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Is our laminator "worn out"? Need feedback! Royal Sovereign

MarkH42

New Member
Bubbles and issues on thicker substrates!
We have two cold laminators and they both have play in the top roller that I'm not sure should be there. They are:
1.) Royal Sovereign RSC-1650C
2.) GBC-1064WF

We are mounting black vinyl on a 1/4" thick piece of glass and we are getting bubbles. My key production employee believes it is simply a lack of force. The laminator will not apply enough physical pressure to "push out the bubbles". It is "worn out". He routinely sets the machine for a lower thickness than the actual substrate for mounting or laminating. More force is better, according to him. Here is my question. When you set your laminator on it's thickest setting (1/2"?), or even next to thickest setting, grab the top roller and lift. Our roller moves up 3/16" or so on both sides. You can move it up and down, but once it goes up, it is solidly in place. Removing the end cap, you can see there is some play there when the roller is moved up and down with your hands. When you get to the tighter settings, the play is gone. Is this normal? The exact same thing is happening with the GBC laminator, leading me to believe this is the way they all work and our problem is with differential pressure or a roller issue (just had this one recoated.) Could it be that both of these machines have some wear and this play developed over time and is actually the cause of our problems? The thicker the material, the more likely we are to have issues, it seems. I am hoping a few good samaritans out there might be willing to do this experiment and will share the results. This is driving us nuts and I feel like it is a matter of smooth, even pressure and NOT a matter of more force always being better. I just need to confirm if our machine is behaving as it should and we just need to take more time to calibrate the pressure. Thanks in advance for your input!
 

karst41

New Member
You need to adjust the top roller.

RS sent a guy out to adjust my 6500. Cost was like $195
Are you kidding me? That was Cheap!

Here is how to do it if you make the pull scale then a Luggage scale like the one in the video is $7 but you need to attach a 2"x12" stainless steel strap that is
0.03" Cheapest you will find that on ebay is $48.
or you can order the Pull scale from a RS dealer like Grimco for $115

Loosen the Lock Nut !

Or use a 8' piece of paper and put an even blue line down the middle
using a grease pencil put a blue line on the center of the top roller.
now run the laminator and adjust the pressure on either side to correct the drift.

When satisfied close the nip to a reading of 3 and let the laminator (unloaded) run for a couple of minutes. the recheck the drift. If good then you are done.
 

JulieS

New Member
Just offering this as something to try...
Our Royal Sovereign is ancient, and recently started having bad problems with bubbles on one side. We discovered that there was a tiny screw that was kind of loose. It seems to control the evenness of pressure across the rollers when the top roller is lowered. I'm not real sure WHY it works, but it has helped more than once.

upload_2020-8-4_10-22-13.png
 

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greysquirrel

New Member
you do no need "force" to laminate. The weight of the rollers is heavy enough. Two issues...one its a horrible design. You have a lever that adjusts to set heights. Your material will never be at these heights. A wheel that adjusts the nip precisely is always better...Kala, GFP incorporate this style. It does not matter what you run through these, your height will always be perfect.
And if your operator has been using more force as you say, now your roller height needs to be re-calibrated...
 

AndytheAussie

New Member
I have no connection with either company but sign shops I have spoken to with similar laminating issues have told me all problems go away when they install a Rollover applicator. I think even RS sell them now. Laminators wear out and like car engines, the tolerances go awry and you are forever spending on service. Rollovers are made in Norway with Scandinavian obsession. Take a deep breath, smile at your money broker and get one. You will never look back.
 

MarkH42

New Member
For the record, we have a calibrator and we frequently calibrate the pressure side to side. The tightening of the small allen screw is good advice and I will do that. The Rollover applicator is also probably a good suggestion. I will look into that. Nobody commented on whether they could grab their top roller when it is in the open position and lift, and it moves up almost 1/4". Would anyone be willing to go try that? As always, I really appreciate the help. This forum is very helpful and I am always amazed how many people are willing to help a stranger.
 

SignMeUpGraphics

Super Active Member
We have the heat assist version of the same laminator. The top roller moves easily 1/4"-1/2" upwards in the open position and we don't have any bubbling issues.
We typically nip the roller down until it rests on the substrate, then lock it down one position tighter.
 

karst41

New Member
Just offering this as something to try...
Our Royal Sovereign is ancient, and recently started having bad problems with bubbles on one side. We discovered that there was a tiny screw that was kind of loose. It seems to control the evenness of pressure across the rollers when the top roller is lowered. I'm not real sure WHY it works, but it has helped more than once.

View attachment 148272

Kudos for making that find!
 

RexHavoc

New Member
You need to adjust the top roller.

RS sent a guy out to adjust my 6500. Cost was like $195
Are you kidding me? That was Cheap!

Here is how to do it if you make the pull scale then a Luggage scale like the one in the video is $7 but you need to attach a 2"x12" stainless steel strap that is
0.03" Cheapest you will find that on ebay is $48.
or you can order the Pull scale from a RS dealer like Grimco for $115

Loosen the Lock Nut !

Or use a 8' piece of paper and put an even blue line down the middle
using a grease pencil put a blue line on the center of the top roller.
now run the laminator and adjust the pressure on either side to correct the drift.

When satisfied close the nip to a reading of 3 and let the laminator (unloaded) run for a couple of minutes. the recheck the drift. If good then you are done.
I built my own gage with the scale, and a strip of retractable banner material with a grommet - works like a charm. I epoxied a bent clip on the bottom to hold against the machine.
 
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