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Cold laminator or heat assisted laminator?

M

Markus

New Member
Hi,
Im new to this forum. Great forum by the way!
Im a professional freestyle snocross rider from Sweden.
Been designing all sort of stuff for years. Starting up a new business for making my own sled wraps.
My budget is 25,000-30,000 dollars.
I know the whole story from design - to putting the wrap on.
Just have some minor questions...

Thinking about Kala starter cold laminator, but will that thing do the work smooth? or should I have a heat assisted laminator?

Thankful for some advice.
 
WB

WB

New Member
Heat assisted all the way. I wouldn't buy a cold laminator unless I was using it for mounting.
 
WB

WB

New Member
Heat assisted all the way. I wouldn't buy a cold laminator unless I was using it for mounting.
 
rjssigns

rjssigns

Active Member
We run a 65" cold RS. Never any issues with silvering. Maybe I'm lucky?

If I was to get a lam with heat it would not be heat assist. I'd get the full blown heated rig which opens up a whole world of laminates and capabilities. Why go half way?
 
K

kanini

New Member
Especially if you're using thick laminates (as I assume you will do with sled wraps) heat assist will help to get better finish. If you have the possibiliy to go with heat assist I'd definately would recommend it! Good luck!
 
T

Tony McD

New Member
Cold only here...and no problems with silvering.
If you're getting silvering, might be too light on pressure.

Got a Big Squeegee a few weeks ago, so I'm pretty new at using it.
Do get some silvering with it, but it's gone the next morning.

We had a Seal laminator where I used to work, but was only used for paper prints, not vinyl.
The hot laminate cost a lot less, but pretty sure it was for paper only, not sticky like cold laminate.
Had to let this machine warm up for a few minutes with the rollers turning to get the heat even.
And let the rollers run while cooling down also.

If everything is set up right with the laminator, I wouldn't think you would need any heat.
Looks like heat might allow the laminate to stretch. Not much of a worry with cast, but
wouldn't want the added stress on the calendared.
Heat might be a big help with the heavier laminates.

If you were laminating a lot of paper prints....definately look at a hot one.
 
Ponto

Ponto

New Member
Using the Convex media and laminate combo,.... correct me (please) if I'm wrong but quite certain that the specs require "cold" lamination..........hmmmmmmmmmmm........JP
 
A

AF

New Member
Heat preferred. Kala looks like a nice unit, but AGL is the best. Big Squeegee is good place to start.
 
G

GMS Product Manager

New Member
The term hot vs. cold laminates imply a big difference. Hot laminates are usually a combo of polyester and polyethylene and are heated in the range of 200-400°F. They melt to your print and generally don't have psa. Convex and other vinyls should be used with a cold laminator. That is not to say you shouldn't use heat assist if you have it. Heat assist will help the psa soften and smooth out the tiny air bubbles (silvering).

We sell a "Sign Master" by Ledco, that has heat assist on the top roller and opens wide for think mounting jobs. But be careful not to go above 110°F, you could stretch the laminate. If you do, it will curl like a potato chip, so back off on the heat and possibly the drag. Silvering will go away on most porous products like vinyl. So if it's not in the budget, I wouldn't quit the game. Silvering is also caused by laminating too fast. It is caused when the laminate is releasing from the liner. Poly liners prevent silvering, but generally increase the price of the laminate. If you are buying quality products like Convex and Pro-Shield, you are on the right track.

You can always e-mail us for help.
Douglas Goodloe
Product Manager
Graphic Marking Systems
 
A

Asuma01

New Member
Silvering goes away on its own after a week or two.
We bought a laminator with heat. It ended up being more of a pain then a help.
 
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