Drylam PRO-LAM PL1200-HP - Manual (Page 55)

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Laminating
General Two-sided lamination:
It is highly recommended that, the product being laminated is meticulously inspected and tested for
compatibility, before running a large job. No one likes surprises. Also be aware that certain items cannot
be laminated such as thermal paper printouts often used in things such as faxes, receipts, sonograms and
many labeling devices. Valuable one of a kind items, also offer a high risk. If there is ANY doubt as to a
successful lamination, a high quality copy should be made and that copy laminated.
The digital display will read the actual temperature of the rollers. As your laminator warms up, you will
see the digital display increase as the temperature rises to the desired temperature setting. When the
temperature reaches the desired setting you are ready to laminate, there is no need to allow the
temperature to stabilize before using. As you run film through the laminator, it is normal for the
temperature to vary by a few degrees or so this will depend upon temperature, speed, film, line voltage,
materials being processed, ambient room temperature and air flow across the rollers.
One of the most important things with your laminator are the roller may be damaged by overheating it.
This limitation, which we will call a duty cycle, will establish how long your rollers will last. The
beautiful thing about the technology enveloped in your laminators is the responsiveness and quickness
of the laminating rollers. One does need to make sure (as with any mechanical and/or electrical device)
that you do not exceed the design limitations of your rollers. This is why we stress not to exceed 300
degrees and not to run the laminator more than 20 degrees over the film manufactures recommendations.
One needs to make sure that the rollers are not overheated internally. Before operating, take record
of the temperature range that the display shows when the machine has achieved its set temperature.
During operation, one should make sure that the heaters cycles on and off. This can be noted by the slow
rise and fall (up to 1 degree a second) around the recorded temperature. If the rollers are unable to
achieve the recorded temperature, this is an indication that the heaters are always on and do not get a
chance to stabilize internally. This will greatly reduce the life of the rollers.
Do not pull or twist on the film as it exits the rear rollers, as this will adversely affect the film even to
create problems in the film on the front rollers. And resulting in a poor lamination.
Until the confidence of the operator has increased it is advisable to run the laminator slower rather than
faster. Then increase the speed, if necessary, when you are comfortable with the result and the quality
To test your lamination for adhesion; cut out a piece of product and separate the layers you should find
that the paper will split in half, one half adhered to each side of laminate. Familiarize yourself with this
test so that you get a “feel” for a successful lamination. Alternately, one can take a sample, cut an “X”
thru only one layer of laminate, and attempt to split the laminate apart at this point. See troubleshooting
for adhesion.