Need Help GBC Laminator - Two huge air pockets down center on Max Metal

[AllStarNow]

Hey guys, I don't have as much experience with laminators as I do with the other equipment here. Our laminator is pretty old, so I don't know if that has anything to do with what's happening, but this just started and has never happened before. The laminator is working fine for vinyl, but we ran some max metal rider signs for a real estate company through that are about 6 inches tall no issues. I then started running the 4' x 4' max metal signs and I have two huge air pockets running down the center about 2 inches wide a piece and about 6 inches apart. I have adjusted the top roller before and tried tightening it up a bit. Do I need to tighten it more to resolve this situation? Or was the roller ruined by running the riders through? What's odd is that vinyl is still coming out ok and this is only on the thicker metal substrate.

 

[Steenland]

Are you using the laminator to apply printed vinyl to the max metal blanks? If so, did you have the entire sheet of vinyl applied to the metal before feeding it through the laminator? The preferred method is to peel back just an inch or two of the vinyl liner, then stick the leading edge of the vinyl to the leading edge of the metal, then peel off the liner while holding up the back edge of the vinyl as you feed it through the rollers.

A photo might help us figure out what's happening.

 

[WYLDGFI]

The max metal from Grimco isnt always extruded flat and can have low spots. I would have to say that is your likely cause without seeing photos. Its bitten us in the past as well.

 

[AllStarNow]

The max metal from Grimco isnt always extruded flat and can have low spots. I would have to say that is your likely cause without seeing photos. Its bitten us in the past as well.

I'm thinking this is probably the cause. It is Max Metal Brand from Grimco, it happened on both the DP - Digitally Printable and the regular version of the metal. I will let my sales rep know. I'll post a pic of a spare piece I haven't ran yet later to visualize the issue.