The Art Of Lamination; Basic Rules; Film Tension - GBC TALON 44 Operation And Maintenance Manual

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THE ART OF LAMINATION

BASIC RULES

Do not attempt to laminate abrasive or
metal objects such as staples, paper clips
and glitter, as they may damage the heat
or pull rollers.
Do not force items into the nip area of the
heat rollers. An item that is not easily
drawn into the laminator by the heat
rollers is probably too thick to laminate.
Wrinkles may result if an attempt is made
to reposition an item once it has been
grasped by the heat rollers.
Do not stop the laminator before an item
has completely exited the pull rollers.
Even a momentary stop will cause a mark
(heat line) on the laminated item.
Good, consistent lamination is a result of
combining proper heat, tension and dwell time.
Dwell time is controlled by the speed of the
motor and is defined as the amount of time the
material to be laminated is compressed between
the heat rollers.
As a general rule, thicker items and film need to
run at slower speeds because they extract
more heat from the rollers at a quicker rate.
Setting the speed control at slower settings
gives the laminator longer dwell time thus
allowing proper lamination of thick items.
Thinner items, such as standard copier paper
(20 lb. bond) and tissue paper, extract less heat
from the rollers and can be run at faster
speeds.

FILM TENSION

Proper film tension, known as brake tension, is
the minimum amount required to eliminate
wrinkles in the finished item. The film should be
taut. A properly adjusted roll of film should not
require excessive force to turn by hand.
Film tension should be enough to introduce a
minor amount of drag as the film unrolls.
Insufficient tension causes wrinkles, while too
much tension causes stretching (necking).
Uneven tension between the top and bottom
rolls create curl. Too much upper tension
creates upward curl while too much bottom
tension causes downward curl.
The pull roller clutch is set at the factory.
Periodic adjustments may be necessary if after
adjusting unwind and rewind brake tensions do
not improve your output quality.
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