Seal 62S - Problem Laminating long vinyl prints

[MikeyG]

Hi there!
I'm relatively new to printing vinyl for signage, and I'm having problems laminating long prints without getting wrinkling!
I'm using a Seal 62S laminator to laminate Hexis VL3000 monomeric vinyl (which has been printed using an HPL26500(L260) latex printer) with Hexis V650 monomeric laminate.

Every time I laminate something over a couple of metres in length (sometimes even less!) I get the dreaded wrinkling of the print towards the middle.

I've tried lowering and increasing the roller pressure, but still get the wrinkles!
I"m sure there must be a way to feed long prints in from the roller that is underneath the in-feed table? I can't seem to find a guide for using that one anywhere...

Can anyone talk me through what I SHOULD be doing, or direct me towards an online guide?

I've got a 30m roll to laminate soon, and frankly, I'm having sleepless nights worrying about it!!

Thanks in advance!

 

[rjssigns]

We run an RS and used to have "issues".
One thing you must have is a leading edge absolutely square to the sides of the material. A freehand cut edge will cause nothing but grief.
Another is to get it fed in square and flat.
Many issues are caused by the initial feed.

For short runs I put my fingers to the left and right margins and put a slight tension on the material so it lays flat. On longer runs I put two layers of two inch masking tape on the leading edge and one underneath.(again on a dead straight edge) The masking tape will make the material flat.

It also gives a visual cue to how straight you're feeding material to the nip.(get it started and sight down from the right or left side) Best part is if it's crooked you can back it out since laminate will not stick to masking tape.

For long runs I set up my Rube Goldberg infeed device. Full rolls go through with 6mm drift.

 

[Gman75]

Laminating long rolls

You should've got some basic training
from the dealers you purchased it from.
That advise is correct. Making sure you have a straight edge is
Important and that when you lower the roll down that it's sitting
flat. Some of the things I do to achieve this is I use a large square
to cut the edge. Also I use a 48" heavy metal ruler close to the edge
to flatten the vinyl down. And also to make sure the leading edge is fed
straight into the laminator I draw a straight line on the bottom roller
with a marker to use as a guide. I use the metal edge of the laminator
With a marker pressing against the roller to draw my straight guide line.
You also need a feeding system. I use 2 car jack stands to hold the media take up
Roll in place as the machine feeds off of it. Also making sure you don't have any
wrinkles in the lam film before you start. Tension really helps with this as well
as heat assist will help you stretch out the wrinkles. But once you get going less tension is better than too much.
Maybe you tube can also help demo this process for you.