CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 of Chinese Patent Application Serial No. 201911181512.1 filed on November 27, 2019, the content of which is relied upon and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Improved techniques for laminating glass to substrates, such as decorative steel are desired.

SUMMARY

[0003] According to certain inventive techniques, a laminating system includes: a substrate -receiving portion configured to receive a substrate (e.g., a steel material or a complex material); a lamina-receiving portion configured to receive a lamina (e.g. a glass lamina, such as a thin or thick glass lamina); a sensing and control system (e.g., including at least one image sensor) configured to determine a position of the lamina with respect to a position of the substrate; and a laminator.

[0004] A relative position of the substrate-receiving portion with respect to the lamina receiving portion is configured to be adjusted in response to the determined position of the lamina with respect to the position of the substrate. The laminator is configured to laminate the lamina to the substrate after the relative position of the substrate-receiving portion with respect to the lamina-receiving portion has been adjusted.

[0005] According to one technique, the sensing and control system is configured to determine the position of the lamina with respect to the position of the substrate without relying on any marking on the substrate. According to another technique, the sensing and control system is configured to determine the position of the lamina with respect to the position of the substrate by determining a position of at least one comer of the substrate and a position of at least one comer of the lamina. The substrate-receiving portion may be configured to be moved (e.g., automatically) with respect to the lamina-receiving portion in response to determining the relative position of the substrate with respect to the lamina. According to a technique, the substrate -receiving portion is adjustable along a first X dimension, a second X dimension, and a Y dimension. The laminator may include a heatable roller (e.g., with an internal heating source that may be adjustable through a range of temperatures, such as 30°C and 130°C).

[00063 According to certain inventive techniques, a method for performing lamination includes: receiving, at a substrate -receiving portion, a substrate (e.g., including at least one of a steel material or a complex material); receiving, at a lamina-receiving portion, a lamina (e.g. a glass lamina, such as a thin or thick glass lamina); determining, by a sensing and control system (e.g., including at least one image sensor), a position of the lamina with respect to a position of the substrate; adjusting a relative position of the substrate-receiving portion with respect to the lamina-receiving portion according to the determined position of the lamina with respect to the position of the substrate; and laminating, with a laminator, the lamina to the substrate after adjusting the relative position of the substrate-receiving portion with respect to the lamina-receiving portion.

[00073 According to one technique, a position of the lamina with respect to a position of the substrate is determined without relying on any marking on the substrate. According to another technique, a position of at least one comer of the substrate and a position of at least one comer of the lamina is determined. According to a technique, the relative position of the substrate-receiving portion is adjusted with respect to the lamina-receiving portion according to the determined position of the lamina with respect to the determined position of the substrate by moving (e.g., automatically) the substrate-receiving portion with respect to the lamina receiving portion. According to one technique, the substrate-receiving portion is adjustable along a first X dimension, a second X dimension, and a Y dimension. The method may also include heating the laminator with a heatable roller (e.g., with an internal heating source that may be adjustable such as between 30°C and 130°C) prior to said laminating.

[0008J In one aspect, a laminating system is provided, the lamination system, comprising: a substrate-receiving portion configured to receive a substrate; a lamina-receiving portion configured to receive a lamina; a sensing and control system configured to sense a position of the lamina with respect to a position of the substrate and adjust a position of the substrate receiving portion according to the sensed position of the lamina with respect to the position of the substrate; a laminator configured to laminate the lamina to the substrate after the relative position of the substrate-receiving portion with respect to the lamina-receiving portion has been adjusted. [0009] In some embodiments, the substrate-receiving portion is configured to receive a substrate comprising at least one of a steel material or a complex material; and the lamina receiving portion is configured to receive a glass lamina.

[0 10] In some embodiments, the lamina-receiving portion is configured to receive a glass lamina comprising a thickness of between approximately 0.1 mm and 0.7 mm.

[0011] In some embodiments, the lamina-receiving portion is configured to receive a glass lamina comprising a thickness of between approximately 0.7 mm and 1.3 mm.

