Patent ID: 7798193

Claim:
An apparatus for making a laminate assembly including a membrane and a compressible spacer, the apparatus comprising: first and second rollers positioned in a parallel opposed relationship and defining an inlet nip, the rollers being operative to rotate in a cooperative manner; means for controllably rotating at least one of the rollers; a first holder for holding a length of a strip of a membrane having an adhesive surface wherein the adhesive surface is covered by a release sheet; a cutter disposed between the first holder and the inlet nip, the cutter being operative to cut through at least a portion of the release sheet as the membrane is drawn from the first holder to the inlet nip; a second holder for holding a length of a strip of spacer material; a surface treater disposed between the first holder and the inlet nip, the surface treater being operative to apply a surface treatment to the spacer material as the spacer material is drawn from the second holder to the inlet nip; and a first platform disposed between the inlet nip and the first holder, the first platform including a surface for supporting the membrane and first and second sidewalls for laterally restraining opposing edges of the strip membrane, wherein the cutter is disposed through the surface of the first platform; wherein the first and second rollers are further operative to simultaneously receive and contact the membrane and the spacer material at the inlet nip in a known spaced relationship and apply a compressive force thereto.