Laminating device for manufacturing identification cards

A laminating device for producing identification cards carrying data and/or information out of blanks including at least one core foil of plastics, at least one transparent protective foil of plastics for a front side of a card and at least one transparent protective foil of plastics for a back side of a card, the device comprising a press including at least one metallic press member for welding said foils together and having cooling means and a pressing side facing a card to be laminated;

• a heating element on said pressing side;
• and a thin electrically insulated insulation layer positioned between said metallic press member and said heating element and partially transmitting heat generated by said heating element to said press member and providing homogenous pressure distribution during welding of said foils together, said heating element having small heating capacity and a small thickness and being formed as a metallic resistance heating element through which electric current applied thereto flows directly, said press member being cooled in cooperation with said insulation layer so that a temperature of said press member remains constant during the welding and the cooling, said metallic resistance heating element including a plurality of current conductive strips connected to each other in series and positioned in one plane and with a close spacing so as to provide a substantially continuous press face which forms an outer press face which directly contacts an identification card being produced.