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Today, Laminate Works introduces a new SURFACE SOLUTIONS program that gives their customers the ability to add the latest in material finishes, textures and patterns to their component parts today. The new solutions are made possible because customers now have access to the advanced technology, like PUR lamination and laser edgebanding, required to manufacture with them. Laminate Works SURFACE SOLUTIONS offers curated, best-in-class face and edgeband materials that match in color and finish with a seamless, no glue-line edge. At launch, there are two solutions available, VELOUR SUPER MATTE™ and CRYSTAL HIGH GLOSS™.
SURFACE SOLUTIONS
Laminate Works SURFACE SOLUTIONS were developed in response to the growing trends in materials requested by their customers, including hard-to-bond surfaces and materials with finishes such as high-gloss that benefit from PUR lamination to achieve their desired look. The effort was led by David Stetler, Vice President of New Markets at Laminate Works who explains the program, "First we identify an opportunity in the category from our market research and customer feedback, then our team reaches out to our network of suppliers to identify the best solution in the category. Aesthetics, quality, supply chain logistics and overall value for our customer drive our decision making process".
It's one thing to have the materials, it's quite another to have the manufacturing technology and team of experts who can create a high-quality final product from them. To that end, after completing an eighteen month, five million dollar overhaul of their manufacturing floor, Laminate Works now has the required technology and supplier partnerships to offer these new solutions to their customers.
Every component part made with an LW SURFACE SOLUTIONS starts with a REACT PRL PANEL™ that’s PUR bonded using the most advanced PUR lamination line in North America dedicated to composite panels. The lamination process is completely automated inside a dust-free clean room using Polyurethane Reactive Adhesive with a perfectly thin and even layer of hot melt glue. This lamination process creates a flawless face with zero telegraphing and a nearly unbreakable bond.
After each part is cut from the REACT PRL panel, color and finish matched edgeband is then applied with a state-of-the-art laser edgebander which effectively melts the edgebanding to the substrate without the use of glue, eliminating build-up of dirt between the face and edge material, leaving a clean and seamless edge with no glue-line that's nearly invisible to the naked eye. it's a difference you can see for yourself. Parts are then run through the panel processing machine centers required to finish the product and are carefully packaged and shipped out to their customers to use in their final products.
The VELOUR SUPER MATTE SURFACE SOLUTION allows customers to add the soft-touch and anti-fingerprint properties of FENIX NTM® to their component parts with a matching laser edgeband to create a visually stunning, seamless edge experience for their customers. Unlike other matte finishes, VELOUR is coated in acrylic and utilizes nanotechnology for a surface that's soft like velvet, yet impact-resistant, scratch-resistant and repels oils and grease from fingerprints. At launch VELOUR is available in fifteen solid colors and four patterns with matching 1mm and 2mm edgebanding.
Applications customers and already using VELOUR for include; worksurfaces, table tops, shelving, casework, cabinet doors, wall panels and more.
CRYSTAL HIGH GLOSS takes the industry leading Senosan® AM1800TopX acrylic sheet and pairs it with an edgeband that matches perfectly in color and finish. The most visually stunning aspect of CRYSTAL is it’s nearly perfect, glass-like reflection. It’s a difference you have to see for yourself when compared to other high gloss materials like HPL or PET. In addition, unlike most high gloss finishes that are known for being easy to scratch, CRYSTAL is coated with a lacquered film for a surface that's infinitely superior in scratch resistance to standard acrylics, HPL and PET. CRYSTAL is the perfect surface for whiteboard applications. It leaves no "ghosting" with dry erase markers and can even be used with permanent markers. At launch CRYSTAL is available in fifteen colors with 1mm and 2mm edgebanding.
Common application for CRYSTAL include; Residential Cabinets, Table Tops, Student "Whiteboard" Desktops, Markerboards, Commercial Casework and more.
For each SURFACE SOLUTION, face and edgeband materials are stocked in the most popular colors and ready to start production immediately. Other colors are readily available and stocked by partner suppliers and are ready for production within one week. Laminate Works also offers stocking programs for raw materials and finished goods, these programs are available for customers using SURFACE SOLUTIONS and can be customized based on their needs.
