F. A. Q.
Frequently asked questions about laminated shims |
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Why use a laminated shim ? |
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Any mechanical assembly is built of parts manufactured to specified machining tolerances. In a complex assembly of several hundred or thousand parts these tolerances soon add up. Unpredictable and undesirable clearances will generally be discovered once the assembly is completed. Bad fit leads to harsh wear and tear in use and early, possibly catastrophic mechanical failure.
Before the invention of laminated shims engineers had resort to one of two possible solutions (which have today been rendered obsolete).
| The grinding of adjustment Shims | Solid shims |
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Principle: after measuring the clearance needing to be compensated, the technician resorts to a grinding process in order to manufacture 'adjustment shims'. Disadvantage: this process is wasteful of time, money, and resources. It requires the purchase of a grinding machine, and the use of highly skilled (and costly) technicians. It also adds an extra stage to the manufacturing process. |
Principle: starting as before - and measuring the clearance needing to be compensated, technicians stack thin metal sheets, inserted with difficulty into often almost inaccessible places. Disadvantage: this method risks dangerous imprecision. Due to residual matter such as dust, grease and material chips which get in during the creation of the stack, any precision of the end result becomes very hit and miss. |
| LAMECO Solution: laminated shims |
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LAMECO offers a third solution, the superior technology-oriented solution: the Laminated Shim. Principle: precision manufactured from metals or high technology composites which have the property of being easily peelable into micro fine strips of a few hundredths of a millimeter. |
How is a laminated shim manufactured ? |
An extremely fine resin film (in the order of 0.00008” / 0.002 mm) is laid out between the material foils. A combination of enormous pressure and a prolonged thermal treatment bonds the sandwiched materials together.
By this long developed proprietary technique not only is the optimal hardening of the resin is achieved, but also the adhesive film's thickness is reduced to such proportions that it can no longer be measured.
How can I select the suitable laminated material ? |
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New to laminated shims? Or maybe just wondering which type would best meet your requirements?
There are two key issues to be born in mind:
| First factor: Maximum use temperature | Second factor: Mechanical stress |
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It should be born in mind that the special binder film is extremely fine. After thermal treatment its thickness can be virtually discounted it is so thin. But above 446°F (230°C), the binder will be destroyed. However, its disappearance does not influence in any way the continued use of the LAMECO shim. The part will continue to work until it is replaced during the maintenance disassemblies. |
You must first know what pressure and stress will be exerted on the laminated material. You must avoid situations where shim faces would be submitted to friction - there will be a risk of de-lamination unless you specify a PTFE treatment. If your parts are provided with fixation holes, the only pressure will be that exerted by the tightening of fixing screws. This is only a small pressure. In this case all LAMECO laminated materials can be used without any limitations. For all other cases, please refer to the following table. |
| Less than 302°F (150°C) / no pressure | Less than 302°F (150°C) / with pressure | More than 302°F (150°C) / no pressure | More than 302°F (150°C) / with pressure | |
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| Aluminum Pressure Resistance = 14,223 psi* (10 kg/mm2) |
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| Brass Pressure Resistance = 64,005 psi* (45 kg/mm2) |
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| INTERCOMPOSITE® Pressure Resistance = 28,446 psi* (20 kg/mm2) |
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| Stainless Steel Pressure Resistance = 99,563 psi* (70 kg/mm2) |
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| Stainless Steel SILENTLINE® Pressure Resistance = 113,786 psi* (80 kg/mm2) |
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| Steel Pressure Resistance = 120,898 psi* (85 kg/mm2) |
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| Steel SILENTLINE ® Pressure Resistance = 135,121 psi* (95 kg/mm2) |
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| X.FIBER® Pressure Resistance = 56,893 psi* (40 kg/mm2) |
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*psi = pound / square inch
Once you have taken these two factors into account, you can choose which material best suits your requirements by considering the following points:
Is LIGHTNESS a primary factor?
If weight reduction is your primary concern (for portability, or more useful carrying capacity, etc.): INTERCOMPOSITE® and X.FIBER® would be perfectly suited to your needs. They are best recommended as they are the lightest of our products. INTERCOMPOSITE® has an excellent weight/mechanical characteristic ratio whenever minimum weight and outstanding performance are demanded together.
X.FIBER® is EVEN stronger and can be used as a fine replacement for carbon or stainless steels.
An extra plus with these products is that both INTERCOMPOSITE® and X.FIBER can be easily peeled with forefinger alone - no tools required!
INTERCOMPOSITE® is not only very fast to use, but is the least expensive of all laminated materials.
Find more information on INTERCOMPOSITE® or X.FIBER®.
Does your assembly have 'DIFFICULT' shapes? CURVED profiles?
If you want to wedge on curved shapes, you have to choose INTERCOMPOSITE®. This material can be quickly and easily adapted to most curves without any loss of utility or precision. Please visit this page for more information.
Would NOISE REDUCTION prove a useful asset?
If you are inserting laminated shims into systems or machines whose operation is noisy due to considerable vibrations: choose SILENTLINE®. This laminated material, said “ silent ”, has the property of dispersing, in emission duration and amplitude, over 50% of the harmful frequencies.
SILENTLINE® is also the most resistant of LAMECO's special shims. Please visit this page for more information.
Two final hints:
Steel is best avoided in assemblies presenting a corrosion risk.
It is better to avoid aluminum, whenever productivity improvement is being sought. The peeling of aluminum is namely more delicate, therefore longer.
Bearing in mind the temperature at which the shim will be performing, the mechanical stresses exerted, the possible benefits of noise reduction, the presence of difficult curved mating surfaces, or the desirability to save weight in your final assembly should guide you to selecting the correct LAMECO laminated shim for your precise application.
Use limitation of "solid" parts |
Once the material has been set out, avoid planning said "solid" parts (or "S.P.") in strong thicknesses. For in contrast to what one would be led into thinking, by thus inserting solid parts, the shim mechanical qualities are being lowered. Moreover, the shim price is substantially increased since the shims require a delicate machining (for instance tool jumping at sliding feed). The more so as they belong to the class of special manufacturing without available stock.
Consequently, the solid part will be used only in case of special technical constraint. This notably occurs whenever it is necessary to carry out a threaded portion within the shim or chamfer thickness.
How can I order laminated shims ? |
You can use our enquiry's form here. Or you can send us an e-mail: *, or a fax, Lameco Usa: 888 317 1055 - Lameco: + 33 / (0)1 30 68 14 47*.
*Since 99% of LAMECO shims are manufactured according to our client's drawings/prints. Please provide the following details for an accurate quote:
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You can send us your information like as following:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
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| Square: | 8'' x 8'' 40 x 40 |
INTERCOMPOSITE® | Thickness: | .24 / 6 / |
.0005 0,012 |
| Rectangle: | 5'' x 7'' 50 x 70 |
SILENTLINE® | Thickness: | .3 / 8 / |
.002 0,05 |
| Washer: | 8" x 4" 30 X 10 |
Stainless Steel | Thickness: | .4 / 10 / |
.004 0,025 |
| 1 = Geometric shape | 4 = Total Thickness of shims (inches / mm) |
| 2 = Dimensions (width x length and Ø external X Ø internal) | 5 = Thickness of each lamination (inches / mm) |
| 3 = Material |
For technical support mail us at: .