Webbing Laminator....What's your method?

[mrugen]

Coupon Cutter for seperating lam from backing

Use a coupon cutter or newspaper cutter. The devices have just a very small blade and work pretty well for this application.

https://www.google.com/search?q=cou...mYGoDw&ved=0CCIQsxg&biw=1536&bih=737&dpr=1.25

 

[CES020]

What is the name of the tool you use from Olfa? Thank you

Olfa TS-1

http://www.amazon.com/Sheet-Liner-C...UTF8&qid=1416170448&sr=8-2&keywords=olfa+ts-1

 

[TimToad]

Cut lam to length, hinge it to print, run it through laminator. Zero waste and perfect every time.

As time goes by and I see how we much more laminate we waste off every single roll than media just in the webbing process and our usual very short runs of laminating, this approach is one we are doing more often. We switch laminates between media types pretty often, but also rarely laminate anything longer than 8', so this method will work until we can afford a rollover machine. It also eliminates some of the waste of all that kraft paper "protecting" the drums.

 

[Ditchmiester]

Olfa TS-1 http://www.amazon.com/Sheet-Liner-Cutter-White-Yellow/dp/B00AM212XA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1416170448&sr=8-2&keywords=olfa+ts-1

+1 they work amazing.

 

[TimToad]

Kraft paper is completely unnecessary. I believe our GBC laminator came with a roll and 99% of it was used for packing orders.

The rollers are made of non-stick silicone and do not need to be protected from pressure sensitive laminates. Using certain thermal laminates for encapsulating or tradeshow graphics may warrant the use of kraft on occasion but otherwise it is a complete waste of money and time.

The only time it is ever used with our laminator is after the sled when we run 54" premask on it....otherwise it lives in the shipping section! And even then we only use about 12" or so before running the graphics through.

Just thought I'd point that out in case anyone is under the impression that you need to use it on your laminators.

Thanks Pat,

I've never worked anywhere that automatically used the kraft paper until I bought this business and we never had any issues with anything sticking to the rollers. I inherited the outgoing owner for the first two months for the transition period and an employee, who I'm just not sure how much longer will be here for several quality control and work ethic issues, so I think its time for me to assert my prerogative as the new owner. I find laminating to be a simple, fairly routine task until you get someone all worried about the kraft paper running straight, loading and unloading the laminate too frequently, short runs, etc.

 

[splizaat]

hey pat there's a tension adjustment on the left side only of the laminate roll and the liner takeup rolls.

I never really thought to do the short run lam jobs by just lining them up and cutting the lam to length -- i guess I thought of that as an easy way out...I really wanna nail the laminating - it's like a game to me, and I feel like beating it lol. Majority of our prints and lam jobs are somewhere between 6-15ft.....and the 15ft jobs are mutilple sheets of stickers with crop marks.

In my own defense, we only laminate once every couple days so I have really only had to laminate three times. We're still basically day one on this new laminator

 

[ProColorGraphics]

What a learning curve! Coming off our 38" Daige, to our new 63" USTECH has been one heck of an experience. So much more room for error when laminating 54" prints. We finally got it laminating 20ft runs without wrinkles after a bit of fussing with it, but I figured I'd ask about your tips and tricks for laminating large stuff.

How do you start it?
Do you always leave it webbed or do you raise the rollers once you're done?
Do you use a sled?

Let's hear it..most of our runs are about 3 to 25 feet so I don't want to waste 5 feet every time to get it running right

On my US Tech, I get the best results using the lower loading bar on the front as a tension bar. I run the vinyl being laminated down and under than then up into the machine. I don't go over the table as that caused nothing but problems for me. Just use an empty cardboard core on that lower bar so the vinyl has something smooth to run against.

 

[ProColorGraphics]

Does yours have separate knobs for the roller tension or one single dial?

my laminate will skew sometimes like that if I load it wrong. What I do is shift the laminate roll on the shaft to eliminate the wrinkles. You have have to do it in small amounts or it will shift the other way.