Flatbed lamination machine

Abstract

A lamination machine for adhesively heat laminating adjacent surfaces of two lengths of material to each other. The machine includes a flatbed pre-laminating station with upper and lower pre-lamination conveyor belts and banks of heater components immediately above and below. At least one pre-lamination belt is vertically movable to establish and adjust a gap between belts while its associated bank of heating elements is vertically pressuredly movable to thereby tightly maintain proximity of heater elements, belts, and laminate materials. Situated immediately downstream is a pressure roller independently vertically movable to establish and adjust laminate gap distance and, during lamination operation, tensioned against a lower conveyor belt guide roller and movable by a roller pressure driver toward the guide roller. A flatbed cooling station is situated downstream from the pressure roller and includes opposing cooling station conveyor belts separate from those of the pre-laminating station to form a cooling passage therebetween whose height is established and adjusted by independent vertical movement of at least one belt, while its associated bank of cooling elements is vertically pressuredly movable to thereby tightly maintain proximity of cooling components, belts, and laminate materials in the cooling station. The pre-lamination and cooling station conveyor belts remain flat during operation and thus do not experience air gap production above and below heating and cooling components and consequent production of temperature inconsistencies. Further, the pressure roller position restricts air gap production on either side thereof, thereby maximizing temperature consistency throughout pre-lamination and cooling.