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Custom LaminatingOnline ordering is on the rise. Especially, this is true this time of year. Trying to meet the increase in demand from each customer is a challenge in itself even in the best of times. Having an efficient supply chain is critical. If the product that you sell requires industrial custom laminating to create the finished product, Conversion Technologies International is here to help.

Not only do we have the equipment in place and ready to go to complete orders from start to finish, we are a fantastic resource if you have overflow. Often, it makes much more sense to use contract or toll manufacturing services rather than buying and storing new equipment. More importantly, we save you valuable time on training and maintenance as well!

CTI Offers A Wide Range of Custom Laminate Services

First, let’s explore our wide range of services to ensure you’ve found the right place for your custom laminate needs. Often, when people think of laminating, they’re considering a plastic coating over paper. Indeed, that’s a critical service but our capability goes beyond that. Our technology allows you to combine multiple materials to create a finished product.

For instance, your final product may be comprised of several pieces or multiple layers. Obviously, complex products require custom solutions – that’s where CTI comes in. We have the specialized equipment and operators who have experience with the advanced techniques necessary to adhere multiple materials together. In fact, the equipment or technology will differ depending on the material you are laminating.

We offer a wide range of laminating services. For example, our techniques include hot roll lamination. This method is necessary when using adhesive film or web-type adhesive in roll form. Conversely, to laminate sheet goods, you must utilize belt laminating. Additionally, we can also laminate materials using water-based adhesives. In these cases, we utilize the technology of a gravure roll, knife-over-roll and Meyer rod in our production line.

Using the methods described above, we’ve partnered with companies in a diverse spectrum of industries including:

  • Automotive
  • Medical
  • Construction
  • Consumer Products and Packaging
  • Marine
  • Aircraft
  • Textiles
  • Furniture
  • Roofing

Some of the materials we work with include:

  • Plastic
  • Foam
  • Fiberglass
  • Paper
  • Fabric
  • Adhesive
  • Foil
  • Rubber
  • Wood
  • Urethane
  • Polyester
  • Latex
  • Silicone
  • And many more

Ultimately, our custom lamination services cover almost any combination of materials and techniques that you can imagine!

Innovative Industrial Custom Laminating in Action!

If your industry or materials aren’t on the list, don’t worry. We have an innovative team that is always excited about developing a new product. Our years of experience and superior equipment both lend themselves well to creating new industrial custom laminating techniques.

As a matter of fact, we did exactly that for an automotive company that had an issue involving laminating a non-woven material to aluminum. Before approaching CTI, they tried several approaches and were beginning to doubt that their goal was reachable.

In record time, we resolved their issue and created a solution that allowed us to meet their huge volume demand of 400,000 parts per year. The parts ranged from 20” to 48” wide and 30” to 60” long. To achieve the final product, we laminated the aluminum to a high-loft, non-woven material with adhesive. We compressed the high loft material 80%, as specified by the automotive client.

As you can see, we enjoy challenging scenarios. Our case studies, in many different industries, prove that we have the experts, equipment, and facilities to meet challenges and exceed expectations!

Lamination 101

Moreover, as you find the best company for your custom laminating, it helps to be familiar with some terms.

A few of these include:

  • Lamination – the process of bonding materials
  • Substrate – an underlying substance or layer
  • Coating – often, a hot plastic melt used to combine substrates
  • Pouch laminator – typically, it uses a lamination pouch that seals on one side
  • Adhesive – substance used for sticking materials together
  • Pressure-sensitive adhesive – adhesives that require pressure to form a bond
  • Prototype – a preliminary product model
  • Gravure roll – used to coat fluids of different viscosities
  • Knife-over-roll – a suspended blade that does not directly touch the substrate
  • Meyer rod – a rod with wire wound around it

These are just a few of the terms that you may run across as you learn about lamination and our capabilities. We understand that even though we live and breathe custom coating and adhesive methods nearly every day, not everyone else does. That’s why we are here to guide you with information and support!

Likewise, you may be wondering: How does a laminating machine work? That answer is a little more complicated and depends on what kind of process you are doing. First, let’s explore hot roll lamination. Generally, you use this method when you wish to protect or embellish a product. Heated rollers melt glue and squeeze it out onto a lamination film. This method is often quicker and less expensive than other methods.

Next, consider our pressure-oriented techniques such as belt lamination. While this method uses heat like a hot roll, it also uses pressure as the material moves through the belt lamination process. As the material moves through the machinery, it goes through several heating and cooling zones as well to ensure proper adhesion.

