Kala mistral 1650 heat settings

[MarkSnelling]

So my tension on the laminate was at minimum but the tension on my print was at maximum. So it could be the culprit.

You're telling me, my temperature should be at 140f and the pressure only at 1 on a kala mistral 1650 for a calendared laminate/vinyl printed with a latex printer ? In my training I was told that all laminate should be at maximum (5). When I do premask, I set it at 4 (no heat). With my tension at minimum I still have some good tension when I pull on the laminate film.

I really appreciate your help and input on the subject.

LESS IS MORE....less tension, less pressure, less overthinking.

The more pressure you apply, the more the middle of the roller will 'deflect' or bow up. This is particularly important when mounting or laminating onto a rigid substrate. With too much pressure you'll start to see inconsistencies down the middle of the print (air bubbles/silvering). Most people have the natural reaction to apply more pressure thinking that will help with the silvering....but it makes it worse because you are bowing the roller even more. By reducing pressure, you actually increase the pressure down the middle.

As for the temperature...if you have an older UV printer, run it closer to 140 since the texture of those larger UV drops of ink really play in the laminating process. Most of the newer printers fire a much smaller dot and it isn't as much of an issue. 120 is always a good number. If you see small air gaps along the tail edge of ink, then try increasing the temperature to make the adhesive as soft as possible.

Good luck! As always, you are more than welcome to call to chat about it.

 

[MarkSnelling]

So my tension on the laminate was at minimum but the tension on my print was at maximum. So it could be the culprit.

You're telling me, my temperature should be at 140f and the pressure only at 1 on a kala mistral 1650 for a calendared laminate/vinyl printed with a latex printer ? In my training I was told that all laminate should be at maximum (5). When I do premask, I set it at 4 (no heat). With my tension at minimum I still have some good tension when I pull on the laminate film.

I really appreciate your help and input on the subject.

LESS IS MORE....less tension, less pressure, less overthinking.

The more pressure you apply, the more the middle of the roller will 'deflect' or bow up. This is particularly important when mounting or laminating onto a rigid substrate. With too much pressure you'll start to see inconsistencies down the middle of the print (air bubbles/silvering). Most people have the natural reaction to apply more pressure thinking that will help with the silvering....but it makes it worse because you are bowing the roller even more. By reducing pressure, you actually increase the pressure down the middle.

As for the temperature...if you have an older UV printer, run it closer to 140 since the texture of those larger UV drops of ink really play in the laminating process. Most of the newer printers fire a much smaller dot and it isn't as much of an issue. 120 is always a good number. If you see small air gaps along the tail edge of ink, then try increasing the temperature to make the adhesive as soft as possible.

Good luck! As always, you are more than welcome to call to chat about it.

 

[MarkSnelling]

So my tension on the laminate was at minimum but the tension on my print was at maximum. So it could be the culprit.

You're telling me, my temperature should be at 140f and the pressure only at 1 on a kala mistral 1650 for a calendared laminate/vinyl printed with a latex printer ? In my training I was told that all laminate should be at maximum (5). When I do premask, I set it at 4 (no heat). With my tension at minimum I still have some good tension when I pull on the laminate film.

I really appreciate your help and input on the subject.

 

[MarkSnelling]

Sorry for the response being listed five times. When I responded it said there was an error uploading my message so I tried it again a few times and apparently they all posted.