Lamination provides us a simple and cost effective option to add a touch of professionalism to our important documents. Like any other machine, however, laminators are also prone to several functional issues. Therefore, if you are looking to generate highest quality of laminated documents, it is important for you to be well aware of these potential issues and their solutions.
Before you start using a laminator, it makes sense to understand certain adjustments and modifications that can help you ensure optimum laminator performance.
Heat Settings Modifications:
Before you start using your laminator, always adhere to the recommended heat settings of the machine. Remember that these settings may have to be changed based on the materials you’re laminating and the film you’re using.
- If there is too much heat, the laminate produced by the laminator will be wavy because sufficient time was not available for the film to cool down. Therefore, before running more material, wait so that the laminate gets sufficient time for cooling. The temperature of the laminator can also be lowered to address this problem.
- If adequate heat is not applied or it is applied unevenly, the laminated document is likely to become cloudy or silvery. This problem can be fixed by raising the temperature to ensure that the glue gets wetted-out. Also, if you plan to use your laminator for long sessions, give enough time for the laminator to regain heat. This is important because as heat is transferred to the documents, the rollers of the machine will experience a decline in temperature.
Speed Modifications:
While purchasing your laminator, it is always better to opt for a variable-speed machine instead of a single-speed one. By changing the speed setting of laminator, you can easily regulate the quantity of heat delivered to the film.
- When your laminate is waved because of absorption of too much heat, an increase in laminator speed will fix the problem by minimising heat absorption.
- On the other hand, reducing the speed will solve the problem of silvering or cloudiness because the amount of heat absorbed by the film will increase.
This example clearly demonstrates how speed and temperature work in tandem to determine the quality of your laminated documents. Depending on the type of document you are laminating, the ideal setting can be achieved by striking a balance between speed and heat.
Tension Adjustments:
Tension setting plays an important role in lamination quality by determining how tightly the laminate gets stretched while coming out of the laminator. In order to smooth out creases, your goal should be to ensure that the right amount of tension is imparted to the film before it reaches the first set of rollers.
- Before adding your film, all the tension should be removed from the film mandrels.
- Tighten the top and bottom rollers gradually after the film is inserted to the device. If the tightening is not done evenly, the film may bow or cup while coming off the rollers.
These are just a few ways to receive high-quality laminated documents from your laminator. If you have more questions related to lamination, please feel free to contact us at RENZ Australia.