Laminating Machines
Laminators Provide the Crowning Touch
Applying temporary surface protection films to large surface areas can be accomplished using a variety of manual techniques. Yet, to obtain professional-looking, bubble & wrinkle free laydown, a laminator is typically required. In high volume production operations a laminator is a guaranteed money saver.
Surface Armor offers a full range of standard and custom built AGL laminators to meet the needs of your application, whether that be light to medium duty or high volume heavy duty devices for 24 x 7 utilization.
If you don’t see what you need on our website, we will have it built to your specifications.
Do I need a laminator? What does a laminator do for surface protection films?
The simplest of laminators is comprised of very few components.
- A shaft that holds the supply of film to be laminated onto a surface
- A pair of nip rollers through which the laminate and the target surface travel thru
- A frame to hold everything in place and in alignment
- and a motor or hand crank used to drive the nip rollers
A few accessories might include:
- A feed table at the front of the machine
- A take-up table at the exit of the machine
- A conveyor feeding the machine
- A conveyor to transport finished materials from the machine
- Side trimmers to remove excess laminate
- A knife or cutter to separate finished pieces exiting the laminator
The primary advantages of a laminating machine vs. performing the task by hand are:
- Good alignment of the laminate to the substrate … not hanging over the edges, not at an angle to the material
- Few, if any, air bubbles that can cause ghosting of the surface … the nip rollers let air escape from under the film as it is applied
- Few, if any, wrinkles that can allow contaminants to seep under the protective film
- Consistent overall pressure which creates optimum adhesion of the PSA film to the surface
- Much higher production speeds than manual application can achieve
- A clean professional looking finish that complements the appearance of the underlying product.
Does my application require heated rollers?
Temporary surface protection films are considered to be “cold laminates” with PSA (pressure sensitive adhesives.) Since the adhesives used for “cold laminates” are not melted in order to achieve adhesion with a substrate. So, your application may not require heated rollers. (A possible exception being in the winter … if your plant is not climate controlled you might need heat to get the film to stick to the surface it is supposed to project. When temperatures are low, adhesives don’t flow. )
Hopefully, this has helped define the best laminator for your application. Feel free to give us a call for additional insights on laminator features and how they might meet your requirements.