[0 12] In some embodiments, the sensing and control system comprises at least one image sensor.

[0 13] In some embodiments, the sensing and control system is configured to determine the position of the lamina with respect to the position of the substrate by determining a position of at least one comer of the substrate and a position of at least one comer of the lamina.

[0014] In some embodiments, the substrate-receiving portion is configured to be moved with respect to the lamina-receiving portion in response to determining the relative position of the substrate with respect to the lamina.

[0015] In some embodiments, the substrate-receiving portion is configured to be automatically moved with respect to the lamina-receiving portion in response to determining the relative position of the substrate with respect to the lamina.

[0016] In some embodiments, the substrate-receiving portion is configured to adjust a position of the substrate along at least one of: a first X dimension, a second X dimension, and aY dimension.

[0017] In some embodiments, the heatable roller comprises an internal heating source.

[0018] In some embodiments, a temperature of the internal heating source is adjustable from between approximately 30°C and 130°C.

[0019] In another aspect, a method for performing lamination, is provided, comprising: receiving, at a substrate-receiving portion, a substrate; receiving, at a lamina-receiving portion, a lamina; determining, by a sensing and control system, a position of the lamina with respect to a position of the substrate; adjusting a relative position of the substrate-receiving portion with respect to the lamina-receiving portion according to the determined position of the lamina with respect to the position of the substrate; and laminating, with a laminator, the lamina to the substrate after adjusting the relative position of the substrate-receiving portion with respect to the lamina-receiving portion.

[0020 j In some embodiments, the substrate comprises at least one of a steel material or a complex material; and the lamina comprises a glass lamina.

[00213 In some embodiments, the glass lamina comprises a thickness of between approximately 0.1 mm and 0.7 mm. O0223 In some embodiments, the glass lamina comprises a thickness of between approximately 0.7 mm and 1.3 mm.

[00233 In some embodiments, the sensing and control system comprises at least one image sensor.

[OO243 In some embodiments, the determining, by a sensing system, a position of the lamina with respect to a position of the substrate further comprises determining a position of at least one comer of the substrate and a position of at least one comer of the lamina.

[00253 In some embodiments, adjusting a relative position of the substrate-receiving portion with respect to the lamina-receiving portion according to the determined position of the lamina with respect to the determined position of the substrate further comprises moving the substrate-receiving portion with respect to the lamina-receiving portion.

[0026] In some embodiments, moving the substrate-receiving portion with respect to the lamina-receiving portion further comprises automatically moving the substrate-receiving portion according to the determined position of the lamina with respect to the determined position of the substrate.

[0O 73 In some embodiments, the substrate-receiving portion is adjustable along a first X dimension, a second X dimension, and a Y dimension.

[00283 In some embodiments, heating the laminator with a heatable roller is completed prior to said laminating.

[00293 In some embodiments, the heatable roller comprises an internal heating source to perform said heating.

[00303 In some embodiments, adjusting a temperature of the internal heating source from between approximately 30°C and 130°C. [00313 Additional features and advantages of the disclosure will be set forth in the detailed description which follows, and in part will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from that description or recognized by practicing the methods as described herein, including the detailed description which follows, the claims, as well as the appended drawings. O032 It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description present various embodiments of the disclosure, and are intended to provide an overview or framework for understanding the nature and character of the claims. The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure, and are incorporated into and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate various embodiments of the disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles and operations of the disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS OO333 FIGS la and lb illustrate perspective views of a laminating system, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. OO343 FIGS. 2a-2d illustrate side elevational views of a laminating system in successive stages of operation, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[00353 FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of a laminating system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[00363 FIG. 4 illustrates a substrate-receiving portion, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[OO373 FIG. 5 illustrates a front elevational view of a laminating system, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[00383 FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of a method for performing lamination, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[OO393 The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of certain techniques of the present application, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purposes of illustration, certain techniques are shown in the drawings. It should be understood, however, that the claims are not limited to the arrangements and instrumentality shown in the attached drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[00403 Generally, the inventive technology relates to lamination, such as soft-hard and hard-hard lamination. Such products that may enjoy the benefit of this inventive technology are architectural wall panels. In such an application, glass may be laminated to a steel material (e.g., decorative steel) or a complex material. An example of such a complex materials is medium -density fiberboard (MDF). The inventive techniques disclosed herein provide for a lamination system using a glass lamina (e.g. , having thickness between 0.1-0.7 mm or 0.7-1.3 mm).

