optically clear laminate

[Geneva Olson]

does anyone have any tips or tricks on optically clear laminate that has a plastic liner running it through your laminator? it was really slippery on the roll and wasn't wanting to roll onto the roll like laminate with a paper liner....(did that make sense?)

 

[JBurton]

(did that make sense?)

Not really... Are you meaning when you load it initially?

 

[unclebun]

we don't handle the plastic liner laminates any differently from paper liner laminates. Have no trouble at all. In fact, we find it easier to cut the laminate and not cut the liner with them.

 

[weyandsign]

I duct tape the liner onto the wind up reel if that's what you mean

 

[Christian @ Visual Graphx]

Do you just tension roll your waste liner on the the take up roll?

If so, you may need to make a couple loops of tape (Sticky side out) and place it on the take up core. Then manually roll the waste on to it for a few feet until tension can build and it stops slipping. If we are trashing the core with the liner on it, then we use banner tape to hold the laminate liner waste.

 

[JBurton]

we find it easier to cut the laminate and not cut the liner with them.

You mean the other way around, right? Easier to cut the liner without cutting the laminate?
If not, why would you do such a thing?

 

[unclebun]

You mean the other way around, right? Easier to cut the liner without cutting the laminate?
If not, why would you do such a thing?

Yes. Cut the liner

 

[Geneva Olson]

ok I'll clarify.
I taped the plastic liner to the core. When the vinyl (in this case window perf) goes through the laminator, the plastic liner that is attached with tape to the core is still slippery and doesn't seem to want to wind like the paper liners do. This is actually the first time I have used a plastic lined optically clear laminate and it likes to slip on the roll. Like there's no tension.

 

[Geneva Olson]

Do you just tension roll your waste liner on the the take up roll?

If so, you may need to make a couple loops of tape (Sticky side out) and place it on the take up core. Then manually roll the waste on to it for a few feet until tension can build and it stops slipping. If we are trashing the core with the liner on it, then we use banner tape to hold the laminate liner waste.

that's what i needed to know! thanks. I used it for the window perf that I had and then took it off. i'll try banner tape on the next run.

 

[unclebun]

That makes no sense. If the liner is taped to the takeup reel, by definition it has to go around with the takeup reel unless it's coming untaped. We just use ordinary masking tape and it works just fine. My employee who does most of the laminating says he usually just winds the liner around the reel one or two wraps and doesn't even use the tape.

 

[DL Signs]

Do you use a cardboard tube on your liner take up? For poly-liner lams I use cheap two sided clear application tape, run it down the full length on the liner take-up roll. Keeps it held down all the way across and always runs straight as an arrow, takes less time than rolling up tape. Then you're attaching it to the back side of the liner, not the slick side, keeps it straight & tight. Been doing it that way for decades. 75' roll of 1/2" is about $5, cheap solution for problematic situations.

 

[JBurton]

That makes no sense. If the liner is taped to the takeup reel, by definition it has to go around with the takeup reel unless it's coming untaped

In my experience with the plastic liner lam (like 4 rolls), the laminate is stuck much harder to the backing compared to paper liner. If she has a laminator like mine (older GFP), with takeup reels that have spindles with a little metal flap to catch the inside of the cardboard core, it will slip unless you also wrap some tape between the core and the spindle.

 

[unclebun]

In my experience with the plastic liner lam (like 4 rolls), the laminate is stuck much harder to the backing compared to paper liner. If she has a laminator like mine (older GFP), with takeup reels that have spindles with a little metal flap to catch the inside of the cardboard core, it will slip unless you also wrap some tape between the core and the spindle.

But Geneva says the liner is slipping on the roll, not the roll slipping on the hub.

 

[MikePro]

i use three tabs of red-lined acrylic tape:
first, band your takeup roll with masking tape, Left Middle & Right.
then, add tabs of the dbl sided tape to the bands
then, tack your backing to this, making sure to get a full rotation or two of spooling the backing onto the core (so that it tightens/winds against itselt) when setting up your web

doesn't matter what laminate, paper or plastic-backed. this is my process for setting up all of my laminates onto the same takeup roll. always banding the takeup when i change rolls, add dblstick tape tabs, and keep rocking until the takeup roll becomse too full to use anymore...then I just band it and chuck it, setup a new core, and keep rockin'.

 

[Geneva Olson]

So i taped it in 3 spots on the cardboard core. it seemed to slip with each revolution. Like there wasn't enough tension. I was having to turn it manually while it was turning. it was a short run so I made it work. but I really wanted to know how to keep it tight..taught..yea that

 

[unclebun]

So i taped it in 3 spots on the cardboard core. it seemed to slip with each revolution. Like there wasn't enough tension. I was having to turn it manually while it was turning. it was a short run so I made it work. but I really wanted to know how to keep it tight..taught..yea that

When you took the liner off the reel was it still taped to the tube? If so, it's not slipping on the core. As others have implied, the core is slipping on the hubs of your laminator. If you have the ability to increase the pressure of the hubs on the end of the cardboard tube, that may help. Otherwise, the tape the others are mentioning is not connecting the liner to the cardboard tube, but instead being used to increase the friction of the hubs on the inside of the cardboard tube.

 

[petepaz]

So i taped it in 3 spots on the cardboard core. it seemed to slip with each revolution. Like there wasn't enough tension. I was having to turn it manually while it was turning. it was a short run so I made it work. but I really wanted to know how to keep it tight..taught..yea that

first it takes like double or triple the tape that the paper liner takes to attach to the take up real. then once it gets started it's usually ok but i have had occasions like you just did where i had to keep turning the take up real by hand to get through the job. plain English it sucks...haha i get a 3m cast laminate and it comes on the clear liner, hate it but like i said for the most part once you get it going it's ok just need to get it tight. when you start it you may have to hold your hand on it till it goes a rotation or two to make sure it's tight and again you need a lot of tape to hold it because on the clear liners both sides are silicone so hard to get the tape to stick

 

[OkPrinter]

Don't have a solution but wanted to say I have the exact same problem with our Optically Clear. I laminate a lot with 3M 8518 which is also plastic liner, no issues with that. I feel like it has something to do with the thickness of the lam and liner not working well together. I just try to sheet cut my perf every 20ish feet if possible so I can at least give my forearms a break.

 

[Modern Ink Signs]

Take piece of masking tape (about 1” long). Bring your lamination to the take up real with the lamination facing out. Tape the the leading edge to your take up reel. 1 piece in the middle is all you need. Make 1-2 revolutions on the take up reel. Score the lamination. Pull back the lamination and feed into your laminator. Make sure your feed is good. From there you should be able to laminate you vinyl or substrate. Proper thickness settings of course.

 

[Modern Ink Signs]

first it takes like double or triple the tape that the paper liner takes to attach to the take up real. then once it gets started it's usually ok but i have had occasions like you just did where i had to keep turning the take up real by hand to get through the job. plain English it sucks...haha i get a 3m cast laminate and it comes on the clear liner, hate it but like i said for the most part once you get it going it's ok just need to get it tight. when you start it you may have to hold your hand on it till it goes a rotation or two to make sure it's tight and again you need a lot of tape to hold it because on the clear liners both sides are silicone so hard to get the tape to stick

1 piece of tape is all you really need….