A surgical instrument includes an end effector that has a staple cartridge having staples, and an anvil including staple forming pockets. The surgical instrument further includes a firing assembly (800) movable to cause the staples to be deformed against the forming pockets. The firing assembly includes a firing member (802) having a first engagement member (810) configured to movably engage the anvil, and a second engagement member (813) configured to movable engage the staple cartridge to transition the end effector to the closed configuration. The firing assembly also includes a laminated firing bar (804) that has a first outer layer (820), a second outer layer (822), and an intermediate layer (821) sandwiched between the first outer layer and the second outer layer, wherein the intermediate layer is thicker than the first outer layer, and wherein the intermediate layer is thicker than the second outer layer.
