Hot lamination process for the manufacture of a combination contact/contactless smart card

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present invention is therefore directed to a hot lamination method for the manufacture of a plastic card having at least one electronic element embedded therein as well as at least one electronic element with an exposed contact surface and to such plastic cards.
The card has an overall thickness in the range of 0.
028 inches to 0.
032 inches and comprises a plastic core having at least one electronic element embedded therein with at least one of the upper and lower surfaces of the core comprising a coating printed or otherwise applied thereon.
A portion of the card's outer surface exposes a contact surface electronic element operatively connected to the card's internal electronics.
An overlaminate film is preferably provided over the coated surface of the core and the resulting card has a variation in thickness across the surfaces thereof of no greater than approximately 0.
0005 inches.
The hot lamination method of the present invention comprises the steps of providing upper (first) and lower (second) plastic core sheets, positioning at least one electronic element between the first and second core sheets to thus form a core, and placing the core in a laminator and closing the laminator with minimal or no laminator ram pressure applied to the core.
A heat cycle is applied to the core sheets in the laminator to cause complete or partial flow of the plastic sheets.
The laminator ram pressure is then increased in combination with the heat.
A cooling cycle is then applied to the core in the laminator, preferably with an associated increase in ram pressure, and the core is removed from the laminator.
In the preferred embodiment, the laminated core next undergoes a controlled depth milling operation to expose one or more contact pads which comprise part of the internal, embedded electronic element.
In alternative embodiments, one of the plastic sheets contained a pre-formed window which is positioned over the contact pads, prior to lamination.
A spacer, integral to the corresponding platen or separate therefrom, is utilized to prevent or limit the flow of plastic into the window region so as not to coat the contact pads with plastic during the card manufacturing process