-
Ezy Taper as a laminator ?
Who uses the Ezy Taper as a Laminator. We have had one since before Christmas and the rollers are not smooth, so when you use it as a laminator it leaves lines in the print and some small bubbles.
We have been in touch with Peter and he has sent two different ones several months ago but both were the same (rough rollers). He has said he will sort this problem out but still no replacement and have’nt heard from him in weeks.
The machine is fine for fitting prints to boards but not laminate overlays.
I Know that cold laminators suffer with silvering but that goes after a few hours but our problem don’t.
We have a hot laminator which is getting old so can anyone recomend a good quality 54" laminator thats good for long distances and not too expensive.
What does everyone else use ? -
14 Replies
-
just a matter of interest, what materials do you laminate with and onto for an example?
-
Its fine for vinyl onto Foamex or Dibond but no good for general laminates onto vinyl Eg. Metamark, Oracle ect.
-
Hi Martin,
We have had our Easy taper for around 9 months now but have only recently been using it on a daily basis.
We have found that it takes quite a bit of tweaking to get it working 100% correctly but like you mention the lamination part can be quite an art form. We are finding as you say that mounting prints to boards etc… is great but applying a clear laminate can be quite hit and miss.
The prints that we manage to laminate ok after a few hours look great (once all silvering has died down) but we are still experiencing a few issues every now and again.
The other issue we have is as it is not roll-to-roll you can quite a bit of dust on the prints.
Does anyone have a resolution to this? or indeed any tips on how to roll up the backing paper coming from the laminate on the top rollers?
regardsNick
-
As far as I am aware, Peter is no longer the distributor for ezytaper,
I know Jag signs sell it but not sure if they would help with any warranty?Perhaps someone more in the know than I can say what the current situation is with eazytaper?
there does seem to be a few complaints posted here.
Peter
-
As I understand it there are one or two issues between Peter and Warwick that need resolving in order for Peter to be able to supply and support the ezytaper.
However, my personal experience has shown that Peter has tried at every opportunity to rectify any latent faults with the equipment as supplied to him, and as found in my own case, supplied replacement parts, often off his own back, to satisfy UK customers.
Going back to the ET though, although it will do a multitude of jobs, I have found that the settings are often different for different applications. to achieve the best results with clear laminates the work area and rollers should be warm (use a fan heater), always leave a space at the front to start the laminate rather than on the print, use medium to high pressure, remove and re-roll through to alternate any deviation in the rollers and keep all areas immaculately clean (vacuum and then lint-roller). I have never successfully managed to handle the backing paper as shown in the video! instead I find if you double back over the roller and pinch on the front edge of the print it is simple to pull through the job rather than use the handle.
Colin
-
Sounds like its not the all singing dancing machine it was supposed to be then, I dont know, I havnt got one, but a decent cold laminator, with electric motor, and adjustable brake and clutches, can be bought for a lot less than the ET,
I would still be interested to know how many people bought them, and what percentage that did are totally happy?
perhaps a poll?
Peter
-
Peter
its like most machines it requires attention & adjustments. I can take prints directly out of the printer & mount them on corex without any fuss including full ink coverage. This i do with site boards etc that don’t warrant spending time on. Today i laid up 3 x 8′ x 4′ composite boards on my own in less than 10 minutes. But that said i had to set it as i had put 10mm board through it last week & as much as you should be able to go from 1 size to the other i nearly pulled the handle off trying to get the 10mm board through on the settings for 3mm. I had my first ET set up by Warrick but still had problems of it chewing up rubber off the rollers against the bearing bolts, Peter changed the ET for me off his own back & its been ok since, its just a pain in the arse to adjust it with the mechanism thats on it.Kev
-
Kevin,
I can do the same, with a laminator that cost less, and I dont have to turn a handle, just press a button, or foot pedal. Ok still needs some set up,
but the ET was sold as a self adjusting machine, was it not?I am not defending, or criticising ET, just asking for honest opinions, if the machine came up to the expectations or not
Peter
-
Peter
i agree it was sold as a self adjusting machine & if you work from 6mm down no problems but to do 7mm to 12mm it requires some adjustment. i know the same can be done with a laminator i’ve used mine that way but i just prefer not to strip laminate & waste out until i have to do a roll change etc. My ET was purchased for a job, which was a lot of different colored boards to go in to Ford Motor Company & actually paid for its self on that job. i.ve had mine for two years now & the fact that i work on my own it comes in handy. I also have my laminator upstairs in a clean area & i keep the Et in the work area & just clean it down with an airline if it gets any dust etc on itKev
-
Kevin,
When I have to get thicker materials into the ezytaper I don’t try and pass through 10mm thick in on go. I’ve got strips or material say 5-6mm thick and I put these through along the edges. It opens up the ezytaper then I get my 10mm board and get this through.
You can even put through a set of 6mm and then another set on top of it so you have 12mm clearance then slide your 10mm board in it easily. Align your print on it wind it back so those 6mm supports fall out then mount your print.
Don’t do it that often though everything is usually 3mm.
-
Ditto – for thick materials, although I have made some wedges from 3mm foamex. Just bond decreasingly smaller pieces on top of each other to form steps up and down to either 9 or 12mm. You can then run these in to gradually open up the rollers the required amount.
The ET will do all the things that are advertised (albeit with some effort) and for most sign shops which flit from one type of job to another, gives more flexibility than a laminator, but the overiding reason for my choice was the value I put on my uncrushed fingers! Call me a wuss if you like but I have seen images of what happens when fingers get caught in laminators, particularly when the guards have been removed to make them "easier" to use.
Colin
-
To answer the original question, I would highly recommend my laminator to anybody wanting to laminate long runs.
I have a Vivid Easymount sh1580 the sh means it has a hot top roller, this machine was not alot of money for what you get.
I regually laminate 20-30M contiuous in one go these are exhibition drops 2270m/m long that i have printed overnight, i normally get at least 5 through before i have to cut and reposition as it does run off slightly but all laminators will, my last laminator needed prints repositioning after only 2 drops.
Great machine and always get the next size up from what you need as this gives a lot easier laminator to use in my opinion.Regards
Russell.
-
Thanks Russell What sort of cost is that machine.
-
I think i paid around the 4K mark fro 1.6 M wide, worth shopping around though because all the suppliers price matched.
Regards
Russell.
Log in to reply.
