Laminating Issue

[DrunknMonk]

Hi All I've been doing laminating now for the last 7 or 8 years, but I hate it, i can never get it to perfect, no sure if its a cheap laminator (NeoLam 1650/E) is the problem or cheap materials, or to do with heat or to cold in the factory, I run every job cold, some jobs i laminate on to a board if its not on a roll, and some jobs are say 7/8 m long so just roll them up and feed them by hand, I get a lot of the material with like a wave marks in the material (on the finished job) after say 4/5 mtrs dont know if it is stretching / slipping ?, I see this a lot to (see pict) I've tried more tension and tried less but not sure what it is, it only seam to happen on one side, please can you help. Also do I have the material set right it does go over the the silver bar and not under it ?

thanks Gary

 

[DrunknMonk]

sry if I have put it in the wrong section, if so please can someone move it

 

[AF]

Either the material wasn't webbed correctly or the machine has crowned rollers that are worn.

 

[Z SIGNS]

All roll to roll laminators are a PIA.

The vendors who sell the printing machines and laminators are misleading you the uninformed and un educated new-be.

If you are a small shop doing one off prints I think the best laminator is a flatbed like a Rolls Roller.
They pay for themselves in short time.

Imagine perfect lamination each and every time with no set up,no feeding, no waste, no adjusting tension,no changing media,no etc.etc.etc.

I am sure there are vendors out there reading this but I doubt if you will hear a peep from them.

If you are doing miles of print lam at time use a roll to roll laminator.

If you are doing one offs like most people here a flat bed is no brainer.

But don't take my word for it I may be suffering from the long tern effects of handling rolls of vinyl and PVC sheets.

 

[klingsdesigns]

Can you post a picture of the whole machine. I think you have it fed it there wrong. At least on my machine the backing is the only thing going on that metal rod.

 

[ChicagoGraphics]

It looks like you have it threaded wrong, like said above the backing paper should be over the chrome roller

 

[DrunknMonk]

ty all, so the laminate should go under the metal bar with the backing sheet, so then the backing sheet is the only thing to touching the bar ?

 

[DrunknMonk]

is this a good way to load up a laminator ?

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

thanks gary

 

[Laminatorstress]

Similar issues

I just sent back a GBC Arctic Titan which was producing similar results. After a few days of thinking that I was setting it up wrong and a few grand in wasted materials, I found that the rollers were not gripping evenly. I used a flash light and to see if there were any visible gaps. On the left side, no light was visible through the rollers, on the right side, the light was visible even on its highest pressure setting.

These laminators don't let you adjust the pressure on one side (which is normally a good thing) so I sent it back.

I would set it up correctly and I would start going through but after 3-4 feet wrinkles, waves etc started appearing.

I would start with the assumption that the problem is with the machine or the material first. This way, you won't waste a lot of money in destroyed materials while you figure it out. If the machine is fine and the material is suitable for laminating, then move onto user error.

This type of issue can also be cause by uneven tension on the top or bottom rolls, too much tension in one or both, or too little tension. It can also be caused by loading the material at an angle instead of straight, using different sized top and bottom material, having too much pressure on the rollers or laminating dissimilar substrates where the difference in thickness is too great.
Also, if the laminate is rolled too loosely on its tube, then it can get pulled in unevenly and.....

In my experience (which I'll admit is limited), any of the above issues can cause those waves but it is most likely to be something that drags the print to one side (like uneven roller pressure).

As the other member said, roll laminating is a real PIA and just about any mistake can ruin your material. I find that some laminates are less forgiving that others. Specifically, thin laminates that have a thick release liner, are almost impossible to use on some cheaper machines.

I am sure that I used to have more hair before I started laminating!

 

[mrugen]

Maintenance of Laminators

Like all shop equipment, a laminator must be maintained and cared for. Rollers do get out of parallel and pressure needs to be adjusted. Depending on the maker, they should offer you a service contract or some sort of one off service maintenance. Adjustments typically are needed after a machine is about 2-4 years old depending on how much it is used. Cheap machines may not be worth the effort however. I you consider anther laminator, AGL, SEA or GBC are pretty good choices.

In addition, webbing ANY laminator correctly is critical to good results.