Apparatus, system and method for a laminator

Abstract

A laminating apparatus, system and method. The apparatus, system and method are for a laminator for laminating at least one laminating film to an object, the laminator can include: an upper press including a gel plate, an upper vacuum chamber and a tool adapted to apply the laminating film; a lower press adapted to hold the object to receive the laminating film and including a lower vacuum chamber, an air bearing table and a servo positioning tool; and an aligner that applies the servo positioning tool to hold the position of the object balanced and aligned during lamination by the air bearing table while enabling the lower press to be vertically bent, wherein the position balance and alignment are substantially continuously monitored by a controller.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of Chinese Patent Application No. 201980087575.2, filed on December 4, 2019, entitled “Apparatus, System, and Method for a Laminator,” which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 775,010, filed on December 4, 2018, entitled “Apparatus, System, and Method for a Laminator,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth herein.

[0002] Cross Reference to Related Applications

[0003] This application claims the priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 775,010, filed on December 4, 2018, entitled “Apparatus, System, and Method for a Laminator,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth herein. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0004] The present invention relates to laminating, and more specifically, to apparatus, system, and method for a laminator. BACKGROUND

[0005] Laminating is a technique for manufacturing a multi-layered material such that a composite material realizes improved strength, stability, sound insulation, appearance, or other advantageous properties due to the use of different materials in the multiple layers. Laminated materials are permanently assembled products obtained by laminating using heat, pressure, vacuum, welding, or adhesives.

[0006] Accordingly, depending on the type of material to be laminated, different laminating processes can be employed. The materials used for laminating can be the same or different, depending on the method and object to be laminated. An example of a laminated body type using different materials is the application of a laminating film layer on one or both sides of a glass sheet (“laminated body”).

[0007] For example, as the name implies, a laminator can perform lamination using pressure or vacuum (and can use other laminating techniques). Since lamination of laminating materials onto a laminated object using pressure / vacuum requires considerable pressure / vacuum and high precision, it is often the case that such a laminator requires considerable electro-mechanical equipment to remain level while applying a laminating film to a laminated object. As a result, laminators are typically very large, highly complex, and very expensive. SUMMARY

[0008] A laminating apparatus, system and method are disclosed. The apparatus, system and method are for a laminator for laminating at least one laminating film to an object, which laminator can include: an upper press including a gel plate, an upper vacuum chamber and a tool adapted to apply the laminating film; a lower press adapted to hold the object to receive the laminating film and including a lower vacuum chamber, an air bearing table and a servo positioning tool; and an aligner that applies the servo positioning tool to hold the position of the object balanced and aligned during lamination by the air bearing table while enabling the lower press to be vertically bent, wherein the position balancing and alignment are continuously monitored by a controller. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0009] The disclosed non-limiting embodiments are discussed with respect to the attached drawings, which form a part of the detailed description, wherein like reference numerals represent similar elements and wherein:

[0010] Figure 1 is an illustration of aspects of a laminator;

[0011] Figure 2 is an isometric view of a stacked battery according to an embodiment;

[0012] Figure 3 shows an isometric view of a laminator according to an embodiment;

[0013] Figure 4 shows an exemplary vision system;

[0014] Figure 5 is an isometric view showing aspects of an upper press;

[0015] Figure 6 is an isometric view showing aspects of a lower press;

[0016] FIG. 7 shows the use of a septum bending plate;

[0017] Figure 8 shows exemplary control system operation; and

[0018] Figure 9 shows an exemplary computing system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] The drawings and description provided herein can have been simplified to illustrate aspects that are relevant to a clear understanding of the devices, systems, and methods described herein, while eliminating, for the purpose of clarity, other aspects that can be found in typical similar devices, systems, and methods. Those of ordinary skill in the art may, therefore, recognize that other elements and / or operations can be desirable and / or necessary to implement the devices, systems, and methods described herein. But because such elements and operations are known in the art, and because they do not facilitate a better understanding of the present disclosure, for the sake of brevity a discussion of such elements and operations can not be provided herein. However, the present disclosure is deemed to still include all such elements, variations, and modifications that can be known to those of ordinary skill in the art as having a functional equivalence to the described aspects.

