Insider Tips & Tricks

At Lamination System we service and repair all makes and styles of roll machines and pouch laminators.

With the added benefit of being machine manufacturers, our comprehensive tool shop carries a supply of parts and is operated by technicians that have many years experience in carrying out repairs to common roll and pouch machines.

That being said.... whilst we can service your Pouch Laminator for you, many problems can be avoided or rectified yourself by following these simple tips:

• Start with good quality pouches. This can be easier said than done, as the composition of pouches varies significantly from brand-to-brand and may even vary between the different batches from the same brand. A good quality pouch will have sufficient glue to ensure the laminate sticks, but not so much glue that it oozes out all over your rollers. We import our own pouches from trusted manufacturers that we have been working with for many years and who manufacture to our requirements. We only stock high-quality, photographic-grade pouches that we would want to use ourselves. You can check out our range here for more information.

• Always place the document being laminated against the sealed/leading edge of the pouch.  This will act as a support for the pouch as it feeds through the machine and should prevent the pouch from becoming stuck or wrapped around the rollers.  Using the correct size pouch for your document will also prevent this.

• Set your machine to the correct heat and speed for the thickness of pouch you are using (refer to your user guide). If your laminated document is cloudy wait a further 5 minutes and feed through again. If your laminated document is warped, wavy or wrinkled, adjust the temperature lower, wait for the ready light and try again. If the machine is set too hot and the pouches are overheated, the plastic gets really soft and can jam in your machine. Having the machine too hot is also a sure fire way to end up with excess glue build up on your rollers and leave you with a sticky mess!

• Keeping your rollers clean and free from glue will prolong the life of your machine and help stop pouches getting stuck in the rollers. To help keep your rollers clean, feed through a plain manila folder or other similar uncoated cardstock after each batch of laminating. This will absorb and remove any excess glue from the rollers. Never remove pouches or glue with sharp objects as these may irreparably damage the roller.

• Always keep an eye on the machine while laminating... do not feed a pouch in and walk away or do something else. This way if a pouch starts to jam you will be able to hold down the reverse button and remove the pouch rather than it disappearing into the machine never to be seen again (well, at least not until you bring your machine to us and one of our techs removes it for you!). What if your machine doesn't have a reverse button, you ask?  Invest in a good quality A3 Pouch Laminator such as these... which ALL have a reverse function as a standard feature.

We know many of these tips may be pretty simple and seem like common sense, but not a week goes by where we don't service a pouch machine for these exact reasons. Be sure to keep them in mind next time you're laminating, but remember we have technicians on stand-by if something does go wrong! Just give them a call toll free on 1300 099 030 or send them an email.

Watch this space... next week we will post some tips on how to give your rollers a more thorough cleaning.