laminator.
Temperatures over 300
°
F are not needed except with 1.5 mil film. Film that
is 3 mil or thicker is generally run at 280
°
F or less.
5-6 Preventing and Solving Problems
Please read this section before you have a problem.
Problem:
Wrinkling of the material as it goes into the laminating rollers. This problem
usually occurs when laminating an item that has been folded, rolled, bent or wrinkled.
Solutions:
Make sure the leading edge of the item being laminated is laying flat and is
inserted parallel to the laminating rollers.
It is sometimes essential to smooth out an item as it passes over the feed table and
through the rollers to ensure an even lamination without wrinkles. Smooth from the
center of the item, back toward the trailing edges. Once the item starts to feed, you may
also pull back and to the sides on the corners of the trailing edge.
If material has been rolled up, take the curl out of it on a table edge before laminating. If
some curl remains, it may be helpful to insert the item with the curl down so the leading
edge is pressed against the feed tray until just before the nip.
Problem:
Wrinkling of the film around the material being laminated.
Solution:
This is normal and inevitable on any laminator, especially with thicker
material. These wrinkles will be trimmed away with the scrap, so they do not affect
appearance. Because the rollers are being held apart by the paper or cardboard, they
cannot pull equally on the plastic around the paper. This creates wrinkles that tend to
look like the bow waves of a boat, radiating out through the clear part of the web from
the sheet of material.
Problem:
When two pieces of material are laminated side by side, the plastic adheres to
one piece but not the other.
Solution:
To get maximum efficiency from the film rolls, you can feed several items
into the laminator side by side. However, wrinkling can occur if these items are of
unequal thickness, because the laminating rollers are lifted off the thinner items by the
thicker items. When laminating items side by side, it is important to arrange them so that
the thickness is the same.
Problem:
Wrinkling of the plastic on a laminated piece of material.
Solutions:
Make sure you have enough supply roll tension to take the wrinkles out of the
film before it gets past the heat shoes (see 5-4 laminating).
