Patent ID: 8196636

Claim:
An apparatus for laminating a surface of a flexible material to a surface of a curved material, the apparatus comprising: a first holder configured for contacting the flexible material; a second holder configured for contacting the curved material; a support holder having a plurality of alignment pins for supporting the flexible material as a flat surface spaced apart from a contact surface of the first holder and the curved material; a pressure applying device configured for pressing the first holder against the flexible material to cause the flexible material to press against the curved material at a first portion of the flexible material at a pressure region between the surface of the flexible material and the surface of the curved material; articulation means for shifting the first holder across the flexible member, the articulation means causing translation of the first holder along both an x and y direction while moving the first holder toward the second holder along a z direction, thus changing at least the position of the pressure region to laminate the flexible material to the curved material and remove air bubbles between the laminated flexible material and the curved material.