Laminate: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

A laminate is a materials constructed by the uniting of two or more layers of material together. The process creating a laminate is lamination, which usually refers to sandwiching something between laters of plastic and sealing them with heat.

Examples of laminate materials include Formica and Plywood. The materials used in laminates can be the same or different.

For example by applying a layer of plastic film either side of a sheet of glass, the glass is said to be the laminated subject. The plastic is said to be the laminate.

Laminating paper, such as photographs, can prevent them from becoming creased, sun damaged, wrinkled, stained, smudged, abraded and/or marked by grease, fingerprints and environmental concerns.

Types of Laminators

Three types of laminators are used most often in digital imaging:

• Pouch laminators
• Heated roll laminators
• Cold roll laminators

Laminate film is generally categorized into these five categories: standard thermal laminating films, low-temperature thermal laminating films, heat-assisted laminating films, pressure-sensitive films and liquid laminates.

• Standard thermal laminating films
• Low-temperature thermal laminating films
• Heatset (or heat-assisted) laminating films
• Pressure-sensitive films
• Liquid laminates