EMI shielding laminate and method of making same

Abstract

A laminate having electromagnetic shielding properties, said laminate including two or more layers adhered together with resin under application of heat and pressure, wherein at least one of said layers includes a substrate having deposited thereon a metal-containing coating. The invention is also a method of manufacturing a laminate having electromagnetic shielding properties including the steps: (a) depositing a metal-containing coating onto a substrate to form a metal coated substrate, (b) incorporating said metal coated substrate into a laminate assembly having 10 at least one other layer, (c) adhering said metal coated substrate to said at least one other layer using a curable resin to form an adhered laminate assembly, and (d) subjecting said adhered laminate assembly to heat and pressure to cure said resin and thereby form said laminate.

Description

Claims

1. A laminate having electromagnetic shielding properties, said laminate including two or more layers adhered together with resin under application of heat and pressure, wherein at least one of said layers includes a substrate having deposited thereon a metal-containing coating.

2. A laminate according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is semi-permeable and may be paper, fabric or a textile, preferably the semi-permeable substrate is a paper, more preferably a paper that is conventionally used in the manufacture of decorative high-pressure laminates

3. A laminate according to claim 1, also having antistatic and/or static dissipative properties.

4. A laminate according to claim 1, wherein said laminate is a high-pressure laminate (I-IPL), a continuously pressed laminate (CPL) or a low pressure laminate (LPL).

5. A laminate according to claim 1, wherein said laminate is a decorative laminate.

6. A laminate according to claim 1, wherein said resin is selected from amino formaldehyde resins, phenolic resins, combinations of these resins, derivatives of these resins suitable for preparation of low pressure, continuously pressed and high pressure laminates, and resins or polymers that are compatible with formaldehyde-based resins.

7. A laminate according to claim 1, wherein the metal containing layer comprises aluminum.

8. A laminate according to claim 1, wherein the metal containing layer is permeable.

9. A laminate according to claim 1, wherein the metal containing layer is typically applied to the substrate by vapor deposition, preferably by physical vapor deposition (PVD), more preferably by PVD using an evaporator.

10. A laminate according to claim 1, wherein the metal containing layer is thin and is preferably no greater than 500 pm.

11. The laminate of claim 10, wherein the metal-containing layer has a thickness greater than 30 nm, preferably greater than 50 nm.

12. A laminate according to claim 1, wherein said substrate is pretreated by a plasma containing an inert gas and oxygen prior to deposition of said metal-containing coating.

13. A laminate according to claim 1, wherein the metal-coated substrate comprises an outer layer of said laminate, preferably within the metal-coated side of said substrate facing outwardly of the laminate.

14. A laminate according to claim 1, further including one or more polymer layers, said polymer preferably being compatible with formaldehyde based resins.

15. The laminate of claim 14, where one said polymer layer is coated onto the surface of said substrate prior to depositing said metal-containing coating.

16. The laminate of claim 14, wherein one said polymer layer is deposited onto the surface of the metal-containing coating.

17. The laminate of claim 14, wherein said one or more polymer layers have a thickness of 0.5 pm.

18. A method of manufacturing a laminate having electromagnetic shielding properties including the steps: (a) depositing a metal-containing coating onto a substrate to form a metal coated substrate,(b) incorporating said metal coated substrate into a laminate assembly having at least one other layer,(c) adhering said metal coated substrate to said at least one other layer using a curable resin to form an adhered laminate assembly, and(d) subjecting said adhered laminate assembly to heat and pressure to cure said resin and thereby form said laminate.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said metal-containing coating is deposited onto said substrate by vapor deposition, preferably by PVD.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the thickness of said metal-containing layer is between 30 nm and 500 pm, preferably between 50 nm and 500 pm.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein said substrate is pretreated with a plasma prior to deposition of said metal-containing coating, said plasma preferably containing an inert gas and oxygen.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the metal-coated substrate is impregnated with said curable resin prior to incorporating it into said laminate assembly.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the metal coated substrate is incorporated into the laminate assembly using a “dry pressing” process, in which the metal coated substrate is adjacent one or more impregnated resin layers and upon application of heat and pressure, the resin of the impregnated sheet(s) penetrates and fuses with the metal-coated substrate.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein the adhered laminate assembly is subjected to a specific pressure of from about 15 to 40 bar and a temperature between 130° C. and 180° C., to form a low pressure laminate.

25. The method of claim 18, wherein the adhered laminate assembly is subjected to a specific pressure of greater than 50 bar, preferably between 60 and 100 bars, and a temperature between 120° C. and 160° C., to form a high-pressure laminate.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein the adhered laminate assembly is subjected to a specific pressure from 15 to 80 bar and a temperature from 120° C. and 160° C., and is formed on a continuous double belted press to produce a continuously pressed laminate.

27. The method of claim 18, further including the step of depositing a polymer layer onto the substrate prior to step (a).

28. The method of claim 18, further including the step of depositing a polymer layer onto the metal-containing coating.

29. The method of claim 18, further including seeding said curable resin with conductive species such as conductive salts, carbon fibers or metallic particles.

30. The method of claim 29, where the conductive salt is an organic salt, preferably sodium formate.

31. A method of manufacturing a laminate having electromagnetic shielding properties including the step of depositing a metal containing coating onto a surface of a laminate.