Laminator Troubles

[kirsmith]

Hi there,
I am fairly new to this whole game. I got a job making decals for a pressure washing company, basically had 3 hours of training on all the machines and have been left to my own devices for the past 8 months. No one else who works here has had much experience with the machines either so it's been trial and error when something goes wrong.
The laminator here is a GBC Professional 1064WF, its old as heck, I think, and probably little to no maintenance done to it.
It is wrinkling EVERYTHING, one side will start to get loose, I turn the tension down, nothing, I turn the tension up, nothing. I cut the laminate and re-feed it and it fixes it for about 3 feet before it wrinkles again. I waste so much vinyl and laminate.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
I've gone through past posts searching for answers but no solutions have worked for me thus far

 

[SignMeUpGraphics]

The laminate looks like it's loaded crooked in those photos. How are you webbing it up?

 

[kirsmith]

The laminate is put on straight when I put on a new roll. I'm not sure what webbing means But there are two spoke like things the hold the top roll that gathers the backing up, I hammered those in quite far to the rolls and it seems to have relieved the problem temporarily.

 

[hybriddesign]

you might just cut pieces off laminate off and do each piece individually versus having the laminate come off of the roll like how you have it now. It’s a lot easier start that way and not that much slower

 

[Joe House]

Something is unbalanced. If you're sure you're loading it straight, and you start out with even tension on the laminate all the way across, then something else is crooked. Is this attached to a take-up? If so is that straight? If everything is truly straight, unload everything and slowly bring the rollers together. I'd watch the right end and when they just touch, can you still see a gap at the left end? I'm not familiar with GBC laminators, but they look "similar" to a Royal Sovereign - at least what I can see in the pictures. Also, are you sure that the laminate goes over that metal roller above the rubber roller? Generally you try to get as much contact on the rubber roller as possible and that doesn't look right to me - but as I said, I'm not familiar with GBC's.

Good Luck

 

[bigwow]

Can you take a few more photos a little further away? Trying to see how the film is loaded: 'webbing' is the path the film / backer takes.

Initial thoughts are the tension is higher on one side of the feed roll, the film isn't webbed correctly, or as SignMeUp said - the laminate isn't loaded straight.

 

[Christian @ 2CT Media]

You have that webbed wrong. Your backing paper and laminate film should pass under the silver bar and that is where it separates from the film.

 

[kirsmith]

You have that webbed wrong. Your backing paper and laminate film should pass under the silver bar and that is where it separates from the film.

Okay! Trying this now. This is how I was taught, the girl before me was taught, and I just imagine they were doing it wrong from the get go.

 

[kirsmith]

Well I'll be, I think that's what the problem was. There is only tension knobs on one side of the machine. I added pictures after I put the laminate through how suggested. It still looks loose but I havent put any vinyl through it yet

 

[brdesign]

Another possible cause is that the top roller may not be parallel to the bottom causing uneven pressure from side to side. You have to remove the side covers to access the adjustment screws.

 

[karst41]

Your rollers do not have even pressure on both sides. (Alignment probably not the best term)

Take these steps, because this is the simple method. Not factory method, it is the down and dirty method.

1. with water base pen or china marker. Make a mark on Dead center of the top roller.
You can turn on the laminator and circle the top roller. do this lightly to avoid damaging the roller.

2. Cut a 10' run of media,54" will do for a 64" model. No this is not a waste of media.
You need to make a 10' line dead nuts down the middle. Take you time, accuracy is your friend.
Save this piece It will be part of your monthly Maintenance.

Go to You tube and search for a video on aligning or adjusting the rollers on your specific model.
Typically you will adjust one side, but you threw the laminator off when you moved it into your shop.

Load your media and starting with a modest pressure one third (3 on most Royals and Seals)
Starting with a speed of 2 your media will start drifting off center slowly tighten the side that has the problem.
You will likely need to adjust the other side to help walk it in. (back and forth in tiny adjustments. Or until
the line on your roller and media stay in place. There may be a touch of oscillitation with crowned rollers
swaying back and forth.

Royal sovereigns with crowned rollers can be a nightmare. You need 3 pull scales for the RBH series as in measures
in 5 places center out...... But once close the above method is the way to go.