Are you are looking for a laminator? We know it can be confusing with all the names, codes, and terms you are finding as you try source the perfect machine. We decided to put together a series of articles to share some of our knowledge and help you make the most informed decision for every solution.
Pouch Laminator
A pouch laminating machine is essentially a machine that bonds laminating pouches to paper substrate using heat and pressure rollers. Heat and pressure allows, laminating pouches (sheets of plastic that are lined with a special kind of adhesive) to be warmed to a temperature that activates the adhesive and bonds the plastic film to the documents that have been placed inside the pouch (such as business cards, ID badges, signs, charts, certificates etc.) The clear, semi rigid plastic enhances the colours of the printed document, and also protects it from wear and tear.
Pouch laminators use a series of rollers, to move the document through the machine. On lower cost machines you will find as few as two rollers and on the more top of the range machines you’ll find that there are as many as six. The rollers keep the documents from bubbling or wrinkling. The higher the number of rollers, the greater the volume of laminating production the machine will be able to cope with.
Pouch laminators come in various sizes and with different capabilities.
How Pouch Laminators work:
Pouch laminators use pre-made pouches to encase documents. In order to laminate a document, you simply place it inside the pouch and run it through the pouch laminating machine. Most pouch laminators take a few minutes to heat up.
Depending on the quality of the pouch laminator, you will find varying levels of controls. The most basic machines may have nothing more than an on and off switch. Higher end machines will have controls for speed and temperature, which can be very handy if you are running larger orders and using thicker laminating pouches on a more regular basis.
You will also find that laminators come in various sizes. So when shopping for a pouch laminator, make sure you purchase one that has the maximum size you are requiring.
About The Pouches:
Laminating pouches come in different thicknesses, from 3 mil to 10 mil. A mil is equal to 1/1000 of an inch, and the thicker the mil, the more rigid the final product will be. A piece of normal paper that has been laminated with a 3 mil pouch can be easily bent, while one that has been encased with a 10 mil pouch will bend very little if at all.
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