[00413 Architectural wall panels may be decorative, and may not have any markings (e.g. , intentional markings) on the laminate surface due to cosmetic concerns. Inventive techniques described herein enable improved alignment of transparent materials without requiring markings on the lamina, such as a transparent lamina.

[004 3 I ⁿ order to obtain an end product of the correct size, it may be possible to laminate a lamina to a substrate and then cut the resulting composite. To guarantee edge strength after cutting the composite material, however, edge grinding and polishing process may be required after performing cutting. The cost for cutting, grinding, and polishing equipment may be relatively high. Furthermore, these processes require additional time to complete.

[0043] Another technique for aligning the lamina with the substrate may be to cut each of these materials in advance then adjust their relative positions after lamination. However, this technique may be unavailable if certain adhesives (e.g. pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSA) or optically-clear adhesives (OCA)) are employed, because the relative positions of the lamina and substrate may not be adjustable after lamination.

[00443 Certain inventive techniques disclosed herein enable alignment of a lamina and substrate prior to lamination, thereby avoiding the problems of the aforementioned post lamination alignment techniques. Furthermore, the inventive techniques allow for alignment of a lamina with a substrate when there are no markings, such as alignment markings, on the lamina.

[0045] The inventive lamination system may also reduce undesirable bubbles through the use of a heated roller. Bubbles between a glass lamina and a substrate may impact the cosmetic appearance of a product, such as an architectural wall panel. Instead of placing laminated substrates in a device such as an autoclave (which may increase process time and production cost), a heated or heatable roller may be employed. Using such a technique, bubbles may be reduced or even substantially eliminated when the lamina is being laminated to the substrate. This may reduce costs (e.g., an autoclave may not be necessary) and time (e.g., the time to process a composite material to remove bubbles in an autoclave may be approximately an hour).

[00463 FIGS. 1-5 depict different views of a laminating system 100, according to certain inventive techniques. The system 100 may include a substrate-receiving portion 110, a lamina receiving portion 120, a laminator, a receiving portion 140, and a sensing and control system.

[00473 The substrate-receiving portion 110 may be configured to receive a substrate 10, such as steel (e.g., Deco Steel®), a material including steel, or a complex material such as MDF. The substrate-receiving portion 110 may include an adjustable table (adjustable either manually or automatically), further shown in FIG. 4. As will be further discussed, the substrate -receiving portion 110 may facilitate the alignment of the substrate 10 with the lamina 20 prior to lamination.

[00483 The substrate-receiving portion 110 may include a lower portion 111 and an upper portion 113. A plurality of positioners 112/114/116 and/or support(s) 118 may be located at least partially between the lower portion 111 and upper portion 113. The substrate 10 may be positioned on the upper portion 113. Alternatively, an upper portion 113 of the substrate receiving portion 110 may be omitted, and the substrate 10 may be positioned on the positioners 112/114/116 and/or support(s) 118.

