resulting, in this case, in a perfectly sealed, waterproof glove. 

An adhesive film is laminated on a rigid board with a release sheet first. The boards are then routed by punching or by NC router. It is a very simple process if the adhesive material is pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs). Each piece of stiffener is placed on the flex circuits with appropriate pressure, mostly by hand.The process is more compUcated when a thermo-set type adhesive material is required. A temperature higher than 160°C with a pressure higher than 20 kg/cm is required for more than 30 min. A similar heat press used for multilayer circuit boards or film coverlay is necessary. Dummy boards should be prepared to make the pressure uniform. 

Acid-curing resoles can be processed by hand-lamination, spray-up lamination, winding, and by infusion-technology, as well as by processes familiar from fiber-composite polymer (FCP) technology. Acid-resistant machine components and molds have to be used, and the shorter open times compared to polyester resins have to be taken into consideration. Compression processing, which is suitable for novolacs and resoles, requires ventilation strokes — as in most processing methods with closed molds - to let the developing water vapor escape. 

The equipment required for an investment in UV technology is affordable for smaller companies. Up to one 2ooW/cm El-bulb per som/min line speed is needed, depending on the adhesive formulation. The size of the installation then depends on the desired lamination speed. Some films, including printed films, are not transparent to UV rays. This can be a limitation, if the adhesive open time is too short and the irradiation stage needs to take place after the lamination stage. On the other hand the UV lamination process has no influence on most films used in the manufacture of packaging materials. 

Fig. 2. Schematic of the RISTON dry film photoresist process, (a) Removal of polyolefin separator sheet and laminate resist to clean surface, using special laminator (b) exposure to uv source using positive or negative phototool (positive to plate negative for print-and-etch) (c) removal of the protective Mylar, which is readily removed by hand and (d) development using a special processor (3).

Some typical properties of polyester-glass laminates are given in Table 25.1. From these figures it will be seen that laminates can have very high tensile strengths. On the other hand some laminates made by hand lay-up processes may have mechanical properties not very different from those of thermoplastics such as the polyacetals and unplasticised PVC. 

The significance of interlaminar stresses relative to laminate stiffness, strength, and life is determined by Classical Lamination Theory, i.e., CLT stresses are accurate over most of the laminate except in a very narrow boundary layer near the free edges. Thus, laminate stiffnesses are affected by global, not local, stresses, so laminate stiffnesses are essentially unaffected by interlaminar stresses. On the other hand, the details of locally high stresses dominate the failure process whereas lower global stresses are unimportant. Thus, laminate strength and life are dominated by interlaminar stresses. 

Control of crosslinking is critical for processing thermoset plastics, both the reaction prior to the gel point and that subsequent to the gel point. The period after the gel point is usually referred to as the curing period. Too slow or too rapid crosslinking can be detrimental to the properties of a desired product. Thus, in the production of a thermoset foamed product, the foam structure may collapse if gelation occurs too slowly. On the other hand, for reinforced and laminated products the bond strength of the components may be low if crosslinking occurs too quickly. 

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