Laminating electrically conductive plastic sheets

Laminating electrically conductive plastic sheets together

Using a simple laminator, two 4mil sheets of Linqstat volume conductive film material (a 3M Velostat Alternative) are laminated together to form a single 8mil film. This can be done if only 4mil sheets are available, or if smaller quantities of 8mil sheeting is desired. Of course, it is preferred to buy the sheets in the proper thickness and width, but sometimes – just for the sake of experimenting – you might want to try laminating electrically conductive plastic sheets together.

Is there a risk to laminating electrically conductive plastic sheets?

It depends. If the goal of the experiment is simply to see if the thickness of the conductive plastic is suitable for your application, then go right ahead. If the goal with the two sheets of plastic is to test the electrically conductive properties, then this may not be the best idea.

During the production of the LINQSTAT material, the conductive and non-conductive materials are mixed together to get a homogeneous mixture and even conductivity level. If these two sheets are then laminated together aftwerwards, then there is a layer between the two sheets that may not be representative of simply a thicker layer of electrically conductive plastic.

How can I laminate electrically conductive plastic sheets together?

If after you understand the risks of laminating two sheets together, you still want to proceed, then this video will explain the way to do it. You will see in the video one example, using a commodity – a plastic film laminator, but it can also be done using any heating element such as an iron. The goal is to get the plastic above its melting temperature so that the plastic melts and makes new bonds once it is cooled back down to room temperature.

We hope you enjoyed this short video.

CAPLINQ is a specialty plastics supplier offering a range of conductive materials including our broad range of electrically conductive plastics and antistatic tapes and films. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us to find out how we can help you laminating electrically conductive sheets.

About Chris Perabo

Chris is an energetic and enthusiastic engineer and entrepreneur. He is always interested in taking highly technical subjects and distilling these to their essence so that even the layman can understand. He loves to get into the technical details of an issue and then understand how it can be useful for specific customers and applications. Chris is currently the Director of Business Development at CAPLINQ.

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