Project Cost

Naturally, now that you have an idea of how the process works, you’re likely wondering how much does laminating cost? Obviously, many factors come into play to determine the expense of your project. Fortunately, our team has years of experience determining the final cost of production runs. To get the best idea for the cost of your project, request a free quote online or give us a call at 419-924-5566.

Why CTI is the Best Solution

Furthermore, finding a manufacturing partner is more than just about cost. Quality matters too. There are several reasons why we are a leading manufacturer in the industrial custom laminating business. One of the things that makes us stand out the most is our five-step process.

1. Consultation: Having a frank discussion with our potential client can determine that we are a good match to provide the services that they require. When you are looking for a manufacturing partner, you want to be sure that you are both comfortable that the relationship will work for all parties.

2. Research and Development: Whether a client wants to develop a new product or improve an existing one, we explain our methods, technical expertise and test/retest ethic. Having access to a fully-equipped R&D lab is a big advantage to our clients who usually don’t want to fund such an operation for product development in-house.

3. Testing/Sample: We strongly believe in creating a sample early on, so that we can make any necessary changes quickly and inexpensively. An experienced contract manufacturer understands that this can save time and money later on.

4. Pilot run: At a contract manufacturer’s facility, experience tells us to insert this operation between the sample and the final production process. A limited “pilot run” will find any glitches before the full production run.

5. Production: Our production runs are very calm events. We know that there will be no problems, since we have tested, sampled and created a short run prior to this stage. No surprises, just results at this point.

Other Services CTI Offers

Notably, our highly specialized services don’t end at lamination. Our expertise extends to slitting, die cutting, adhesives and general coatings as well.

SLITTING AND DIE CUTTING SERVICES

We offer extensive, customizable slitting & die cutting services on a toll or contract manufacturing basis. Utilizing equipment that includes flat-bed die cutters, we have the capability to cut from sheet or rolled form. We also use steel rule and belt-fed methodologies. Specifications include materials up to 5/8” thick, sheet sizes through 40” x 60” and rolled materials up to 60” in width. Our die press tonnage handles up to 150 tons.

We provide slitting and die-cutting services to many industries, including automotive, vinyl, fiberglass, construction materials, office furniture/partitions and more. The list of materials that we process includes vinyl, rubber, felt, foam, non-wovens, silicone, urethane and many more.

ADHESIVES AND GENERAL COATINGS

We also have a fully-operational facility with the latest equipment to handle a broad range of coatings and adhesives. Our capabilities extend to a wide variety of materials and we can process substrates from foam, cloth and polyester, to vinyl, paper and polypropylene. Whether your material needs a primer coating or surface tension decreased, we’ve got you covered.

We offer cure temperatures up to 350°F, material widths up to 120 inches and roll weights to 2,000 lbs. You provide the specifications and we will handle the process – start to finish.

CTI Provides Quality and Cutting-Edge Results

No matter the process you choose for us to handle, you can rest assured that you are in good hands. Not only do we utilize advanced technology, our years of experience perfect our outcomes. Our tried and true methods ensure that your product will stand up against any competition. We work as partners with our clients; our engineers and technicians want to produce a superior product for your business. We have been known to offer suggestions for product improvement, so that your ROI may include beating the competition to market with an enhancement that results in additional profits.

The combination of our expertise, state-of-the-art equipment and modular facilities, enables us to be a valuable partner in growing your business and your product line. You can feel confident in the excellent reputation we’ve gained among American companies as a reliable, trustworthy contributor to their growth. Our flexibility and reliability are foremost when businesses require a resource for a particular product. Likewise, they reach out to us for solid solutions to manufacturing problems. Clients know that they can depend on us for multiple facets of their manufacturing needs.

As mentioned previously, we can work as a toll manufacturing company or a contract manufacturing service, depending on the needs of each unique customer. Whether your project is large or small, we have the capability and desire to handle it.

In business since 1993, we have grown with the technological advances and utilize all possible equipment and machinery improvements. Our engineers and technicians also grow with each project. Their broad range of experience helps our clients solve problems. Speaking of challenges and clients, we are proud to share some of our case studies, so that you can see the quality and the results of our problem-solving methods and resources.

Credentials and Certifications

Finally, as you research a partner for your business, always verify their credentials and certifications. If you don’t, you risk production of a product that doesn’t meet industry standards. For instance, look for an ISO 9001 certification which indicates the contractor’s dedication to maintaining the highest standards.

At CTI, we adhere to all industry standards including ASME and ASTM. Our reliability and reputation depend on our work ethic and our quality standards, which is why we are a trusted resource for companies who recognize the value of those attributes.

To learn more about how we can help, give us a call at 419-924-5566.