REMEMBER TO TURN BOTH THE TOP AND BOTTOM TENSION CONTROL KNOBS
THE SAME AMOUNT TO KEEP TENSION THE SAME ON TOP AND BOTTOM
ROLLS. If the film curls up or down after it leaves the machine, read the above section on
supply roll tension again and readjust the supply roll tension on both rolls.
If the tension appears balanced, but you notice waves or ripples toward the center of the web
of film as it comes out the back, the temperature may be too high or the lamination speed
may be too high for that film. These waves in the film are called "heat wrinkles". These heat
wrinkles are formed when the film has not cooled enough before coming out the back of the
machine. For the best results, the film should be cooled below melt temperature while it is
pulled tight and perfectly flat between the laminating rollers and the pull rollers. If it gets
out the back of the machine while still at or above melt temperature, heat wrinkles can form.
The major reason for fans on a laminator is to cool the film, not to cool the machine.
Remember to turn the fans
off
at the end of each laminating run.
5-5 RECOMMENDED TEMPERATURE SETTINGS
Your laminator is set at approximately 220 degrees Fahrenheit at the factory. This is the
recommended temperature setting for low-temperature 3-mil film. If you are laminating with a
different thickness of film, refer to the following table for recommended temperature settings.
Your first source of information about recommended film application temperatures and operating
characteristics should be your film suppliers. If you do not know the source of your film, or if
the supplier cannot provide the information, please use the following table as a guide.
FILM MELT TEMPERATURE CHART (ALL FAHRENHEIT)
FILM TYPE
FILM THICKNESS
1.5-1.8-mil
3 mil
5-10 mil
Monopolymer
180
°
-220
°
180
°
-220
°
180
°
-220
°
Low-temp (copolymer)
180
°
-220
°
180
°
-220
°
180
°
-220
°
Ultra-low temperature
160
°
-180
°
160
°
-180
°
160
°
-180
°
Several important notes about this chart:
1.
Your film vendor must have the primary responsibility for providing information about the
film that you are using.
2.
This chart is to serve as a general guide when better data is not available.
3.
If your film vendor cannot provide this and other information about the film you are using, it
may be difficult to achieve good results.
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