Plastics Laminating

Plastics Laminating

A clean, well-lighted and ventilated area should be provided for laminating tools of glass cloth and usually epoxy resins. Required equipment includes the following:

• Drum racks, similar to those required for the casting area should be provided; also steel storage cabinets for smaller packages of resin. Glass cloth and mat are usually supplied in rolls and can be dispensed in a manner similar to that used for wrapping paper. A sturdy rack capable of holding several rolls of material, one above the other, and placed adjacent to one end of the cutting table, should be supplied.
• Cutting and lay-up tables should be sturdily built and equipped with stainless steel tops. The size of the tables depends on the type of work to be done.
• Mechanical mixing equipment is seldom used for laminating resins. A simple stirring rod or paddle manually operated is all that is needed in most cases. In large moulding plastic shops where resins are bought in bulk, stainless steel mixing vessels and adequate weighing equipment are required. Accuracy of scales and balances is important since proportioning of epoxy formulations must be held within close tolerances.
• Oven-curing equipment is not necessary, but may be useful. Most epoxy laminating materials are room-temperature curing, and require nonspecialized equipment. Where faster cure or maximum physical proper ties are required, the same curing ovens used in the casting section should be provided.

Although mould makers for such a section need not be highly skilled, they should be trained to work carefully, develop a general knowledge of the type of tooling they are building, and appreciate the need for accurate work, particularly in such areas as those requiring bushings and inserts.