Method and apparatus for sequentially laminating optical film including polarizing film, to rectangular-shaped panel

A method of sequentially laminating a carrier film-attached optical film laminate to a rectangular-shaped panel having a long side and a short side, using the optical film laminate which comprises an optical film including at least a polarizing film having a thickness of 10 μm or less,

• and a carrier film attached to the optical film through an adhesive layer under a condition that an adhesion force of the carrier film with respect to the adhesive layer is weaker than an adhesion force of the optical film with respect to the adhesive layer, wherein the polarizing film has optical characteristics satisfying the following conditions:
• P>−(100.929T−42.4−1)×100 (where T<42.3);
• and
• P≧99.9 (where T≧42.3)
• wherein T is a single layer transmittance, and P is a polarization rate, the method comprising the steps of:
• sequentially forming a plurality of slits in the optical film laminate in a width direction thereof at lengthwise intervals corresponding to one of the long and short sides of the panel, to extend from a surface of the optical film on a side opposite to the carrier film to a depth reaching a surface of the carrier film adjacent to the optical film to thereby form an optical film sheet supported by the carrier film, between lengthwisely adjacent two of the slits;
• sequentially feeding a plurality of the panels to a lamination position;
• feeding the optical film laminate having the slits formed therein, toward the lamination position, in such a manner that each of the optical film sheets is fed in synchronization with a respective one of the panels being sequentially fed to the lamination position;
• and
• laminating each of the optical film sheets to a respective one of the panels through the adhesive layer, with peeling the optical film sheet from the carrier film at a location sufficiently close to the lamination position that a leading end of the optical film sheet is on the panel fed to the lamination position while a rear end of the optical film sheet is in contact with the carrier film, while allowing the adhesive layer to be left on the side of the optical film sheet, while holding at least the leading end of the optical film sheet in a moving direction thereof.