[0020] Throughout the text, embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure is fully thorough and fully conveys the scope of the disclosed embodiments to those skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth, such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that certain specific disclosed details are not required in order to practice the embodiments. Thus, the embodiments are not to be construed as being limited to the particular details that are presented. As described above, in some embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail.

[0021] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. For example, as used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms "comprises," "comprising," "includes," "including," and the like are to be construed to be inclusive (i.e., to include, but not to exclude) rather than restrictive; therefore, these terms are to be interpreted to allow for the presence of other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or groups thereof, in addition to those recited. Unless specifically stated otherwise, the order of steps, processes, and operations described herein is not to be construed as a strict routine or sequence or as having an impact on the validity or success of the described aspects. It is to be understood that additional or alternative steps can be employed, in place of or in addition to those disclosed aspects, in conjunction with the disclosed aspects.

[0022] When an element or layer is referred to as being "on", "engaged to", "connected to" or "coupled to" another element or layer, it can be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers can be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on", "directly engaged to", "directly connected to" or "directly coupled to" another element or layer, there are no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., "between" versus "directly between", "adjacent" versus "directly adjacent", etc.). In addition, as used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0023] In addition, while the terms first, second, third, etc. can be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and / or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and / or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are simply used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another element, component, region, layer or section. Terms such as "first," "second," and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the implementation.

[0024] The implementations relate to and include laminators, and more particularly to particularly advantageous aspects of the lower press portion of a laminator. The implementations can be used to laminate a plurality of surfaces, such as five surfaces or more, associated with a laminating "train track" path.

[0025] "Train track" is used herein to refer to a family of curves embedded on a surface, where the curves intersect at a finite set of points called "switches", and where away from the switches the curves are smooth and do not touch each other. Since the lamination of a surface requires the division of a closed subset of the surface into a union of smooth curves, the lamination maps of these surfaces are always referred to as train track paths, and the junction points of these paths are referred to as switches.

[0026] The implementations provide the aforementioned train track paths for a plurality of laminated surfaces in at least substantially accurate and bubble-free lamination. This is in part because the implementations advantageously provide for accommodation of vertical bending, e.g., using X-Y-Theta plates, in order to provide torsional stiffness to the lower laminator, but accommodation with respect to pitch and roll of the lower laminator.

[0027] As used herein, torsional stiffness is the torque per radian of twist of a surface. Torsional stiffness is the resistance to such twisting, twisting deformation. Flexibility in roll is defined as rotation only about a particular axis, flexibility in pitch includes vertical flexibility of the outer edges.

[0028] The accommodation for vertical bending of the lower press provided in embodiments increases the laminating capability of the surface for hard-to-hard, soft-to-hard, curved-to-curved, etc. combinations. Thus, embodiments can improve the ability to perform wet, dry, wax, solvent-based, solventless, and other types of laminations related to any receiving surface type or shape or combination of surface types or shapes.

[0029] Further, the vertical containment provided in embodiments allows for a significant improvement over the bulky design of laminators in the known art. For example, because precise electromechanical control of theta axis motion is not required in the lower press in embodiments, the overall laminator provided in embodiments is smaller, less expensive, and suitable for faster laminating operations than in the known art.

[0030] Thus, significant advantages can be obtained by using the disclosed embodiments. For example, "floor-to-ceiling" laminators in the known art can now include "table-top" laminators. Needless to say, the significant reduction in size and the resulting minimization of mechanical complexity of embodiments compared to the prior art can significantly reduce the cost of laminators in the disclosed embodiments, e.g., to a cost level that is 1 / 10 or less of the cost of laminators in the prior art.

[0031] To achieve the above objectives, and thereby improve laminating quality while reducing press size and complexity, the planarity of the upper and lower press platen is critical. Thus, the servo-driven lower press includes an X-Y-Cart tool to allow for optimal alignment of the upper and lower laminating platen. More specifically, upon loading of the upper and lower vacuum platens, a vision system can compare the alignment points between the upper and lower platen and the laminating product. The servo-driven lower press tool can then compensate for misalignment based on the vision inspection prior to the bonding cycle.

