Advice on laminator

[artofacks1]

Is anyone using this laminator?

Is it better to get a laminator with a crank instead of the air compressor?

 

[Notarealsignguy]

I like a crank because I like to feel the tension but our table is air which is also nice and haven't had any need to adjust the roller pressure. It's harder to find the china laminators that aren't pneumatic.

 

[rjssigns]

IMO air compressor = one more thing to "F" up and added noise.

Really beginning to hate the noise in the lab. Going to start wearing ear protection. Ears are still ringing a bit from last night.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

They usually come with a small oil free compressor that is really quiet. They don't use much air either but I do agree it is easier to just plug the thing in the wall. The little hose running on the ground is what annoys me

 

[greysquirrel]

Gfp best spent money. Absolutely manual raise lower of the rollers only way to set nip accurately.

 

[Z SIGNS]

The best laminator for your shop would be a flatbed.
You can use it for other stuff too.
We have both. Rarely use the roll laminator.

Waste of time setting it up for one offs

 

[Notarealsignguy]

Gfp best spent money. Absolutely manual raise lower of the rollers only way to set nip accurately.

That's not true. There are a lot of laminators with air and electric lift. If it's adjusted right, you just have to figure out the right pressure.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

The best laminator for your shop would be a flatbed.
You can use it for other stuff too.
We have both. Rarely use the roll laminator.

Waste of time setting it up for one offs

I don't like laminating on our table. I'd always want a roll machine too but that's just me.

 

[regardstobuck]

I have owned two of the laminators like the one above. Different brands but basically the same thing. Zero issues. You do have to adjust them a bit when you get them to roll/laminate evenly… not hard to do. For the price they are hard to beat. On Friday we laminated 80 consecutive feet without issue. The heat assist is a bit of a joke. It works but has a difficult time regulating temp. Get the widest one, even if you only print 54” also the trimmer attachment is handy. just my 2cents.

 

[regardstobuck]

Also… I should say both of mine have had the crank. Not the compressor. I personally like the crank, can’t speak for the compressor style.

 

[Geneva Olson]

The best laminator for your shop would be a flatbed.
You can use it for other stuff too.
We have both. Rarely use the roll laminator.

Waste of time setting it up for one offs

curios about this flatbed. does it work as a work table as well?

 

[artofacks1]

I just can’t find the crank one, I can only find the air compressor one at the $1800 price

 

[artofacks1]

They usually come with a small oil free compressor that is really quiet. They don't use much air either but I do agree it is easier to just plug the thing in the wall. The little hose running on the ground is what annoys me

Do you know where I can find the small oil compressors ? Haven’t seen these before

 

[Notarealsignguy]

Pretty much anywhere https://www.harborfreight.com/3-gallon-13-hp-110-psi-oil-free-hotdog-air-compressor-57572.html

 

[truckgraphics]

We have a Chinese made laminator similar to the one shown by the OP. It has worked great right out of the box. Well, we did have to find instructions for it online as they weren't included, but it was simple enough.

You only need the air compressor to change rolls of laminate. That is, the compressor is used to lift the top roller. There are no real adjustments that I know of and none have been needed.

We use a $35 Harbor Freight compressor with a 3 gallon tank and it works fine. It's lightweight, so great for airing up your vehicle tires too!

 

[whatsinaname]

Pneumatic or electrical laminators, which one of these give better finish and easier to operate?

 

[MarkSnelling]

curios about this flatbed. does it work as a work table as well?

Hi Geneva - The flatbed "applicator" tables are awesome for sheet laminating (not as good as a roller laminator, though!), mounting prints to boards, premasking, and applying cut vinyl to substrates. When you aren't using the roller to apply things, it is a giant worktable with a light and a cutting mat surface. They are wildly productive. I'd happily send you a quote for a unit if you have interest.

The key to flatbed laminators, though, is knowing they aren't really 'laminators' as much as they are 'applicators'. Yes..they will laminate, but the pressure isn't really all there to get flawless application....and if you had to run 150 feet of prints, it would be a huge pain in the ass vs. a roll laminator.

 

[MarkSnelling]

Having worked for Seal for most of my career, we came out with hand crank systems simply to take a ton of cost out. At first, I wasn't a fan...but you can really fine-tune the pressure which is nice...After a few weeks of using one, I was pretty sold. The drawback is it is very difficult to reset the nip if the rollers get out of parallel.

I've stated a few times on this forum that the last place you want to be cheap on is with a laminator. If you buy the right one, you'll use it for 10-20 years. It will far outlast anything in your shop other than a Gerber Edge. There's nothing more unproductive than screwing a print up at the last stage in your shop. GFP machines are solid, but they don't last as long as Kala or Seal units do (or if you really want to spend a lot of money, an AGL).