Laminators: specifications, types

The product type determines some features of the laminating machine and the requirements for consumables.

— Pouch. Such devices are also known as "envelope", since the consumables for them are envelopes made of polymer film, sealed on one side. The laminated material is inserted into such an envelope, after which it is passed through the device and finally sealed. Pouch laminators are easier to use than roll laminators, and they are much cheaper. On the other hand, they are usually intended for relatively small formats (only some models are able to work with materials larger than A3) and are poorly suited for large volumes of work: the duty cycle of pouch laminators is not long, and consumables are expensive.

— Roll. The name of this type also comes from the type of consumables — a film reeled into rolls is used. Laminators of this type are intended typically for professional use in printing companies, advertising firms, etc. Roll laminating machines are also preferred when it comes to work with large-format media — up to A0. Roll laminators are much more performant than pouch ones, they can work with longer media (as long as there is enough film in the roll), they generally provide better quality, and have a longer duty cycle. In addition, the film can be very thin, and in terms of a unit of production, it costs much less than a pouch. On the other hand, such a type is expensive and r...equires special knowledge and skills of the operator, so it barely expedient to look for a roll laminator for occasional work with small size media. Also, keep in mind that some models do not support double-sided lamination — a transparent film is applied only on one side, while on the other, the coating is opaque.

The maximum laminating speed provided by the device — in other words, the length of the section that the laminator is able to laminate in a minute. The high speed rate makes it easier to operate with large volumes of media, but significantly affects the cost of the device. Therefore, it makes sense to look for a quick laminator only if you have to deal with large volumes of media, or if the ability to quickly handle the task is critical. If the device is bought for use from time to time, this indicator can be ignored.

The thinnest film (in microns) that the laminator can handle.

Different applications require different types of film; a thin film can be useful for laminating thin sheets of paper or if you need to maintain the flexibility of the material. Detailed recommendations about the optimal film thickness for a specific type of work can be found in special sources. The most popular are films with a thickness of 75 and 80 µm. There is also an intermediate type with thickness of 60 µm.

The thickest film (in microns) that the laminator can handle.

Thick film lamination makes it possible to stiffen the material and provide additional protection. More detailed recommendations about the optimal thickness for a specific type of work can be found in special sources. Among standard films of increased thickness there are 125 µm, 175 µm, 250 µm.

The thickest media the laminator is capable of operating with.

If choosing the device is based on this spec, it makes sense not only to take into account the thickness of the media is being to operate with, but also to take a certain margin just in case. At the same time, we note that even the "thinnest" modern laminators are capable of processing materials up to 0.2 – 0.3 mm thick — this is comparable to thin cardboard or very thick paper. And in high-end professional models, this value can exceed 10 mm.

The maximum size of the media that the laminator can operate with.

— A0. One of the largest conventional formats, provides a size of 1189x841 mm. It is found exclusively in hi-end roll laminators (see "Product Type").

— A1. The size of the A1 sheet is 841x594 mm — half of the A0 sheet. Also typical for roll models.

— A2. Sheet size 594x420 mm, approximately corresponds to the spread of the newspaper. This format is used not only in roll devices, but also in some professional pouch laminators.

— A3. A sheet measuring 420x297 mm, similar in size to a spread of a magazine. A3 is the most popular format among modern laminators: even for simple work with common media, it is sometimes necessary to seal A3-sheet with film, and larger media are used relatively rarely. It is also the smallest format found in roll laminators.

— A4. The most known modern paper format is 297x210 mm, a classic sheet for documents. However, for a number of reasons, this option is less common in laminators than A3.

— A5. Sheet size 210x148 mm, half of the classic A4. Used in models designed for small format media — postcards, information cards, etc.

— A6. The smallest format used consumer grade laminators nowadays. Provides...a size of 148x105 mm, which approximately corresponds to a standard photo of 10x15 cm. In addition to photos, A6-format devices are widely used for sealing passes, badges and other similar documents.

Note that the maximum format value may not precisely correspond to the actual media size that can be passed through the device. Usually it limited only with the width of the media, and this limitation can be both on the short side of the sheet (for example, 105 mm for A6) or on the long side (420 mm for the A3 model; this is mainly typical for roll models). The length can be almost any — the length of an pouch or a film in a roll would be enough.

The number of rollers provided in the design of the laminator. The rollers perform two main functions — the supply of the media to be laminated and the pressure necessary to fix the film. In addition, in many modern laminators, rollers also play the role of heaters within a heated laminating type (see "Type of lamination").

