Used Laminator Rollers...Does the rubber degrade or dry out?

[player]

I am wondering if an older laminator is OK to buy. Do the rollers on the older (10 years old) Seal 5500 or 600 wear out even if the machine is hardly ever used? Does the rubber degrade or dry out? How long can they last when not frequently used? Is it advisable to buy a 10 year old laminator?

Thanks

 

[thewvsignguy]

The BIGGEST thing IMO is to make sure the top and bottom rollers are not warped or worn. We bought a used 54" USTECH laminator and because the previous owner used 30" media 90% of the time it wore down the center of the rollers. Now when you go to laminate anything over 30" you get silvering down the center but the ends are perfect! When testing the 30" laminated perfect.... never thought about anything wider then that....

To check the rollers lower them until they just barely touch, then check to see it there are ANY gaps in between the rollers. Or better yet test it before you agree to buying with a 30' and 54" media and laminate.

My .02

 

[player]

The BIGGEST thing IMO is to make sure the top and bottom rollers are not warped or worn. We bought a used 54" USTECH laminator and because the previous owner used 30" media 90% of the time it wore down the center of the rollers. Now when you go to laminate anything over 30" you get silvering down the center but the ends are perfect! When testing the 30" laminated perfect.... never thought about anything wider then that....

To check the rollers lower them until they just barely touch, then check to see it there are ANY gaps in between the rollers. Or better yet test it before you agree to buying with a 30' and 54" media and laminate.

My .02

Thanks for the tips. I was going to run 50' of 54" but had not thought of 30".

You may be able to fix your rollers by heating them and running them against each other for a long time. Maybe put a tarp over the machine and put a heater under it. I would be sure that your rollers are straight not crowned though. Might be worth a shot.

 

[player]

Bump...

 

[Andy D]

The BIGGEST thing IMO is to make sure the top and bottom rollers are not warped or worn. We bought a used 54" USTECH laminator and because the previous owner used 30" media 90% of the time it wore down the center of the rollers. Now when you go to laminate anything over 30" you get silvering down the center but the ends are perfect! When testing the 30" laminated perfect.... never thought about anything wider then that....

To check the rollers lower them until they just barely touch, then check to see it there are ANY gaps in between the rollers. Or better yet test it before you agree to buying with a 30' and 54" media and laminate.

My .02

I wonder if you ran a roll of 54" paper through a bunch of times if it would even the
rollers out.

Edit so say: whoops, player beat me to the same idea.

 

[player]

I read somewhere that heating the rollers and running them against each other is the way to go. Heat is important.

 

[DerbyCitySignGuy]

I am wondering if an older laminator is OK to buy. Do the rollers on the older (10 years old) Seal 5500 or 600 wear out even if the machine is hardly ever used? Does the rubber degrade or dry out? How long can they last when not frequently used? Is it advisable to buy a 10 year old laminator?

Thanks

We just replaced our rollers a year or two ago (our Seal is at least 10 years old), but that's because they had some nicks and cuts on the rollers. The laminator itself is pretty durable. It's only need repairs once (I believe, maybe twice) when we lost air pressure on one side. If it's been taken care of, I wouldn't have any issues buying one for a reasonable price.

That being said, they will eventually wear out, but as long as there aren't any visible signs of dry rot or cracking, they should be okay. There are a lot of places that refurbish, repair, or replace rollers if you do need to replace them.

 

[thewvsignguy]

I wonder if you ran a roll of 54" paper through a bunch of times if it would even the
rollers out.

Edit so say: whoops, player beat me to the same idea.

We are running 54" laminate with a 50" media to see if that helps. The heat idea may work, never thought of that.

Edit: the 54" lam on the 50" media still silvers and there is still a gap, I'll put a electric base board heater under it and run it to see if that will help.

 

[player]

We are running 54" laminate with a 50" media to see if that helps. The heat idea may work, never thought of that.

Edit: the 54" lam on the 50" media still silvers and there is still a gap, I'll put a electric base board heater under it and run it to see if that will help.

As I said cover it with a tarp to heat up the rollers, then run it for hours with the rollers against each other. It may help but if the rubber is actually worn off there is not much you can do...

 

[soundhound]

careful with used laminator!!!!!

Some laminators have the heat elements inside the rollers, and when they reach a certain temperature the rollers will become puffed and distorted, if they have been treated badly or overworked.

The problem is that this may not be evident when the rollers are cold.

So be sure to heat it up all the way, both rollers, and make sure it has come up to temperature... then test.

You can test the cold lamination before you turn on the heat, but test again as it is cooling down.

The cost of replacing silicon rollers could be the same or even more than the cost of a used laminator.