Optical laminator

An optical lamination process for adhering a protective overcoat onto a receiving surface, the optical lamination process comprising the steps of

• providing a protective overcoat capable of being made bondable to the receiving surface upon irradiation with optical radiation;
• insertingly conveying a first region of the protective overcoat in substantial interfacial association with a first region of the receiving surface into a nip, the nip being established by an optical lamination roller brought into association with a resistance source, the optical lamination roller being axially rotatable and configured to transmit and concentrate optical radiation in the production of an activation zone;
• bonding the first region of the protective overcoat to the first region of the receiving surface by
• a) transmitting optical radiation through the optical lamination roller to irradiate the inserted first region of the protective overcoat, the transmission of the optical radiation establishing an activation zone on the protective overcoat wherein the protective overcoat becomes bondable to the receiving surface, and
• b) generating compressive force in the nip to pressurewise urge the protective overcoat onto the receiving surface;
• and repeating the conveying, compressing, and bonding steps until the protective overcoat is adhered onto the receiving surface.

An optical laminator useful for substantially interfacially adhering a protective overcoat onto a receiving surface when the protective overcoat and receiving surface are continuously conveyed between an optical lamination roller and a source of resistance and wherein the protective overcoat is capable of being made bondable to the receiving surface upon irradiation with optical radiation, the optical laminator comprising

• an optical lamination roller positioned to establish a nip zone at points along its cylindrical surface when brought into association with the resistance source, the optical lamination roller being substantially solid, axially rotatable, and configured to transmit optical radiation in the production of an activation zone;
• conveying means for effectuating the positioning of the protective overcoat into the nip zone in optical contiguity with the optical lamination roller;
• compressing means for generating a compressive force at the nip zone, the compressive force being of a magnitude sufficient to promote the adhering of the protective overcoat after exposure onto the receiving surface;
• and
• an optical radiation source capable of emitting optical radiation at an intensity sufficient to activate the protective overcoat when the optical radiation is transmitted through the optical lamination roller;
• the optical radiation source capable of emitting optical radiation through the optical lamination roller.