[0032] More specifically, in the disclosed embodiments, the vacuum chamber of the lower press can be fixed in three dimensions, while the internal tooling inside the chamber is supported on an air bearing table. The air bearing table can be connected with the above-mentioned servo-driven X-Y-Cart table mounted below the fixed vacuum chamber, e.g., using a diaphragm flexure plate as described below. Such a diaphragm flexure plate can be used as a gimbal joint with movable Z-axis, tilt, and roll, while providing zero gap or loss of motion.

[0033] Accordingly, the pressure load can be transferred from the fixed upper tooling plate to the servo driven lower tooling plate via the air bearing table. That is, the air bearing table can be straddled on the aforementioned X-Y-turret servo drive mechanism, while the lower vacuum chamber can in turn be straddled on the air bearing table. The lower plate tooling can thus be connected to the X-Y-turret alignment table through the free-floating air bearing table, both of which are connected straddling the free-floating air bearing table. In this way, the isolation of the X-Y-turret alignment table from the press load, and by keeping the aforementioned outside of the vacuum chamber, as discussed above, significantly reduces the complexity and cost of the servo driven table in the implementation.

[0034] Figure 1 A top view of an exemplary laminating cell is shown. The illustrated implementation can include a vacuum pump 102, a flexible substrate handler 104, one or more vision robots 106, one or more mobile cameras 108, a vacuum and pressure chamber 110, a base surface 112 providing substantially horizontal pressure flatness, such as a granite base, one or more fixed cameras 114, and a process conveyor 116 that moves laminated objects / laminated products into and / or out of the laminator 100.

[0035] Figure 2 An isometric view of a laminating cell according to an implementation is shown. Figure 2 The illustration of FIG. 1 also includes upper press tooling 202, lower press tooling 204, one or more fixed cameras 114, vision robots 106, and additional features known to those skilled in the art. In Figure 2 In the illustration of FIG. 2, the conveyed pallet 206 is stopped at an aligner position. The laminate / object can be picked from the pallet 206 and, if desired, can be rotated by the substrate wrist 212.

[0036] Identification information of the gel plate and / or laminating film / object can be read or captured and forwarded to the control system for use in the laminating control algorithm 1190, and such identification information can be included in or comprise an image, such as can be taken by the fixed cameras 114 or vision robots 106. The gel plate / laminating film can be placed onto the upper press tooling 202 according to the identification information, and the laminated object can be placed into the lower press tooling 204.

[0037] As discussed further below, the lower press tooling aligner can then move the laminated object to a corrected position with respect to planar, angular, and three-dimensional position, as discussed throughout. Such corrected position can be indicated by an image captured by, for example, the vision robots 106, as discussed above, the image being of the gel plate and / or laminated object, among others.

[0038] Figure 3An isometric view of a laminator 100 according to an embodiment is shown. The illustration includes a top vacuum chamber 302 and a lower vacuum chamber 304, as well as top and lower press tools 202, 204. The top vacuum chamber 302 can be moved downward for sealing, and the vacuum pump 102 discussed throughout can evacuate the press area. After alignment, the top press tool 202 can press the gel plate to the laminated body 310 until the target force is achieved after the realignment discussed throughout. Once the target force and time are reached, the top press tool 202 can be released, the vacuum pump 102 can be released, allowing the top vacuum chamber 302 to move upward to open. The complete assembled product can then be picked from the aligner and placed back onto a tray to exit the laminator 100. Notably, Figure 3 The aligner 320 shown can include the air bearing tables discussed throughout, and / or can adjust the air bearing tables within the lower press machine.

[0039] Figure 4 An exemplary vision system 400 that can be used in embodiments is shown. As shown, the vision system 400 can be and / or include the vision robot 106 mentioned above, and can include the top and lower aspects discussed throughout within its field of view. One or more lights 402, prisms 404, lenses 406, and cameras 408 can also be included in the vision system 400 in order to allow the vision system 400 to perform the functions discussed herein, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Further, as will be understood from the discussion herein, the vision system 400 / vision robot 106 can be subject to a camera drive control system 408a, which can be part of the main control system, which moves the camera(s) 408 / vision system 400 to a plurality of positions in the laminator 100 as needed in order to obtain the vision appropriate to allow alignment and lamination as discussed herein. Further, by way of non-limiting example, the disclosed vision system 400 / vision robot 106 can move from and to a safe zone and out of a work area during the lamination process.

