Bostik Findley manufactures all of the adhesives used to construct declams, including those formulations that attach the declam to the substrate. End-use customers emboss the pattern during lamination of the layers as shown in Figures 1 and 2. Another possibility involves continuous lamination and embossing using a fast-cure embossing resin such as Bostik Findley's 700 film series or a thermoplastic film. The resulting embossed declam must be bonded to flat or curved surfaces such as the cargo-bin doors or the area bordering the aircraft's windows. This process usually involves vacuum forming at temperatures that are below the embossing temperature.
Embossing films can be either thermoset or thermoplastic.
Both can be made through a solution-casting method, which means the mixing and forming processes take place at relatively low viscosity. As an alternative, each can be formulated by way of a melt extrusion process that usually requires a much higher viscosity for mixing and forming. One possible drawback exists with the latter method, however. The melt process requires much higher temperatures that often negate the use of some fire retardants, since these substances typically decompose at melt-extrusion temperatures. The adhesives' thermoset properties allow customers to approach the embossing temperature during vacuum forming without losing the emboss texture.