26
5-4 LAMINATING
1. If the machine is not already on and warmed up, first make sure the power cord is
firmly attached and plugged in. Set the temperature, and turn on the machine and
the heat.
2. The laminator will be ready to operate in about 15 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 F, pull some excess film off the film
supply rolls to provide slack so the film is not tight against the heat shoes while
the machine is heating. This will keep the film from melting when the laminator is
not advancing film.
3. The laminating rollers can be kept hot when the laminator is not in production by
opening both sets of rollers. Put the drive direction switch in forward and turn the
speed control to the minimum position. This allows the laminating rollers to turn and
get evenly heated while the machine is warming up. Evenly heated rollers contribute
to the quality of the lamination by eliminating possible imperfections in the finished
lamination caused by “cold spots” on the laminating rollers.
4. Position the feed guides if needed for precision feeding. You will get the best results
by centering items in the web of film.
5. 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 two turns of tension on each
knob.
6. Once the machine has come up to temperature, you are ready to make final
adjustments to the supply roll tension. With the heat ON, the rollers CLOSED, and
the safety shield DOWN, push the FORWARD button. If using 3-mil or thicker film,
also turn on the fans.
Watch the film as it passes over the heat shoes. If there is some waviness in the
film at the leading edge of both shoes, supply roll tension is perfect. The leading
edge is the top of the upper shoe and the bottom of the lower shoe, 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 waviness or wrinkling extends more than halfway into the laminating rollers,
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 shoes indicates
acceptable supply roll tension.
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