Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 226 As can be seen in the clamshell/oyster design the top cover is hinged at the back of the laminator. This means you can access the laminator on three sides making it very easy to load and unload modules manually. Vertical upstroke presses can be belt fed automatically, thus reducing the production cycle time. As a result most high volume module lines use vertical upstroke presses. Membranes Membranes need to be:  Flexible to draw down to the exact shape of the lay-up  Be strong enough to stretch repeatedly under vacuum conditions  Be temperature resistant (150°C typical)  Good release properties for smooth production conditions  E.V.A. resistant  Cost effective for this essential consumable Problems with Elastomer Membranes Without a doubt the major problem faced by all Membranes is the harmful effects of chemical attack created through E.V.A. outgassing. Sticky E.V.A. deposits adhere to the face and eventually permeate into the wall of the Membrane. This chemical attack normally results in cracking at the key stress points (corner/side) leading to premature failure. Longer life for the Membranes can be achieved by:  Protecting the working face with a PTFE/Fabric release sheet between the Membrane and module