[00493 The substrate -receiving portion 110 may be adjust the position of the substrate 10 and/or upper portion 113 in three ways — along an XI dimension, X2 dimension, and Y dimension. The position of the substrate 10 and/or upper portion 113 may be adjustable with respect to the position of the lower portion 111. As depicted, a Y dimension positioner 116 may move the substrate upper portion 113 and/or substrate 10 in a cross-wise direction. XI and X2 dimension positioners 112, 114 may move the substrate 10 and/or upper portion 113 along a lengthwise dimension, and may also rotate the substrate 10 and/or upper portion 113. The XI and X2 dimension positioners 112, 114 may be located proximate to opposite comers of the adjustable table of the substrate-receiving portion 110. Each positioner 112, 114, and 116 may operate independently or in conjunction from the other positioners. For example, the XI positioner 112 and X2 positioner 114 may move the upper portion 113 and/or substrate 10 in the same direction by the same amount, thereby moving the upper portion 113 and/or substrate 10 in one dimension without rotation. Alternatively, the XI positioner 112 and X2 positioner 114 may move the upper portion 113 and/or substrate 10 in different directions (e.g. , XI positioner 112 moves the upper portion 113 and/or substrate 10 in a direction along a first dimension, while X2 positioner 114 moves the upper portion 113 and/or substrate 10 in an opposite direction along the first dimension), thereby causing the substrate 10 to rotate. Alternatively, the XI positioner and X2 positioner 114 may move the upper portion 113 and/or substrate 10 in the same direction but by different lengths, thereby causing the upper portion 113 and/or substrate 10 to rotate. The substrate-receiving portion 110 may also include one or more supports 118. The supports 118 may be located between the lower portion 111 and the upper portion 113, either partially or entirely. The supports 118 may allow the substrate 10 and/or upper portion 113 to move laterally without undue friction. In order to achieve this result, upper ends of the supports 118 may include rollers such as ball bearings or a substantially non-stick material.

[0050] A substrate 10 may be loaded or placed on the substrate-receiving portion 110 (e.g., on the upper portion 113 or positioners 112/114/116 and supports 118). The substrate 10 may remain in place in/on the upper portion 113 and/or substrate 10 (and specifically on the adjustable table) due to gravity. The position/orientation of the substrate-receiving portion 110 (e.g., the upper portion 113) may be adjusted according to a sensed position of the substrate 10. For example, sensing and control system may be configured to determine a position of the substrate 10 (for example, with respect to the lamina 20 or another portion of system 100) through the use of one or more image detectors 150. Based on the sensed position of the substrate 10 by the sensing and control system, the substrate-receiving portion 110 may be automatically adjusted to a desired position via positioners 112, 114, and/or 116, or a user interface (not shown) may instruct a user how to manually adjust the substrate-receiving portion 110.

[0051] The lamina-receiving portion 120 may be configured to receive a lamina 20, such as glass. Glass lamina 20 may be relatively flexible and, for example, stored or unspooled from a roll before being placed in the lamina-receiving portion 120. As another example, glass lamina 20 may be relatively inflexible and may be in a sheet form before being placed in the lamina-receiving portion. Different thicknesses of glass lamina 20 may be suitable, such as between approximately 0.1 mm and 0.7 mm or between approximately 0.7 mm and 1.3 mm.

[0052] The lamina-receiving portion 120 may be arranged at an angle with regard to the substrate-receiving portion 110, thereby causing the lamina 20 to be at an angle to the substrate 10 prior to lamination. Such an angle may be between greater than 0° and less than 60°. According to one embodiment, the angle may be approximately 8°. The angle may be adjustable manually or automatically.

[0053] A sensing and control system may include one or more sensors 150 configured to determine the position of the lamina 20 (once placed or loaded on/in/into the lamina-receiving portion 120) with a position of the substrate 10 (once placed or loaded on/in/into the substrate receiving portion 110). The sensing and control system may be configured to determine these positions prior to lamination of the lamina 20 to the substrate 10. For example, the sensing and control system may sense the relative position of the lamina 20 to the substrate 10 at one or multiple locations (for example, at or proximate to one or more comers of the lamina/substrate 20/10). According to one technique when the lamina 20 and substrate 10 are rectangular, the sensing and control system is configured to sense the relative locations of each of the four comers of both the lamina 20 and substrate 10. The sensing and control system may also sense the relative locations of fewer than each of the four comers of the lamina/substrate 20/10, such as one, two, or three comers.

