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Laminating machine ?
Hi all, I am considering purchasing a laminating machine, but I know hardly anything about them.
The general idea is to produce the “laminate” i.e printed graphics on our Mimaki, then load it into a laminating machine to apply it to either 10mm, 5mm foamex or dibond.
What can you guys/girls recommend ?
Registration and edge tolerances are a issue (it has to be accurate), speed is a consideration but not a priority.
Ease of use (learning curve) is a major issue. cost is not.
any insight into the world of automation is much appreciated.
Gee
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4 Replies
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Lamination is actually far more difficult than printing.
Essentially , buy the best you can afford and buy bigger than you need.
Vinyl graphics can only be cold pressure laminated , although there are products that apply a chemical resistant sort of “melted glue” at a lower heat than hot lamination.
Cold laminating films are expensive , and paper prints need either hot lamination or encapsulation.
In essence you need a print finishing station and not just a laminator.
Mounting is a function of how far the rollers can be spread.
If You need a laminator that does both hot and cold , do NOT buy one that has one set of rollers , buy one that has dedicated hot and cold rollers.
Size of laminator Dependd on the size of print you do – we have a 1.6m wide GMP Excellmaster which costs about GBP 12 000.
The cost of a laminator like this is not justified only to do your own lamination and mounting , it’s a LOT cheaper and less hassle to farm it out.
you will have to take on contract lamination to make it pay – but this is pretty profitable
You can apply double sided adhesives to lots of substrates , even tho you dont use em , (we make formica double sided and then laser cut letters from it) apply crystal clear mounting films to the front of graphics for inside window use , do contract lamination for other large format users , laminate vehicle graphics , do certificates etc etc etcThere is no “easy” method of laminating , a small mistake can ruin an expensive print. Wrinkles are the worst problem – bubbles can be removed , wrinkles cant.
You will need 2 people to run the laminator – with one person you are prone to problems. Get a laminator that has foot pedals on both sides, you often have to work from one side or another.
You will also need a large format rotary cutting table to trim prints.
Registration is a function of the operator more than the machine , if you feed graphics in skew , thats it.
Pressure mouting is just that , high pressure , and squashy substrates squash!!!
Lamination also changes the print quality – often gloss lamination makes the print “pop” more , matt lamination reduces glare and can reduce the perception of graininess and banding etc – not just used for protection.
Speed is only an issue if doing contract work , one tends to go slow on critical mounting and overlamination processes.We never do a 2 part operation in a single process , for example we never overlaminate and mount in one run , you are bound to pick up problems , we overlaminate and then mount.
You also need to be careful of laminating stuff that gets handled or rolled or has a curl or a memory or isnt 100% dry or gives off plasticisers etc.
Laminations can delaminate or bubble etc some time down the line.Most important is your dealer , his backup , problem solving abilities , training etc – the sale of a laminator is the easy part – the relationship stretches far beyond that.
NEVER buy a laminator without a few emergency shut off switches or easily reachable ones.
Dont buy a laminator that purports to be a multipurpose unit but requires complex setups or changeovers to achieve a specific purpose.
Large format laminators are not the same as thos office jobs , they are complex pieces of machinery.BTW , you can actually print on lamination film if you have a mild solvent ot solvent machine , like watermarks etc
Factor in the cost of rolls of laminates , you need various widths and various types , this can get real expensive real quick. for example we rarely use 1.6m wide rolls and thus have to keep various widths of the same lamination film to be cost effective on smaller stuff , or have to do multiple pieces using a wide roll which is very problematic in terms of registration , feeding etc.
Best prices of laminating films are always long rolls , some stuff is really pricey , like floor graphic laminates as they have to be extensively tested for safety and often come with “liability insurance” built in
Hope this helps a little
Regards
Rodney Gold -
Heres a good website for laminating resources and tips etc
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Hi Gee
Rodney has about covered all aspects of lamination I think.
Why do you want to laminate output from the Mimaki?
Can you not convert the Mimaki to print direct onto foamex?
I’m sure I’ve seen adverts for the Mimaki to print direct onto board.
Best Regards Dave Standen -
thanks for the heads up Rodney, a bit more advanced than i am looking for at the moment, but I will bear your points in mind.
Dave,
I would like to over laminate certain jobs from the mimaki for abrasion issues but this is not my main priority.
What i would really like to do is:
1: load up already printed roll of graphics etc into the machine, feed in for example a 10mm foamex board and the machine will apply it for me.
2: again load up pre printed & cut/weeded graphics then load up application tape and let the machine do it for me.
a friend of mine does a bit of work for BAF graphics and they have a machine that does this but he’s not very technical and has no idea how it works or what it’s called.
the mimaki will print directly to foamex but is limited to about 1mm thick, the zund can cope with thicker materials but the resolution isn’t high enough for my needs.
is there something out there that will do this ?
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