Laminated fabric is most often thought of as a composite material composed of two or more layers of fabric. At Dal-Bac, Manufacturing we define laminated fabric as a composite composed of two or more layers – at least one of which is a textile fabric.
For any type of laminated fabric composite, the critical issue is making sure that the adhesive bond between the layers will not degrade or deteriorate across the expected use conditions of the finished product. This can require a variety of adhesive solutions depending on the application:
- Adhesive can be applied using Thermal Fusing
- If one or more of the component layers have the right properties Flame Lamination is a common solution
- Pressure sensitive adhesives are also used to create laminated fabric
- Sometimes the solution requires using more than one adhesive technique
Let’s look at how we solved a specific challenge for one of our athletic products customers. Our client created a fitness-training device made of compressible foam to create resistance for developing strength and muscle tone.
The device was shaped to fit the body and they soon discovered that the foam surface was rough in texture and not suitable for skin contact. They quickly decided to add pads to the device using a plush knit nylon fabric with an antimicrobial treatment. However, when they could not find a way to get the fabric to adhere to the foam – they called us.
We created a custom laminated fabric for them. We began with a series of tests that revealed that a dual adhesive approach would be required. We solved the problem by:
- Using a general purpose acrylic adhesive on the foam side of the product
- Transfer coating a pressure sensitive adhesive to a fabric adhesive film which was then fused to the back side of the fabric, with the required second adhesive
- Die cutting the resulting composite to fit the required shape
- Using a back slit liner to allow installers to remove the release paper for installation.
The final result was a laminated fabric skin contact pad that could not be removed without tearing the foam itself. Read more about this project here.
We solved this particular problem in just three weeks from start-to-finish. If you have some adhesive challenges – we can help!