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Posted on June 30, 2007 by Joanne Dorin | Posted under Interior Decorating
Formica Brand Countertops - A Virtual Tour
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Way back in 1912 it started as a visionaries dream and today it continues it's commitment to technology, the environment, and continuing to manufacture great products. So are you ready for your tour? A real tour of Formica Corporation is a real treat and definitely worth your time. But if you can't get to the real factory then why not take a virtual tour with us? After all understanding the product will make it much easy to decide which product is for you or if the Formica product is for you. Here you'll find the step by step laminating process. Are you ready to begin? The laminate is made from paper and resin whereby the paper becomes saturated with resin and then it is dried and stacked in layers which are pressed under the heat in a press. The resin is cured using high pressure. Eventually the separate paper layers are combined into single laminate sheets. Of course there are many variations to this process. In fact there are probably thousands of variations because for each laminate that is different in textures, finish, size, pattern, color, or grade there is a different process. Each step of the process is very controlled. The right paper must be used, the right resin, the right temperature, and the right combination of each. Quality control entails carefully watching each of the details to make sure everything proceeds properly. 1. Raw Materials Arrive The different papers come into the plant by rail. They arrive in huge rolls that weight around two tons. The resins arrive by tank truck. 2. Treating The paper is moved to the treatment department where the large rolls are placed on a spindle. They are then dipped into a bath that treats the paper with the resin. Each paper is treated with a different resin. There are two methods that are used to treat the paper. The most common and fastest is called reverse roll coating where two big rollers draw the paper through and then it enters a drying oven. The second method is the dip and squeeze in which the paper is drawn through a resin vat and then it passes onto rollers that squeeze out the excess. 3. Collation Here's where the treated material is built up. The sheet that you see is made from high grade paper which then has an overlay sheet placed on it. This gives it depth. 4. The Plate The plate determines the texture and is inserted in the press giving the product a high gloss. 5. Pressing Finally the buildup is sent of to the press room where hydraulic rams provide a minimum of 800 pounds per square inch of pressure while steam is jacketed into the press to raise the temperature causing the resin to liquefy and cure the laminate. 6. Trim After it's removed from the press the sheets are separated and trimmed to their correct size. 7. To Market That's it. They are ready to find their way first to the warehouse and then off to market so that consumers can purchase and enjoy Formica laminate. 8. Waste And while rolls of laminate make their way to the warehouse, Waste Management ensures that the chemicals are properly dispersed of and that the minimal amount of waste reaches the landfills. It also works to ensure that air pollution is minimized. In fact Waste Management works to reduce the overall impact on the environment. Your virtual tour now concludes. Now you see why Formica brand countertops are worth considering. About The Author: Joanne is an author of Decorz.com. If you're looking for more countertops & decorating ideas for your home and garden visit http://www.decorz.com. |
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