[0054] The sensing and control system may include one or more sensors 150, such as image sensors or cameras that employ CCD or CMOS sensors. The image sensor(s) 150 may obtain image data of both the lamina 20 and substrate 10 simultaneously and communicate that information to a processor (not shown) to perform image processing. Based on the relative position of the lamina 20 and substrate 10, the processor may cause the substrate-receiving portion 110 to adjust its position, thereby adjusting the position of the loaded substrate 10. After the substrate 10 moves, new position data from the image sensor(s) 150 may capture the new relative positions. This new position data may be processed and the position of the substrate -receiving portion 110 may be further adjusted. This process may be repeated iteratively until the desired arrangement of lamina 20 and substrate 10 is achieved.

£00553 According to one technique, the sensing and control system may determine an approximate central point of both the lamina 20 and substrate 10 and adjust the substrate 10 accordingly. For example, the sensing and control system may determine the position of two or more comers (e.g., two, three, or four) of a rectangular-shaped lamina 20 and the position of two or more comers (e.g., two, three, or four) of a rectangular-shaped substrate 10 and determine corresponding center points for each ofthe lamina20 and substrate 10. For example, the number of sensors 150 employed may be equal to the number of comers evaluated. Or there may be a greater or fewer number of sensors 150 than the number of comers sensed. The sensing and control system may then cause the substrate-receiving portion 110 to align the determined center point of the substrate 10 with the determined center point of the lamina 20. Other points or portions of the lamina 20 and/or substrate 10 may be identified and adjusted to result in the desired positional arrangement between the lamina 20 and substrate 10. In addition to the center point alignment technique, alignment of comers or straight edges may be performed by the sensing and control system and substrate -receiving portion 110.

[0056] According to one technique, the relative positions of the lamina 20 and substrate 10 may be determined and adjusted, without reliance on markings on the lamina 20 and/or substrate 10. According to one technique, the lamina 20 may be larger than the substrate 10. According to another technique, the lamina 20 may be smaller than the substrate 10.

The laminator may cause the lamina 20 to be laminated to the substrate 10. The laminator may include a roller 130 and supporting structure 160 to stabilize the roller 130 and move it upwardly or downwardly. Referring particularly to FIG. 5, when the lamina 20 and substrate 10 are ready to be laminated, the supporting structure 160 may more the roller 130 downwardly such that the roller 130 applies pressure on the lamina 20 and substrate 10. The supporting structure 160 may move the roller 130 upwardly and downwardly automatically or manually. The vertical position of the roller 130 as determined by the supporting structure 160 may determine the pressure at which lamination occurs. Such a pressure may be, for example 0.1 Mpa. The laminating pressure may be adjustable up to, for example, 0.7 Mpa. The vertical position of the roller 130 may be controlled by the supporting structure 160, which may include a motor (e.g., electric) and/or pneumatic device(s). For example, if a motor is employed, the motor may operate in conjunction with a pressure sensor that senses the pressure applied by the roller 130. The motor may adjust the vertical position of the roller 130 according to the measured pressure from the sensor to achieve the desired laminating pressure. Alternatively or in conjunction with the motor, the laminating pressure may be pneumatically adjusted, for example, with an air cylinder. 0057J Afterthe roller 130 has been lowered to apply an appropriate pressure, the substrate receiving portion 110 may be moved from one side of the laminator to the other (e.g., passed underneath the roller 130 as further shown in FIGS lb, 2c, and 2d). The substrate-receiving portion 110 may be moved manually or automatically. As the lamination process continues, the substrate-receiving portion 110 may be gradually received by the receiving portion 140 with the resulting laminated structure resting atop of the substrate-receiving portion 110. The laminated structure of the lamina 20 and substrate 10 may then be removed from the substrate receiving portion 110. [0058] According to certain techniques, the roller 130 may be heated (e.g., internally or externally heated). The roller 130 may be pre-heated prior to lamination. Heating may be accomplished through electric means or through fluids, such as heated oil. The roller 130 may include a steel core and rubber cover. The heated roller 130 may be useful in reducing the needed pressure to accomplish effective lamination — for example, lamination without excessive bubbles between the lamina 20 and substrate 10. While pressure may be useful in avoiding some amount of bubbling, too much pressure during lamination may lead to problems such as cracking in the lamina 20, indentations in the substrate 10 or lamina 20.

