Adhesive
A substance used to bond two materials together without mechanical fixing.
Application
A general term describing the physical situation in which a laminate will be used or the use to which a laminate will be put.
Backing Board / Backing Laminate
A laminate bonded to the back of a composite panel to seal the substrate and/or to impart stiffness to the panel.
Balancer / Compensating Laminate
See ‘Balancing’.
Balancing / Counter-veneering
Bonding a suitable laminate to the reverse side of a composite panel in order to compensate for any dimensional movement of the laminate on the face side of the panel. Thus any movement of the face laminate due to changes in ambient conditions is balanced by a similar movement of the balancer / compensating laminate, which reduces the tendency of the panel to bow.
Bonding
Fixing laminate to a substrate using adhesive. Once a laminate has been fixed in this manner, it is described as 'being bonded to' a substrate.
Bowing
Progressive bending of a composite panel, often caused by changes in ambient conditions, resulting in the decorative face of the panel becoming either concave or convex.
Bubbling
A localised failure of the adhesive bond between laminate and substrate (partial delamination) resulting in a large blister.
Composite Board
A board consisting of laminate bonded to one or both sides of a substrate. The term is usually applied to boards of the full manufactured size.
Composite Panel
A panel consisting of laminate bonded to one or both sides of a substrate. The term is usually applied to panels cut from a full size composite board.
Core
The internal layers of a high pressure laminate sheet on to which the decorative surface is applied during manufacture.
Core Board
An alternative term for 'substrate'.
Delamination
A failure of the bond between laminate and substrate in a composite board or panel.
Digital Printing
A specialised means of producing unique designs from a variety of graphic sources. Used for the Formica® Digital Service and the two promoted Digital ranges.
Dimensional Movement
Expansion or contraction of a laminate or composite panel due to changes in ambient conditions.
Edging
Applying a material to the edge or edges of a composite panel so as to seal the edges of the substrate and improve the aesthetic appearance of the finished work.
Fabrication
A general term used to describe the process of bonding laminate to a substrate, and subsequent machining operations such as cutting to size, edging, routering, drilling, etc.
Formability
See 'Postforming'.
Forming
See 'Postforming'.
Installation
Fixing Formica laminate, composite panel or solid surfacing material into position following manufacture and any necessary fabrication.
Light Reflectance Value (LRV)
The light reflectance value is the proportion of light reflected by a colour, as measured in daylight conditions. The greater the light reflectance value, the lighter the colour. White and very bright yellows have the highest light reflectance values.
The impact of a colour within the overall colour scheme can be estimated by multiplying the light reflectance value by the proportion of the area in which it is used. The total light reflectance value of a scheme can be estimated by adding together the figures for each colour used.
In static conditions, a difference in these values of 30% or more is considered to be adequate, though a best practice application would employ a considerably stronger contrast than this, particularly in relation to key safety features, where the strongest possible contrast should be used.
Lipping
Applying a decorative strip to the edge or edges of a composite panel.
Pre-lipping / Pre-edging
Applying a decorative strip to the edge or edges of a composite panel before bonding the face and back laminates.
Post-lipping / Post-edging
Applying a decorative strip to the edge or edges of a composite panel after bonding the face and back laminates.
Postforming / Postformable
A term used to describe the process of heating and bending laminates. Laminates that are capable of being curved in this way are often described as 'being postformable'.
Pre-conditioning
Storing laminate sheets in specified conditions of temperature and humidity in order to achieve the required moisture content.
Property
A general term encompassing the physical and performance qualities of a product.
Screen Printing
A specialised means of producing unique designs from a variety of graphic sources. Used for the Formica Digital Service and ideal for flat and bold colours.
Standard / Specification
An objective measure against which a material is tested in order to determine its performance in terms of defined properties.
Stress Cracking
Cracking of the laminate due to dimensional movement.
Substrate
An alternative term for 'core board'. A material used in the manufacture of composite boards. For example, when a sheet of laminate is bonded to a sheet of plywood, the plywood is referred to as the substrate.
Telegraphing
A term used to describe undulations visible on the surface of a composite panel due to show-through of irregularities in the surface of the substrate, in the back of the laminate or in the adhesive layer.
Thermoforming
Heating and bending a sheet material.
Thermosetting
Relating to plastics which, having once been subjected to heat and pressure, lose their plasticity.
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