A laminating machine comprises at least one material source, configured as a sheet feeder, for sheets of a material to be laminated. The laminating machine further comprises at least one laminating unit. The laminating machine also comprises at least two lamination sources, each for at least one web-type laminating material. The laminating machine additionally comprises at least one laminating unit for producing a material web, which is laminated on both sides, from the sheets and the respective at least one laminating material. At least one lamination control device is disposed downstream of a laminating region of the laminating unit, along a transportation path provided for the transporting of the laminated material web. The control device monitors a control region, lying outside a transport region that is occupied by the transportation path provided for the laminated material web.

There is provided a bonding apparatus for bonding substrates together, which includes: a first holding part configured to adsorptively hold a first substrate by vacuum-drawing the first substrate on a lower surface of the first substrate; a second holding part provided below the first holding part and configured to adsorptively hold a second substrate by vacuum-drawing the second substrate on an upper surface of the second substrate; a pressing member provided in the first holding part and configured to press a central portion of the first substrate; and a plurality of substrate detection parts provided in the first holding part and configured to detect a detachment of the first substrate from the first holding part.

A system for maintaining alignment of a press plate is provided. The system comprises: a press including a press plate, the press configured for forming a laminate comprising a decorative layer and a substrate; a camera; and a processing device configured to: retrieve a laminate design file comprising a decorative design drawing layer and a texture design drawing layer, the laminate design file illustrating the decorative design drawing layer overlaid with the texture design drawing layer; following manufacture of the laminate with the press, capture an image of the laminate with the camera; compare a portion of the captured image of the laminate to a corresponding portion of the laminate design file to determine a registration quality; based on the determined registration quality, determine a misalignment of the decorative layer with the press plate; and in response to determining the misalignment, trigger an alert.

A method to utilize the results from a series of FEM models to develop a master derivative of compliance curve. The use of the unique master curve resolves the test data variability issue caused by fitting the compliance curve individually. The analytically derived derivative of compliance curve eliminates the needs to take the derivative of compliance and therefore the derivative computation error no longer exists. By applying the existing solution and the solution as disclosed and claimed herein to the same set of the raw test data, it is found that data scatter is significantly reduced.

There is provided a bonding apparatus for bonding substrates together, which includes: a first holding part configured to adsorptively hold a first substrate by vacuum-drawing the first substrate on a lower surface of the first substrate; a second holding part provided below the first holding part and configured to adsorptively hold a second substrate by vacuum-drawing the second substrate on an upper surface of the second substrate; a pressing member provided in the first holding part and configured to press a central portion of the first substrate; and a plurality of substrate detection parts provided in the first holding part and configured to detect a detachment of the first substrate from the first holding part.

A process for producing a surface covering with an embossed printed surface is described. A substrate (16) is continuously moved through a production line, and this substrate (16) is first provided, in a printing equipment (12), with a printed pattern and thereafter, in an embossing equipment (14), with an embossed pattern, which is registered with the printed pattern. The printing equipment (12) produces the printed pattern in-line with the production of the embossed pattern. During printing in the printing equipment (12), the printed pattern is stretched or compressed, dynamically responsive to indicators of misalignments between the printed pattern and the embossed pattern, so as to correct or prevent the misalignments. A production line for carrying out this process is also proposed.

A laminating machine has at least one material source, configured as a sheet feeder, for sheets of a material to be laminated. The laminating machine also has at least one imbricating device for arranging un-laminated sheets in an imbricated manner with respect to one another. The laminating machine further has at least one laminating unit for producing a laminated material web from the sheets. At least one thickness control device is arranged in a transport path which is provided for the laminated material web downstream of the at least one laminating unit. A control region of the thickness control device intersects, at least partially, with the transport path which is provided for the laminated material web.

A process for producing a surface covering with an embossed printed surface is described. A substrate (16) is continuously moved through a production line, and this substrate (16) is first provided, in a printing equipment (12), with a printed pattern and thereafter, in an embossing equipment (14), with an embossed pattern, which is registered with the printed pattern. The printing equipment (12) produces the printed pattern in-line with the production of the embossed pattern. During printing in the printing equipment (12), the printed pattern is stretched or compressed, dynamically responsive to indicators of misalignments between the printed pattern and the embossed pattern, so as to correct or prevent the misalignments. A production line for carrying out this process is also proposed.

An optical bonding machine is provided, including a transparent datum located within the optical bonding machine, wherein the transparent datum supports a first substrate, a robotic placement head configured to pick up a second substrate and place the second substrate into contact with the first substrate, on the transparent datum, a camera disposed proximate the transparent datum, the camera capturing a video of a flow of an optically clear adhesive between the first substrate and the second substrate, and a curing source disposed proximate the transparent datum, the curing source emitting UV rays that pass through the transparent datum and the first substrate to cure an optically clear adhesive between a bonded substrate comprising the first substrate, the optically clear adhesive, and the second substrate. An associated method is also provided.

A unit plate position fixation method and device and a lamination machine are provided. The unit plate position fixation method includes: obtaining peripheral position information of unit plates located between two layers of separators; controlling a hot-pressing device according to the peripheral position information to perform hot pressing on the two layers of separators, so that the two layers of separators are adhered at peripheral positions of the unit plates.