Making laminates is an essential part of woodworking. The idea is to protect the surface of the workpiece by providing a hard, impervious surface. Thus, the laminate is a man-made object, unlike veneers that are from natural wood. Laminates are usually of plastic. We use phenolic and melamine resins to make Sunmica sheets.
Materials used in the lamination process
To use the laminates, you have to cut them to size. We use the Laminate cutting machines of the appropriate size for the purpose. To make the laminates we use papers soaked in the appropriate chemical resins to make them stiff and strong.
The main ingredients used are as listed below:
- Phenolic resin
- Brown paper
- Clear translucent paper
- Melamine resin
You also need a variety of machines. These would include the following:
- Drying and cooling machines
- Paper impregnation line
- Hydraulic press
- Cutting machines
- Sanding machines
- Steel plates
Manufacture of laminates
Soak the resin: This is the first step. Use phenolic resin to soak the brown paper. We call the soaking process impregnation because the brown paper gets soaked in the resin. The machinery we use for this is the Paper impregnation line. The resin makes the surfaces hard and stiff. So, it resists wear and tear and all kinds of scratches.
Dry the papers: This follows the soaking process. Once complete drying is over, we go to the next step. Now the paper which we could tear with ease is hard and tough.
Cutting the paper: We now cut the stiffened paper to the needed size. Cutting machines (called cutters) cut the laminate sheets to 8×4 feet size. This is the common dimension.
Applying high pressure for bonding: The papers get pressed together under high pressure. High temperature gets applied with the brown paper forming the bottom layer. The top layer is a clear translucent paper. We keep all the needed laminates together, one on top of the other and pressed. We use steel separator plates so that the laminates do not stick together. Now, it is customary to use designs on the plates. These patterns get transferred to the paper. Pressing is one of the most important processes and the pressure application helps develop more patterns as needed.
Sanding the unused part: The obverse side gets sanded. This is the non-decorative part which gets sanded in a uniform way. Carpenters use Fevicol or other glues on the sanded part while attaching Sunmica sheets.
Final steps of the process
We use the Laminate cutting machines in the latter stages for resizing the laminates. If this is not needed, the sheets are ready to get packed as they are. The thickness of the laminates ranges between 0.6 mm and 1.5 mm. You can get laminates with a greater thickness between 3-25 mm and these we call compacted laminate sheets.
To cut your laminate, score the edges of the laminate with a knife. Use a circular saw to cut into one side (about ¼ inch) of the laminate. This helps prevent tear-out. Now, do the same for the other side and watch out for the kickback.
