LAMINATES

These materials are all thermosets, featuring some type of reinforcing medium, bound to itself, with the polymer base acting like glue holding everything together. The reinforcing material is impregnated with a pre-polymer producing a roll of partially polymerized product about 1/64 inch thick, know in the industry as "B-STAGE" material. B-STAGE can be cut to sheets and stacked together to form a LAMINATE Plate of the desired thickness, wrapped around a mandrel to form a LAMINATE Tube of desired wall thickness, or wrapped around itself, like a log, to form a LAMINATE Rod of desired diameter. The LAMINATE structure is heated to form the final polymer and its desired properties.

Most LAMINATES, including Epoxy, are reinforced to a very strong structure using woven glass fabric. PHENOLICS, however, are hardly ever reinforced with glass fabric and most often manufactured using cloth or paper. The reinforcements all improve the strength of the final structure over the base polymer.

Click on the various LAMINATES in the side bar to learn more about each one.