[0040] Figure 5 is a perspective view showing specific aspects of an exemplary top press 500. The top press 500 can include, for example, a balance spring 502, a vacuum chuck 504, an edge clamp cylinder 506, a press cylinder 508, a press bearing 510, a top vacuum chamber 302, and vacuum chamber bearings and cylinders 512, all of which are mounted within a top press frame 520. Aspects of the top press 500 can be included in the top press tool 202, as discussed above.

[0041] More specifically, a gel plate can be placed onto the vacuum chuck 504, and the edge clamp cylinders 506 can hold the gel plate. The counterbalance springs 502 can support the weight of the entire upper tool, for example, in the event of a sudden loss of pressure. The disclosed upper press 500 can use the pressure applied by the press cylinders 508 to perform the bonding of the assembled product.

[0042] Figure 6 is a perspective view showing an exemplary embodiment of a lower press 600 according to the present application. The lower press 600 can include a vacuum chuck 602 having a servo positioning tool 602a as described herein. Further included can be one or more clamp cylinders 604, and an air bearing table 610 having a plurality of air bearings 610a, for example, a corner can be formed at the four outer corners of the air bearing table 610. Although the air bearing table 610 can include four air bearings, one of skill in the art will appreciate that fewer or additional air bearings can be included without departing from the present application. Also included can be an aligner robot 620 as discussed throughout and adapted to align the air bearing table 610; a lower vacuum chamber 304; and one or more heating elements 622, for example, can assist in the lamination process.

[0043] As a non-limiting example, the air bearings 610a can "fly" at 30-40 microns unloaded, which can reduce to, for example, 5 microns fully loaded. This flexibility, for example, which can include 25-35 microns, can be used as a flatness alignment method between the platens.

[0044] Further, the servo positioning tool 602a can be subject to one or more servo regulators (not shown), which can enable configuring the "fly height" of the air bearings 610a during a press cycle. As an example, the foregoing can increase the pitch and roll angles of the lower press plate, or can allow additional air bearings (not shown) to be brought online only when the press is closed.

[0045] Accordingly, a product can be placed on the vacuum chuck 602 and clamped by the clamp cylinders 604. In an embodiment, the pressure loading can be decoupled, allowing the use of the aligner robot 620 to align the air bearings 610a in a simple, low profile alignment system. This alignment system can be subject to the X-Y-Zeta control discussed throughout, for example, can form a part of the main control system, for example, can communicate with the aforementioned vision control system 400.

[0046] Figure 7A and 7BThe use of a diaphragm flexure plate 700 is shown to allow for flatness adjustment as described above. As shown, one aspect of the diaphragm flexure plate 700 can be located between the lower vacuum chamber 304 and the lower press tool 204. The diaphragm flexure plate 700 allows only limited motion in obtaining flatness of the product on the lower press. As a non-limiting example, the diaphragm flexure plate 700 can allow motion only along the Z-axis and roll rotation.

[0047] To further ensure proper limitation of available motion in flatness adjustment, embodiments can include a spherical lock 704a, as shown. Figure 7B The spherical lock 704a can be used to prevent the tool from rotating along a given axis, for example along the Z-axis. The lock can additionally include any required bearings 704, cylinders 704b, etc.

[0048] The lockable spherical lock 704a can be adapted to enhance alignment of the laminator plate. More specifically, the spherical lock 704a can be free to perform certain motions, and not others, such as to provide freedom in pitch and roll, but a fix in yaw. The spherical lock 704a may, for example, be released during a press cycle in order to allow for alignment once contact and adhesion occurs, in order to compensate for otherwise uneven press loads. In embodiments, the spherical lock 704a, for example in combination with the diaphragm flexure plate 700 discussed herein, can provide a Z-axis joint for flatness adjustment.

[0049] In the above discussion, appropriate hardware known to those skilled in the art can be used to implement embodiments. For example, the aligner robot 620 can include three orthogonal servo motors, for example servo motors, where the servo motors can include rotary encoders, for example to allow for automated assessment of motor position and performance, for example by the controller systems discussed herein.

