Frame9

The roll laminator has become a standard machine in offices, schools and churches. It is mainly used to protect and preserve documents and images, making them look more like finished products. The machine can be used to laminate posters, book jackets, magazine covers, note cards, bulletin board materials, student work, signs, charts, blueprints, menus, maps, certificates, and scrapbook items. It can seal virtually anything printed on standard sized paper, card stock or poster board.

The roll laminator has heated rollers that melt the adhesive on the film and press the film onto the paper. A motor slowly turns the heated rollers as materials are fed through them. The rollers vary in width from 12 to 60 inches. Narrower rollers allow for single sheets to be fed one at a time. Wider rollers can be fed several sheets across. The machines are fast and less expensive to use than ones that use cold film. Heat lamination is also more stable than pressure lamination.

Machines use two rolls of film at a time. The rolls are placed on top and bottom metal rods. Laminating film comes in different widths, core sizes and thicknesses. The most common core size is 1 inch, commonly used with 25 to 27 inch film. Machines with wider rollers will use rolls with larger cores, up to 3 inches. Thickness is measured to 1000th of an inch, with thicker film giving greater protection and stability. Machines vary in their ability to take thicker film.

Newer machines have features that make laminating easier. These include reverse roller buttons that help clear jams, pressure adjustment, temperature controls, and cutters. Some models include separate controls for heat and starting the rollers so that film isn’t accidentally run through the machine. The roll laminator has a great many uses in the workplace. They are even handy at home!