[0059] The roller 130 may have a static or adjustable temperature range of between approximately 80-140° C (for example, having accuracy of ±5° C) as measured on the surface of the roller 130. According to another example, the temperature of the internal heating source may be adjustable between approximately 30-130° C. A heated roller 130 may improve performance in a number of ways. For example, it may cause the adhesive (e.g., OCA adhesive) to flow more effectively and/or evenly. Adhesive used for lamination may soften with higher temperatures, thereby providing improved deformation to fill gaps. With fewer bubbles, autoclave processing may be avoided. Strength of the laminated structure may be improved with firm application pressure and moderate heat, thereby causing the adhesive to more strongly bond with the substrate 10 and/or lamina 20.

[0060] According to certain techniques, an operation of performing lamination is illustrated in FIGS la and lb. In FIG. la, the system 100 is depicted before the substrate 10 is loaded into/in/on the substrate-receiving portion 110 and before lamina 20 is loaded into/in/on the lamina-receiving portion 120. The roller 130 is in an elevated position. FIG. lb shows the system 100 after the substrate 10 and lamina 20 have been loaded. The roller 130 is in a lowered position applying a force to the substrate 10 and lamina 20 to effect lamination of the two components. The substrate-receiving portion 110 is movable with respect to the underlying table, and it is moved from left to right as lamination proceeds. Such movement may be manual or automatic. According to one technique, the movement of the substrate receiving portion 110 may be caused by the roller 130 as it applies pressure to the substrate 10 and lamina 20 (and substrate-receiving portion 110).

[0061] According to certain techniques, an operation of performing lamination is illustrated in FIGS. 2a-2d. In FIG. 2a, the system 100 is depicted before the substrate 10 is loaded into/in/on the substrate-receiving portion 110 and before lamina 20 is loaded into/in/on the lamina-receiving portion 120. The roller 130 is in an elevated position. FIG. 2b shows the system 100 after the substrate 10 and lamina 20 have been loaded. A portion of the sensing and control system (e.g., camera optics and image sensor, such as a CCD or CMOS sensor) acquires image data of the relative positions of the substrate 10 and lamina 20 (for example, optically). A processor (not shown) may process the image data to determine the relative positions of the substrate 10 and lamina 20. If the positions of the substrate 10 and lamina 20 are not sufficiently aligned or acceptable, the positioners 112/114/116 of the substrate receiving portion 110 (see, e.g., FIG. 4) may be adjusted to cause the position of the substrate 10 to move with respect to the position of the lamina 20. The detecting portion of the sensing and control system may gather image data of the substrate 10 and lamina 20 as the substrate 10 is moving. The processor may process the image data and cause the positioners 112/114/116 to adjust the position of the substrate -receiving portion 110. Thus, an iterative feedback loop is created and the process may continue such that the position of the substrate 10 is adjusted with respect to the position of the lamina 20 in an effective manner. FIG. 2b further depicts that the roller 130 is lowered into a laminating position.

[0062] FIG. 2c depicts the lamination process as the substrate-receiving portion 110 is moved from left to right. FIG. 2d depicts the completed lamination process, whereby substrate 10 and lamina 20 are laminated. The roller 130 may be moved up such that the laminated component can be removed (e.g., manually removed) from system 100.

[0063J The roller 130 is in a lowered position applying a force to the substrate 10 and lamina 20 to effect lamination of the two components. The substrate-receiving portion 110 is movable with respect to the underlying table, and it is moved from left to right as lamination proceeds. Such movement may be manual or automatic. According to one technique, the movement of the substrate-receiving portion 110 may be caused by the roller 130 as it applies pressure to the substrate 10 and lamina 20 (and substrate-receiving portion 110).

