"INTRODUCI'ION The decorative laminate industry has made many technical and aesthetic advances in recent years@ and the ever-increasing number of ways in which decorative laminates are being employed is a testimonial to the virtues of the product. You@ our customer@ have come to expect more and more from the material which we sell. Despite the efforts of individual laminate manufacturers to disseminate pertinent fabrication infonnation@ there still seems to be a void which needs to be filled. As may be expected in a growing industry@ the number and variety of problems experienced in fabrication and installation has increased@ and it is the purpose of this handbook to bring needed information to all who may be concerned with the fabrication and installation of plastic laminates. For many years@ the producers of plastic laminates have been guided?? by the NEMA ""Standards Publication for Laminated Thermosetting Decorative Sheets@"" LD l. Part 7 in Publication No. LD 1 is of particular value to the fabricator and installer and is reproduced in its entirety as an appendix to this handbook (see page 19). Constant research by manufacturers has resulted in improvement of the physical properties of laminates. When tested in accordance with NEMA Publication No. LD 1@ ??plastic laminates normally meet or exceed the requirements set forth in that publication. Rarely does substandard material slip past the many inspection points built into the system. Laminates may fail in field application for the fol1owing reasons: I. Inferior or defective materials. 2. Improper fabrication techniques. 3. Misapplication of materials. It is hoped that this handbook will help to pinpoint the causes for such failures and to provide a better understanding of the laminate itself and its uses ."