6. Examine the film as it exits the machine.

If bubbles or wrinkles appear in the film, this means there is not enough tension to draw the film tight and smooth over the heat shoes. Turn the tension control knobs clockwise to increase the tension.

If the film is tight and smooth as it goes over the heat shoes but then draws in towards the center of the machine or squeals, there may be too much tension on the supply roll mandrels. This can be corrected by turning the tension control knobs counterclockwise to decrease the tension.

Film that is 1.5-mil thickness requires very little tension.

REMEMBER TO TURN BOTH THE TOP AND BOTTOM TENSION CONTROL KNOBS THE SAME AMOUNT TO KEEP TENSION THE SAME ON TOP AND BOTTOM ROLLS. If the film curls up or down after it leaves the machine, read the above section on supply roll tension again and readjust the supply tension on both rolls.

7.When starting the machine to begin lamination, let at least 10 inches of film go through the rollers before inserting the items to be laminated. This takes out the slack in the film and removes the cooler strip of film that forms just in front of the nip when the laminator is hot but film is not being advanced. This also removes any areas of film with excess adhesive that may have pooled just beneath the shoes.

8.If the tension appears balanced, but you notice waves or ripples toward the center of the web of film as it comes out the back, the temperature may be too high or the lamination speed may be too high for that film. These waves in the film are called “heat wrinkles”. These heat wrinkles are formed when the film has not cooled enough before coming out the back of the machine. For the best results, the film should be cooled below melt temperature while it is pulled tight and perfectly flat between the laminating rollers and the pull rollers. If it gets out the back of the machine while still at or above melt temperature, heat wrinkles can form. The major reason for fans on a laminator is to cool the film, not to cool the machine.

5-5 Recommended Temperature Settings

The recommended temperature setting for low-temperature 1.5-mil film is 240°F. If you are laminating with a different thickness of film, refer to the following table for recommended temperature settings.

Your first source of information about recommended film application temperatures and operating characteristics should be your film suppliers. If you do not know the source of your film, or if the supplier cannot provide the information, please use the table as a guide.