finally got to try my new ustech laminator

Mine turns forward too, i haven't had an issue tho. Make sure its tight, before you tape it down.. Hold on to the lam roll, and pull the backing towards you, and make it tight, no slack as you tape it down. And adjust the side knobs

 

yeah mine turns forward too. I originally had some issues with the tension knobs. I have to have the lam knob (rear) very tight and the take up knob (front) less tight than the lam knob.

 

I cant seem to get the kraft paper to be smooth. It has to be in the way I am loading it or I have to be doing something wrong? It will feed fine and about 10 yards or so it starts getting really wrinkled and makes an annoying sound.

It is just backing paper but it does have an affect on how much silvering appears through the lam because the backing paper is not consistent in all areas 54" out.

Anyone had these issues?

 

Yes we have this happen to us also, it seem to do it when you dont get the paper in straight, the longer you leave it in while not straight the worse it wrinkles. It will ruin the print if you don't straighten the paper. Also we use pipe clamps to try to hold the roll from moving side to side on the roll this helps to keep the paper straight longer.

That is the only problem we have had in the 4 months we have had ours.

 

dont even use the take up. its pointless. you can laminate with two people easy peasy or even just by yourself. i/we do it all the time. remove the ouput shelf and just go at it.

craft paper is a waste of time and money.

 

I have been looking for a solution to clamps those cheap blue plastic piles do not work at all. At least for us.

How do we insure that we have the paper in straight? I roll it underneath and try to get it as taunt as I can get it sticking it across the lam starting middle out. Wrong procedure? Better way of loading kraft?

Thanks for insuring me I am not the only one with this issue!

 

We are doing same as ProWraps.
Let it fall on the floor, we save the laminate backer to wrap finish posters, or cover the floor protect the dirt when laminate.
We feed the laminate to one side other side we trim off when it come out.

 

I can never get it to not stick to the roller. I am just not as pro I guess

 

you take that shelf with the roller OFF. you dont need it on the backside of the laminator.

 

I can see it working I never have the luxury of putting the metal chrome bar through the core with the printed material on it because that chrome bar has always been holding kraft.

I guess I should try it and see if it works. The kraft paper being 50 bucks for 500 ft is not a big deal and it does not take much time to load up. But if I can't get the wrinkling of the kraft paper to stop it will cost me prints somewhere down the line.

I called US Tech about ordering more chrome bars to free up my hands so I do not have to hold cores full of material all dang day.

 

We use a plastic "float" that has straight edges, push the paper in with the float then remove float from the back of the laminator. even this way its possible to not get it in straight.

 

I normally use a piece of corrugated plastic.

 

Pictures please.. Ive also had this problem. I only use kraft paper if im laminating a small piece, so the lam wont get caught in the rollers. For the unlaminated take up reel, i have to give it slack, or else itll start shifting on me, mostly because of the uneven winding, after letting it dry over night. For the back take up reel, i only use it with long jobs, but it works fine

 

I have owned 2 of the ustech laminators and i have to say that for the money you just cant go wrong.

As for loading the laminator I found this video a long time ago and have been doing it this way ever since (I used the feeder board before but like this method a lot more).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fF_8OQQQV0I

Hope this helps someone out I know it helped me out alot.

 

man seems like that technique takes a long time to get going.

 

with that technique and really it applies to every technique not using kraft paper. What if you do not get the prints butted up exactly behind one another to where there is a inch or two of laminate that could stick to the roller?

 

Glad it worked out for you CP Signs I know i tried several different ways then watched that video and have been doing it that way ever since.

Now I will say that I leave the laminate loaded in the laminator all the time I dont lift the rollers except to change out the roll.

As for the laminate sticking to the rollers well when you run your print through you stop with just a little bit of the vinyl sticking out (usually about a half inch or less) and I cut the print off the laminator on the back side and later when i send another print through you just push the edge of your print up under the edge of that half inch sticking out and hit the switch it grabs it and off you go.

You have to have a little bit of space at the end of your print if you want to keep the laminator loaded for future use (most printers leave at least 2 or 3 inches at the beginning of the print which is plenty).

hope that clears it up for you guys.

Try it out it really works well especially if you leave your laminator webbed up all the time.

I will not be held liable for any damage you may recieve from leaving your laminator webbed up all the time (ie the rollers smashed together)

(I have never had any problems with getting a flat spot on the rollers but I also run the laminator everyday. I have left a laminator webbed up for 2 weeks without use and still no flat spot. I recall a post here on the forum about flat spots and i know that i am not the only one who leaves the laminator always webbed. In the post the op had a flat spot on the roller but his laminator had been stored in a storage unit for almost a year. The roller was left down so between heat and that amount of time you might get a flat spot. However from my expereince if you run your laminator at least 1 time a week you should be ok.)