The Many Faces of Coating and Laminating — Is There a Better Way?

Abstract

Coating and Laminating offer a wide variety of methods by which one can process textile and film webs for various end uses. Choosing the best method is often dictated by the materials to be processed, the coating, the required properties of the finished product, and the cost-effectiveness of manufacture. A best system is ultimately the one that gives you the product you want, manufactured by the most economical method.

To better determine a best way, one must know the various coating and laminating methods and understand the key principles of their operation. This presentation reviews those methods and gives some of their special features.

Coating is usually divided into three (3) major categories, namely, knife, roll, and speciality coating. Within each of these categories are variations that should allow a manufacturer to select the best method by which to achieve the end product.

Lamination can be either an adjunct to the coating process, or a separate process combining already existing webs. In the former, a laminate web can be bonded to a coated substrate as part of the coating process. In the latter, separate webs are combined either by using an adhesive or through thermal bonding.

It is hoped that the following information will familiarize you with the various methods of coating and laminating and assist you in making the best choice.