[0050] Further, it will be appreciated that the vacuum chamber provided in embodiments can require a seal to maintain a vacuum. As an example, a seal can be placed at the bottom of the disclosed air bearing table 610, and thus, this stage can ride on this sealing surface. As discussed herein, the flexibility of the seal allows for the seal to be maintained under roll and pitch adjustments, which can occur in the lower press with actuation of the aligner robot on the air bearing table.

[0051] Additionally and as referenced throughout, one or more controller systems can be provided. As shown, Figure 8 such a controller can include open and / or closed loop algorithms, for example which can be based on monitored variables and controls to be performed. As shown, Figure 8As shown, for example, in a closed loop control implementation, the controlled system 1202 can ultimately be controlled by one or more elements 1204 within the system. A measurement device 1206, such as a sensor, can measure that particular element, and can provide that measurement to a comparator 1208, which can compare the measurement 1206 of the element 1204 to a reference point 1210 for that element 1204, such as given specific information about the optimal characteristics of that element 1204 for the application. In addition, relevant readings of other elements, such as readings from other sensors, such as vision systems discussed throughout this document, can be provided to the comparator 1208 to calculate the required adjustments. Once the controller assesses the deviation from acceptable characteristics, a modified control signal can be outputted, modifying the performance of the controlled element 1204, and thus the controlled system 1202.

[0052] Figure 9 An exemplary computing system 1100 associated with the systems and methods described herein is depicted as a controller. The computing system 1100 is capable of executing software, such as an operating system (OS) and / or one or more control applications / algorithms 1190 discussed throughout this document.

[0053] The operation of the exemplary computing system 1100 is controlled primarily by computer readable instructions, such as instructions stored in a computer readable storage medium, such as a hard disk drive (HDD) 1115, an optical disk (not shown), such as a CD or DVD, a solid state drive (not shown), such as a USB “thumb drive,” or the like. These instructions can be executed within a central processing unit (CPU) 1110 to cause the computing system 1100 to perform the operations discussed throughout this document. In many known computer servers, workstations, personal computers, and the like, the CPU 1110 is implemented in an integrated circuit known as a processor.

[0054] It can be appreciated that, although the exemplary computing system 1100 is shown to include a single CPU 1110, this description is merely illustrative, as the computing system 1100 can include multiple CPUs 1110. Additionally, the computing system 1100 can utilize the resources of a remote CPU (not shown), for example, through a communications network 1170 or some other data communication means.

[0055] In operation, CPU 1110 fetches, decodes, and executes instructions from a computer- readable storage medium, such as HDD 1115. Such instructions can include software such as an operating system (OS), executable programs, and the like. Information such as computer instructions and other computer-readable data is transferred from storage to the components of computing system 1100 via a system bus 1105. The system bus 1105 can use other computer architecture (not shown), such as a bus architecture that uses serial or parallel communication, a memory map architecture, a virtual address bus architecture, or the like. The system bus 1105 can include a data bus for sending data, an address bus for sending addresses, and a control bus for sending interrupts and for operating the system bus. Some buses provide bus arbitration, which allows the expansion cards, controllers, and CPU 1110 to regulate access to the bus.

[0056] Memory devices coupled with system bus 1105 can include random access memory (RAM) 1125 and / or read-only memory (ROM) 1130. Such memories include the circuitry that allows information to be stored and retrieved. ROM 1130 typically contains stored data that cannot be modified. Data stored in RAM 1125 can be read or changed by CPU 1110 or other hardware devices. Access to RAM 1125 and / or ROM 1130 can be controlled by memory controller 1120. Memory controller 1120 can provide an address translation function that allows virtual addresses to be translated to physical addresses as instructions are executed. Memory controller 1120 can also provide a memory protection function that isolates processes within the system and isolates system processes from user processes. Thus, programs executed by the CPU typically are unable to access memory of another process unless a memory sharing arrangement has been established between the processes.

[0057] Additionally, computing system 1100 can include a peripheral communication bus 1135, which is responsible for communicating instructions from CPU 1110 to peripheral devices and / or receiving data from peripheral devices, such as peripheral devices 1140, 1145, and 1150, which can include printers, keyboards, and / or sensors, encoders, and the like discussed throughout this document. One example of a peripheral bus is the peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus.