[00643 FIG. 6 depicts a flowchart 200 for a method of performing lamination, according to certain inventive techniques. The method may be performable with a system, such as system 100 discussed above. At step 210, a substrate may be received at a substrate-receiving portion. At step 220, a lamina may be received at a lamina-receiving portion. At step 230, a position of the lamina with respect to a position of the substrate may be determined with a sensing and control system. For example, the positions may be determined without relying on any marking on the substrate (or lamina). The positions may be determined based on a position of at least one comer of the lamina and a position of at least one comer of the substrate. At step 240, a relative position of the substrate-receiving portion with respect to the lamina-receiving portion may be adjusted according to the determined relative positions of the lamina with respect to the substrate from step 230. For example, the substrate-receiving portion may be moved (e.g., automatically) with respect to the lamina-receiving portion or the lamina. At step 250, the lamina is laminated to the substrate after adjusting the relative position of the substrate receiving portion with respect to the lamina-receiving portion. According to one technique, a roller for performing lamination is pre-heated prior to the lamination process itself.

[00653 The flowchart 200 implementing system 100 may proceed as follows. At step 210, a rectangular substrate 10 is loaded into the substrate-receiving portion 110. At step 220, a rectangular lamina 20 is loaded into the lamina-receiving portion 120. At step 230, image sensors 150 obtain image data including four comers of the substrate 10 and four comers of the lamina 20. According to one technique, the substrate 10 is larger than the lamina 20, so all eight comers are visible to the image sensors 150. According to another technique, the substrate 10 is smaller than the lamina 20, but the lamina 20 is clear (e.g. , glass), such that all eight comers are visible to the image sensors 150. A processor then receives the image data and determines the center point of the substrate 10 and the center point of the lamina 20. If these center points do not align, then, at step 240 the processor causes the substrate-receiving portion 110 to adjust the position of the substrate 10 with respect to the lamina 20 by causing positioners 112/114/116 to move the substrate 10 (move the substrate 10 transversely and/or rotationally) by appropriate amounts. Steps 230 and 240 may be performed iteratively until the center points of the substrate 10 and lamina 20 align within a sufficient tolerance prior to lamination (for example the front edges and/or other corresponding edges of the substrate 10 and lamina 20 are separated by < 0.5 mm.

[00663 It will b ^c understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope of the novel techniques disclosed in this application. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the novel techniques without departing from its scope. Therefore, it is intended that the novel techniques not be limited to the particular techniques disclosed, but that they will include all techniques falling within the scope of the appended claims. It will be appreciated that the various disclosed embodiments can involve particular features, elements or steps that are described in connection with that particular embodiment. It will also be appreciated that a particular feature, element or step, although described in relation to one particular embodiment, can be interchanged or combined with alternate embodiments in various non-illustrated combinations or permutations. [0067] It is also to be understood that, as used herein the terms “the,” “a,” or “an,” mean “at least one,” and should not be limited to “only one” unless explicitly indicated to the contrary. Thus, for example, reference to “a component” includes examples having one such “component” or two or more such “components” unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Similarly, a “plurality” or an “array” is intended to denote two or more, such that an “array of components” or a “plurality of components” denotes two or more such components.

[0068] Ranges can be expressed herein as from “about” one particular value, and/or to “about” another particular value. When such a range is expressed, examples include from the one particular value and/or to the other particular value. Similarly, when values are expressed as approximations, by use of the antecedent “about,” it will be understood that the particular value forms another aspect. It will be further understood that the endpoints of each of the ranges are significant both in relation to the other endpoint, and independently of the other endpoint.

[0069] All numerical values expressed herein are to be interpreted as including “about,” whether or not so stated, unless expressly indicated otherwise. It is further understood, however, that each numerical value recited is precisely contemplated as well, regardless of whether it is expressed as “about” that value. Thus, “a dimension less than 100 nm” and “a dimension less than about 100 nm” both include embodiments of “a dimension less than about 100 nm” as well as “a dimension less than 100 nm.”

[0070] Unless otherwise expressly stated, it is in no way intended that any method set forth herein be construed as requiring that its steps be performed in a specific order. Accordingly, where a method claim does not actually recite an order to be followed by its steps or it is not otherwise specifically stated in the claims or descriptions that the steps are to be limited to a specific order, it is no way intended that any particular order be inferred.