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silicone pad
Wallis
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Wallis high-temperature silicone press pad for card lamination is a reusable press consumable designed for industrial plastic card laminating equipment. It helps compensate for small stack and platen variations while supporting more uniform pressure distribution during hot-press lamination of PVC, PETG and PC card structures.
Available in 3mm, 5mm, 8mm and 10mm thicknesses with customized dimensions, the silicone pad can be matched to different lamination plates, card-sheet formats and production equipment. Custom thickness, density, shape and surface requirements can also be reviewed for OEM and ODM projects.
Typical applications include bank cards, ID cards, membership cards, magnetic stripe cards, RFID and contactless cards, smart cards, multi-layer plastic cards and overlay-film lamination.
For professional B2B selection, buyers should provide the laminator model, press-plate dimensions, card material, stack thickness, hot-press temperature, pressure, dwell time, cooling method and required surface finish. These parameters are more useful than selecting a press pad by thickness alone.
| Specification / Attribute | Typical / Available Options |
|---|---|
| Pad Material | Heat-resistant silicone |
| Operating Temperature | Designed for card-lamination heat; exact continuous and peak temperature should be specified and confirmed for the selected pad |
| Thickness Options | 3mm / 5mm / 8mm / 10mm; custom thickness available on request |
| Pad Dimensions | Customized to match lamination plate and machine dimensions |
| Pressure Distribution | Designed to support more uniform pressure distribution across the usable press area |
| Surface | Smooth silicone contact surface; confirm surface finish and release requirement for the selected application |
| Hardness / Density | Customizable; exact Shore hardness or density should be confirmed in the technical specification |
| Durability | Reusable under suitable temperature, pressure, cleaning and storage conditions; actual replacement interval depends on the process |
| Shape / Edge Treatment | Rectangular, plate-fitting or custom-cut shape |
| Applications | PVC, PETG and PC card lamination, overlay lamination, RFID and smart-card production |
| Standard MOQ | 100 sheets according to current Wallis product information |
| Lead Time | 7–15 days after order confirmation according to current product information |
| Packaging | Carton box with protective wrapping |
| OEM / ODM | Custom size, thickness, density, shape and machine-fit requirements can be reviewed |
Important engineering note: the current Wallis page does not publish a fixed maximum temperature, Shore A hardness, compression set, compression recovery, thickness tolerance, flatness tolerance or guaranteed cycle count. Buyers requiring these parameters should request model-specific technical data instead of assuming values from another silicone pad.
A silicone press pad is a compliant layer used inside a hot-press card lamination stack. It sits within the press assembly to help compensate for small thickness variations and support more even transfer of mechanical load across the card-sheet area.
A compliant silicone layer can help compensate for minor differences in the card stack, plate condition and local thickness. This is especially relevant when laminating multi-layer card structures or sheets containing RFID inlays, chips or other local thickness variations.
The pad operates inside a repeated heating, pressing and cooling process. Its thickness, hardness and thermal behavior must therefore be matched to the complete lamination recipe rather than selected independently.
The cushioning layer can reduce hard localized contact between press components and help protect polished lamination plates and card sheets from concentrated loading. Cleanliness remains critical because dust or embedded particles can still transfer defects to the laminated surface.
Correctly selected cushioning can help the press apply force more uniformly across the usable card-sheet area, supporting more consistent layer contact during lamination.
Plastic-card stacks can contain small variations in printed layers, overlays, inlays or local structures. A suitable pad can absorb some of those variations instead of transferring every difference directly through rigid steel plates.
Using a controlled pad specification together with a documented temperature, pressure and cycle recipe can improve process repeatability between batches.
A press pad alone cannot guarantee bubble-free, warp-free or delamination-free cards. Ink drying, moisture, trapped air, material compatibility, plate parallelism, heating uniformity, pressure, dwell time and cooling conditions also affect the final result.
Wallis currently offers 3mm, 5mm, 8mm and 10mm thickness options. A thicker pad is not automatically better. Thickness changes stack height, compression behavior and potentially the thermal response of the lamination assembly.
A 3mm pad can be evaluated where the laminator has limited cassette space or where relatively lower cushioning thickness is required. Final suitability depends on hardness, compression and machine settings.
A 5mm construction provides another option for machines or card stacks requiring additional compliant thickness. It should be tested against the existing lamination recipe before production use.
An 8mm pad can offer more physical cushion depth, but buyers should verify press clearance, heat-transfer response and compressed stack height.
A 10mm pad should be selected only after confirming machine clearance, pressure behavior and heating profile. Excessive thickness or softness can alter the intended lamination conditions.
Non-standard thickness can be reviewed for specific laminators and card-stack designs. Send an existing pad sample, technical drawing or machine information when requesting a customized replacement.
“High temperature resistant” is not sufficient for an engineering specification. Buyers should provide the normal hot-press temperature, maximum temperature, dwell time and number of cycles per shift so the selected silicone construction can be reviewed.
Hardness influences how easily a silicone pad deforms under press load. Wallis currently lists hardness or density as customizable but does not publish a fixed Shore A value for this product. Include the required hardness in the technical inquiry if it is controlled by your process.
A reusable press pad should recover sufficiently after repeated compression. Buyers running high-cycle production should request applicable compression-set or recovery information for the selected construction where required.
Variations in pad thickness can influence local pressure across a large lamination plate. For precision production, specify acceptable thickness tolerance, flatness and cut-size tolerance in the purchase specification.
Silicone press pads can be used in hot-press lamination of multi-layer PVC card sheets, including printed core layers and PVC overlays.
PETG card structures can also use a suitable silicone cushion layer. The heating and cooling recipe should be matched to the PETG material and complete card construction.
PC card production typically requires controlled heat, pressure and cooling. Confirm that the selected silicone pad's actual temperature capability is appropriate for the PC lamination cycle used by your machine.
RFID and contactless card sheets can contain antennas, chips or local thickness differences. A suitable cushioning layer can help accommodate minor variation while maintaining controlled press contact.
Press pads can form part of the lamination stack used to produce bank, membership and magnetic-stripe card sheets before downstream punching, personalization and finishing.
Silicone cushioning can also support overlay-film lamination. Buyers should confirm whether the pad directly contacts the steel plate, release layer or another component in their specific stack.
This page focuses on Wallis silicone press pads available in 3mm, 5mm, 8mm and 10mm thicknesses. Use this product entity when the project specification calls for a silicone-based pad without the wool-felt construction described on Wallis's separate wool-silicone product page.
Wallis also offers a separate thinner silicone-fiberglass card lamination cushion product. Buyers should compare thickness, reinforcement, hardness, thermal response and compression characteristics rather than treating both products as identical.
Wool-silicone pads use a felt-based cushioning structure combined with silicone. Their thermal and compression response can differ from a silicone-only or fiberglass-reinforced pad.
The most reliable selection method is to test candidate pads with the same laminator, steel plates, card material, overlay, temperature, pressure and cooling recipe used in production.
Send the usable lamination-plate length and width or provide an existing pad drawing. Allowances for positioning holes, cut-outs or special machine features should be shown clearly.
Select 3mm, 5mm, 8mm, 10mm or provide the thickness of the existing approved pad.
State normal operating temperature, maximum temperature and hot
