5-4 LAMINATING (With Roll Film)
1.
If the machine is not already on and warmed up, first make sure the power cord is attached
and plugged in. Set the temperature and turn on the machine and the heat. Set the mode
switch for “ROLL”.
2.
The laminator will be ready to operate in about 30 minutes.
WARNING: Never permit the temperature to exceed 310º Fahrenheit while film is
threaded and the laminator is not running. The film could disintegrate and require
cleaning and rethreading of the machine. When it is necessary to laminate at temperatures
in excess of 310º
⎯
such as for poster board when using 1.5 mil film
⎯
pull some excess
film off the film supply rolls to provide slack so the film is not tight against the heat rollers
while the machine is heating. This will keep the film from melting when the laminator is
not advancing film.
3.
Check and balance the supply roll tension on both rolls. Start by loosening both knobs until
there is no pressure on the springs. Tighten each knob until it just begins to press on its
spring. For a preliminary adjustment, put three or four turns of tension on each knob.
4.
Once the machine has come up to temperature, you are ready to make final adjustments of
the supply roll tension. With the heat ON, the rollers CLOSED, and the safety shield
DOWN and LOCKED, push the DRIVE SWITCH FORWARD . If using 3-mil or thicker
film, also turn on the fans.
Watch the film as it passes over the heat rollers. If there is some waviness in the film at the
leading edge of both rollers, supply roll tension is perfect. The leading edge would be the
top of the top roller and the bottom of the bottom roller, the edges that first contact the film.
If there is no waviness in the film at all, there is too much supply roll tension. Loosen both
knobs a small amount and check again.
If the waviness or wrinkling extends into the laminating nip, tension needs to be increased.
Always keep the amount of tension the same on both rolls. Waviness, which extends across
10 to 30 percent of the rollers, indicates acceptable supply roll tension.
5.
When starting the machine to begin lamination, let at least 6-8 inches of film go through the
rollers before inserting the items to be laminated. This takes out slack in the film and
removes the cooler strip of film that forms just in front of the nip when the laminator is hot
but film is not being advanced. This also removes any areas of film with excess adhesive
that may have pooled just beneath the heated rollers.
Examine the film coming out the back of the machine. If bubbles or wrinkles appear in the
film, this means there is not enough tension to draw the film tight and smooth over the heat
rollers. Turn the tension control knobs clockwise to increase the tension.
If the film is stretching, and gets narrower as it goes across the rollers, supply roll tension is
much too high, and the temperature setting may also be too high for that film. Film that is
1.5-mil thickness requires very little tension.
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