55" Laminators

[Tim Aucoin]

Curious as to why you rule out the used equipment market. This one, for example, is located a reasonable drive from you, is under your budget, and would probably meet your needs for many years.

I'd love to purchase that laminator if only I lived a little closer to the seller! Shipping would kill me!

 

[signage]

Shipping would kill me!

Tim you love to travel Fly down pick it up and drive back :Big Laugh

 

[The Big Squeegee]

Always mount dry with the Big Squeegee!

Ok I guess I will do a self laminate for now with the big squeegee. Also my dealer said I should start with Frog Juice until I can get a laminator. Have you guys used that?

It does not apply enough pressure to get a fluid out from under the vinyl.

 

[Mike F]

+1 on royal sovereign. Have a 1650 here with heat assist, and with feeder and rear media take up. Have laminated 60" width around 20 metres non stop, with only around 10mm drift. Doing around 5-10 metres is no longer a pain (it used to be and I have screwed up a few jobs in the learning process).

I'd like to know why so many screw ups on your model Terremoto. Does it start off ok then starts to buckle? or is it bad from the start?

To be fair, it took a little while learning the tricks, but a laminator is a lot more about technique than features. I think you could also have difficulty with a Seal if you didn't know how to use it properly/till you got used to it.

If you go for the RS though, if you do any jobs longer than a couple of metres long, then I highly recommend the feeder and rear take up - or else you'll go crazy.

+1 on all of this, we've got the RSH-1651 and I love it. Been using it a lot lately for mounting and it really saves a lot of time compared to doing things by hand. My only regrets are that we didn't get a feeder and rear take up, and that we didn't get the 1650 with the heat assist instead. I haven't even used it hot yet, and don't know if I ever will, and it gets too hot to set it on the lowest setting for a heat assist. Then again, I'm not the one who paid for it, so I can't really complain much. On the plus side, the guard they stuck on the front to keep you from getting your fingers too close to the heated rollers works great as a sort of "guide" for making sure prints are on flat before they hit the rollers when you're mounting.

Definitely more about technique and knowledge of how the machine works as opposed to the machine itself as well, I wasted a fair amount of laminate when I first started using it but I've got everything down pretty good now. There's still a little bit of waste loading/switching rolls, or getting the laminate to go down smoothly if it's been sitting loaded for a few days, but I think that's to be expected with almost any laminator.

 

[mofire]

we have the roland vp540i and got a diage(recommended by the sales rep) and regretted getting that from day one. never had so many problems, wasted material, wasted time etc!
trust me from experience, do not get a cheap laminator, it will cost you more in the long run! find the extra $ and get a decent laminator, you won't regret it for a second!

I agree. Same boat. Mine fell apart and fell apart. Now cost more to fix since it's out of warranty.

 

[ProColorGraphics]

Check this site out: http://www.bestdgi.com/products-onl...ldvt&ustmodel=USTECH VT Series COLD&region=US

These laminators work amazingly good for how cheap they are. I highly recommend them.

 

[Salmoneye]

Again I will agree with Pro Color Graphics. My laminator from best DGI is working like a clock. I just ran 56' of 54" wide material with no backing paper and as usual, perfect. I have yet to wrinkle even one print (knock on wood) and it was less than $2.5k I can't imagine that you would ever need more. We might even buy another so we can have 2 sizes or types of lam loaded at once. I know that I sound like a sales guy but I am really impressed with this machine.

 

[cartoad]

Bite the bullet and get a good laminator, used may be a good choice, just be sure and look it over carefully. We have a GBC Titan, in 5 years have now only ruined 2 items,
both my fault. We started with the Diage and were so frustrated that I wanted to throw it out the back door, instead we started using it to mount prints, vinyl on just about anything, would not be without it now as a mounting tool! Also have the big squeege, but never got the hang of it.

 

[FatCat]

Another vote for the Master (Worf) series laminators. I bought the 65" AK series cold laminator earlier this year and have used it to laminate multiple box truck wraps and other large projects. I did ruin a few prints when I first got it until I learned how to set the pressure correctly - but I would guess this could happen to all laminators. For the money, it's hard to beat for a small shop who doesn't laminate 6-8 hours per day.