[0058] The display 1160, which is controlled by the display controller 1155, can be used to display visual output and / or present generated by or at the request of the computing system 1100 in response to its operation. Such visual output can include, for example, text, graphics, animated graphics, and / or video. The display 1160 can be implemented with a CRT-based video display, an LCD or LED-based display, a gas plasma-based flat-panel display, a touch-panel display, etc. The display controller 1155 includes the electronic components necessary to produce the video signals sent to the display 1160.

[0059] In addition, the computing system 1100 can contain the network adapter 1165 which can be used to couple the computing system 1100 to the external communication network 1170, which can include or provide access to the Internet, intranets, extranets, etc. The communication network 1170 can provide the computing system 1100 with access to the devices of the users that have the ability to electronically communicate and transfer software and information. Additionally, the communication network 1170 can provide distributed processing, which involves the use of multiple computers and a sharing of tasks, or cooperative effort, in performing tasks. It will be appreciated that the network connections shown are exemplary and other means of establishing a communications link between the computing system 1100 and a remote user can be used.

[0060] The network adapter 1165 can communicate with the communication network 1170 using any available wired or wireless technology. As non-limiting examples, such technologies can include cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, infrared, etc.

[0061] It will be appreciated that the exemplary computing system 1100 is only one example of a computing environment and is not intended to limit the scope of the systems and methods described herein to the particular computations and configurations depicted. That is, the concepts described herein can be implemented using a variety of computing environments in a variety of configurations.

[0062] In the above detailed description, various features are grouped together in one or more embodiments. Such description does not specify every combination of features; however, one of ordinary skill in the art will understand that features from one embodiment can be combined with features from another embodiment, even though the embodiments are described as separate embodiments. Such can be done to achieve various goals, such as cost savings, simplicity, or the like.

[0063] Furthermore, the description of the present disclosure is intended to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Numerous modifications to the embodiments described herein will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein can be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples described herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A laminating apparatus for laminating at least one laminating film to an object, the laminating apparatus comprising: an upper press comprising a gel plate, an upper vacuum chamber, and tooling suitable for applying the laminating film; a lower press adapted to hold the object to receive the laminating film and comprising: a lower stage, a lower vacuum chamber, a servo positioning tool, an air bearing stage, and at least one flexural diaphragm, the air bearing stage spanning at least the lower stage, the lower vacuum chamber, and the servo positioning tool and connected thereto so as to influence each other; the flexural diaphragm comprising concentric flat springs capable of providing variable flatness in at least the Z-axis, tilt, and flip directions, and coupled at least between the air bearing stage and the lower vacuum chamber; as well as, an aligner that applies the servo positioning tool to maintain positional balance and alignment of the object via the air bearing stage during lamination on the lower stage while enabling vertical bending of the lower press, wherein the positional balance and alignment are substantially continuously monitored by a controller.

2. The laminating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The air bearing stage includes four air bearings.

3. The laminating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: The four air bearings are located at the four corners of the air bearing stage.

4. The laminating device according to claim 1, characterized in that The lower press also includes one or more heating elements to assist in the lamination process.

5. The laminating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The controller receives monitoring data from at least one vision system.

6. The laminating apparatus according to claim 5, wherein The vision system includes at least one fixed camera and a vision robot.

7. The laminating apparatus according to claim 6, wherein: The controller monitors by moving the vision robot to observe a plurality of positions indicative of alignment and balance.

8. The laminating apparatus according to claim 6, wherein The controller moves the vision robot back and forth to a safe area outside the lamination area.

9. The laminating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The lamination apparatus includes at least one seal of the upper vacuum chamber and the lower vacuum chamber.

10. The laminating apparatus according to claim 9, wherein The at least one seal includes a seal on an underside portion of the air bearing stage.

11. The laminating apparatus according to claim 10, wherein The seal of the lower portion is held against the vertical bend.

12. The laminating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The aligner also includes a ball lock.

13. The laminating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The servo positioning tool includes a plurality of orthogonal servo motors.

14. The laminating apparatus according to claim 13, wherein The plurality of orthogonal servo motors include three orthogonal servo motors.

15. The laminating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The lower press has a low vertical profile.

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