The rollers are installed exclusively in pairs, so the smallest number is 2. A larger number of rollers allows you to achieve better uniformity of movement and, accordingly, the quality of processing, and also allows you to work with thicker films; on the other hand, it also affects the price of the device. Therefore, most entry-level and mid-level laminators have 4 rollers (2 pairs), and in professional models this number can reach 8.

Lamination type supported by the device.

— Heated. During heated lamination, the media and the film are passed together through rollers or heating plates; while the adhesive layer inside the film is melted, it is fixed to the processed media. This method allows you to achieve good processing quality and reliable laminating, so, it is the most popular type of lamination so far.

— Cold. Lamination type, where the media and film are sealed together only by the pressure of the rollers, without heating. This type is often used as an optionless step in cases where you have to work with heat-sensitive materials — for example, synthetics or glossy media. Note that specialized devices with only a cold lamination type are rare, and principally met among professional ones; much more often modern laminators support both cold and heated lamination types (see below).

— Heated and cold. Ability to operate with any type of described above. As usual, heated lamination is a regular option for such models, and for cold type, the heating element is simply turned off. Such devices are as versatile as possible, and their cost essentially do not differ from their heat-only analogues, and that's why the combined type is the most common for modern laminators.

The time it takes for a hot laminating device (see «Laminating Type») to reach operating temperature.

The shorter this time, the more convenient the laminator to use, but the more energy it consumes. Also note that a high heating rate (1 – 2 min) may be a sign that the device uses plates as heaters; these laminators are considered less advanced than heated roller models and are less suitable for some special tasks (such as laminating photos). So, powerful professional devices will inevitably have a rather long warm-up time — up to 30 minutes in some models.

— Reverse. Possibility of rotation of a roller in the reverse direction. This function will be useful, foremost, in emergency situations — bending or jamming of the document, getting a foreign object under the rollers, winding the media on them, etc. The timely inclusion of the reverse not only allows you to do without laborious repair work with the disassembly of the unit, but in many cases it saves the processed material from damage.

— Unjam lever. The possibility to unclench the laminator rollers (strictly speaking, increase the distance between them). Along with the above described reverse feature, it is an "emergency" function, designed primarily to remove a jammed or skewed document, a foreign object, etc.

— Temperature adjust. Possibility to adjust the heating temperature during heated lamination (see "Type of lamination"). This function allows you to optimally adjust the operating mode to the specs of a particular film and media.

— Foiling. Possibility of using a laminator for foil coating. Some of these models are even capable of embossing, usually in the form of an ornament, which is indispensable in the making of postcards, business cards and other similar products.

— Photo lamination. The ability to use a device for laminating photos. It is believed...that only laminators with heated rollers are suitable for such work, because models with separate heating plates do not provide sufficient heating uniformity, which can damage delicate materials such as photos. At the same time, it is worth noting that in this case we are talking only about pictures printed on photo paper; for a plain paper (even with a printed photo), any laminator is suitable.

— Sheet autofeed. The system providing automatic feed of the documents to be laminated. The ability to load a whole stack of sheets into the laminator instead of feeding each of them separately is important primarily for large volumes of work; in addition, autofeed affects the cost of the device. Therefore, this function is found mainly in high-end roll models (see "Product Type").

— Rewinder. Rewinder is an additional shaft installed at the outer part of the laminator. It can be used, particularly, for winding the backing paper in cold lamination (see "Type of lamination"), as well as for winding laminated media during the heated processing. Anyway, the rewinder can be very useful when working with long media — it is often more convenient to wind such material on the outer shaft immediately after coming out of the laminator than to look for another place for it.

The laminator has its own built-in display. Usually, this is the simplest LCD with segment numbers and additional graphic symbols (similar to those used in digital watches). Nevertheless, even such a screen is more versatile and informative than indicator lights, it is able to display a wide variety of additional information — the operating mode, the set heating temperature, error messages, etc. This makes management more convenient, and also makes it easier to implement some additional features — for example, programming.

The electrical power consumed by the laminator in usual operation. Even in A2 format models (see above), this figure rarely exceeds 2 kW (which is comparable to the consumption of an electric kettle or iron), not to mention simpler devices. Therefore, in most cases, this spec is a reference and practically may be used only in rare cases. But when choosing a professional large-format laminator with media size of A0 or A1, you should pay special attention to power consumption — it can be up to 10 – 11 kW, which puts forward specific connection requirements.