 

[Speedsterbeast]

This is good reading.
I'm in the same boat as the OP and pretty much set on the AK 55" series from Master. Under 2.5M shipped to my door taxes inc.

 

[HulkSmash]

Because I've read that many used laminators have cuts, bumps, rough edges, etc from people messing them up, cutting the rollers. Meaning is a piece of junk.

I'd buy a used cutter, and maybe a good used printer, but never a laminator.

The lam. that fred linked is a great machine. We have one just like it. Never have issues at all. You can EASILY see if its in good condition or not before making a decision.... ignorance is bliss...

 

[petesign]

I am still using my Daige, after almost two years. It still gives me fits sometimes. Last week I ruined about 16 liner feet of IJ180cv3 and cast laminate, which was not a good way to start the day..

I am looking for something else, and the USTech that was listed there has got my attention. I would like to hear some more people who have one give some honest opinions. So far, I have heard only positive things. Going from a screw on either side to set pressure to one crank to ensure even pressure sounds great. Uneven pressure ruins 99% of the prints that I ruin with my daige, followed by being off track on long prints.

I looked at a used Seal 54 base... and am still negotiating on it, the heat assist sounds like its a great thing, and i like how the seal does not allow you to put too much pressure.. turn that crank all you want, it never gets any tighter... I need a dummy proof machine

Guess I should have decided to go to the SGIA in New Orleans next weekend.

It would have just led to...

 

[Suz]

FatCat,
What does the "worf" mean in comparison to the same name brand laminators without the "worf" (?) Just curious as I'm very interested in buying one. Thanks for your help!

 

[rushworks graphics]

petesign....get the new seal el 54"......thats what we got after the diage........i swear it will be the best bit of equipement in your shop.......i love it, extremly dummy proof(thankfully)...and is a breeze to use. DO..IT....DO..IT...DO..IT...!!! lol...

 

[FatCat]

I am still using my Daige, after almost two years. It still gives me fits sometimes. Last week I ruined about 16 liner feet of IJ180cv3 and cast laminate, which was not a good way to start the day..

I am looking for something else, and the USTech that was listed there has got my attention. I would like to hear some more people who have one give some honest opinions. So far, I have heard only positive things. Going from a screw on either side to set pressure to one crank to ensure even pressure sounds great. Uneven pressure ruins 99% of the prints that I ruin with my daige, followed by being off track on long prints.

I looked at a used Seal 54 base... and am still negotiating on it, the heat assist sounds like its a great thing, and i like how the seal does not allow you to put too much pressure.. turn that crank all you want, it never gets any tighter... I need a dummy proof machine

Guess I should have decided to go to the SGIA in New Orleans next weekend.

It would have just led to...

Pete, the US Tech is not a "dummy proof" machine. However, once you get the hang of it it's really simple. (I just ran two 4x16' pieces through it earlier this week with no issues.) Basically when laminating you only want to use the weight of the top roller itself, which is like 150 lbs. Tweaking the knobs tighter only results in the film twisting/wrinkling through the machine.

Again, I'm not saying it's better than a Seal - just saying for the money it does a great job. Especially for a small shop that doesn't have the workload or $6-$12k to blow on a name brand full-feature laminator.

 

[rushworks graphics]

we couldn't get 2-3 ft on our diage before it screwed everything up.....had 2 techs out, had it exchanged for a new one, had parts replaced, spoke to the company owner............

first time i used the seal i ran 130ft non stop, not one issue, no training, apart from looking at the seal website videos............speaks for itself!

 

[FatCat]

FatCat,
What does the "worf" mean in comparison to the same name brand laminators without the "worf" (?) Just curious as I'm very interested in buying one. Thanks for your help!

I dunno - the model name is WORF AK-600.

Just google US TECH LAMINATOR and it will get you there.

 

[Suz]

Thanks FatCat.

 

[Doc Zoom]

Just ordered an USTech TX600H laminator with heat assist, will let you know how it works! Thanks for all the feedback! Made my decision much easier!
Just waiting for my L25500 to show up and then the fun begins!
I'm glad to be a part of the Signs 101 family! You all see so helpful!
Greg