Page 47 - Print21 Magazine May-June 2021

Wide Format
Typically, a quite difficult application is laminating onto acrylic sheets. Having heat assistance helps a lot. Higher temperatures above 50°C, either when running thicker laminating films (for example floor graphic films) or when running the already laminated graphic through the laminator a second time, will help to improve the silvering. During the second run, you can actually afford temperatures much higher than during the first run because the material has already been laminated. You can run the material even faster.
A laminator is a tool to enhance your profit. It should not be an afterthought.
Pressure setup
Each material you work with
needs a different pressure setup.
For laminating cardboards, you
will minimise the pressure. For laminating thick floor graphic films, you will need as much pressure as possible. Most of the machines on the market offer a manual pressure setup. This can cause many problems with pressure distribution (not being distributed within the full width) and when laminating longer runs.
Pressure settings and the achieved work results (for most of the machines with a mechanical setup) are very inaccurate. This means if
there is a pressure measurement available, it is not always reliable.
That is why Neschen laminators offer a pneumatic pressure system.
A repeatable and exact pressure adjustment is important. The pressure you see on the manometer display is the actual pressure the rollers are delivering to your graphic.
Controls and ergonomics
The control panel should allow for rotation, changing of speed and direction of the rollers from both sides of the machine. This holds especially true if only one operator works with the laminator. The machine can be easily operated without having to walk around to the other side to reach parts of the control panel.
Coaxial and torsional stiffness
All of the rollers and axes have to be exactly parallel on a laminator. This, together with high torsion stiffness of the machine chassis, ensures accurate guidance of the material, even for full roll-to-roll jobs at
high speed. If you expect your next machine to run full-roll laminating jobs, make sure to test it on your new laminator before making a purchase.
When discussing chassis strength, there are numerous machines on
the market, (usually low-budget machines), which will provide the necessary construction stiffness for the first few months of ownership. In time, the chassis weakens. It is
for this reason that Neschen offers machines with a sturdy and robust construction. Keep in mind, a laminator is a tool to enhance your business’ profit. It should never be an afterthought to buying a new printer.
To provide a stable, robust and reliable machine construction, Neschen builds its range of laminators with sidewalls made of heavy steel plates instead of a thin metal plate.
Neschen laminators
There are three main laminators in the Neschen range. The Neschen Cold Laminator 1650 is an entry- level choice for basic applications. Due to variable pressure and speed settings, the Neschen HotLam 1650 TH laminator is suited to both beginners and expert users who are looking for a particularly powerful laminator.
The Neschem Hot Laminator 1650 Double H is an all-rounder for demanding heated applications. With its maximum processing speed, this model is for expert professionals. 21
Ready for testing?
Once you are ready for the testing of your laminator, you should focus on the following steps during the demonstration.
a) Use greyscale pictures for the test; let the operator laminate at least 20 linear metres. The more, the better. Ask the operator
to stop the machine in the middle of the laminating process and check the line on the graphic afterwards. There should be only a light stripe visible, or better still, nothing visible.
b) For a roll-to-roll full- length test, you can use and laminate standard coloured vinyl, ideally in black.
c) Watch the speed of alignment, accuracy and efficiency of the demonstrated machine.
d) Also, test paper together with lamination. Paper
is more inclined to wave than self-adhesive vinyl. This effect will disappear during the day (for example silvering), and some will occur within a few days. Take your time to evaluate the laminated material.
e) For a machine with a working width of +- 160 cm, you should test laminating onto sheet materials – ideally onto PVC foamed boards that are +- 800 mm wide. With these formats, you will realise the advantages of having a stiff crown on the top roller. Otherwise, bubbles may occur on the board, even up to a few days after application. So, again, take your time to evaluate the results.
f) You should check the safety system. Does it work properly? Are the light-bar, the snail mode and foot switch, as well as other features, working in favour of the operator? Keep in mind that the safety system is there to protect the employee and your business.
Print21 MAY/JUNE 2021 47