Educator Laminator Operation Manual June 1999 Read all precautions & instructions carefully before operating laminator Setup Instruction Operation Lamination Maintenance
IMPORTANT: Don’t laminate one-of-a-kind documents unless you are sure of your laminating skills and can afford to damage or ruin the document. Don’t laminate valuable items such as stamps, baseball cards, autographs or other collectables because the value of such items can be destroyed by lamination. Collectors generally value these kinds of items only in their original state. Remember that you cannot laminate thermal paper, such as typical fax paper, because it is activated by heat and will turn black.
Table of Contents 1-1 Introduction 1-2 Features and benefits 1-3 Options 1-4 Characteristics 1-5 Principles of operation 1-6 Laminating film 1-7 Warranty 2-1 Unpacking and Inventory 3-1 Product Illustrations & Names of Parts 4-1 Safety Precautions 5-1 Setup & Operation 5-2 Threading the laminator 5-3 Threading diagram 5-4 Laminating 5-5 Recommended temperature settings 5-6 Preventing and solving problems 6-1 Instructions for Options 6-2 Footage counter 6-3 Slitters 7-1 Maintenance 7-2 Cleaning the heat s
1-1 Introduction This laminator is designed to provide quality lamination of a wide range of papers and materials up to 1/8” thick using film up to 5 mil thick. Common applications include but are not limited to maps, digital imaging, packaging, posters, instructional aids, signs, presentation materials, photographs, copies (B&W or color), prints, flyers, promotional sheets and many other items. Options include footage counter, and a roll feed.
1-2 Features & Benefits Your new laminator has several standard features that set it apart from other models. • • • • • • • • • • • The clear safety shield keeps fingers away from the head shoes and laminating rollers while allowing you to see your work. The easily accessible heat control permits the use of many different types of thermal laminating film from 1.5 to 5 mil thick. Ease of cleaning.
1-3 Options There are several options available to make the Educator more versatile. • • • • Footage counter. This device can be reset to measure film usage in feet. Also available in a metric version. The footage counter and slitters will not fit on the machine together. Slitters can automatically cut away side scrap which can greatly reduce the amount of time needed to trim your work. Most Educator-class laminators do not have slitters available.
1-5 Principles of Operation The laminator operates by pulling film with a thermally activated adhesive over a heat source and into a set of laminating rollers. Film from a supply roll passes over heat shoes to activate a polyethylene adhesive layer on the film. It then passes through rubber rollers to apply pressure and bond the film to the item being laminated. The film’s adhesive is pressed into the ink and fibers on the surface of the paper.
lamination” should refer to lamination with two layers of 3-mil film. If you are buying or selling lamination film or lamination service, please make sure both parties understand the film descriptions being used. There is a huge variety of thermal laminating films available to suit many different kinds of application.
you spot a spliced roll in advance, you can put it on the top supply roll mandrel in order to see the splice coming more easily avoid putting material under the splice. Or you could put it on the bottom roll if you plan to be laminating items that will never be seen from the back side. 1-7 Warranty This laminator is guaranteed against defects in material and workmanship for a period of two years after date of shipment.
liabilities of Ledco, Inc. Said company neither assumes nor authorizes any other person to assume it for any other obligation or liability in connection with the sale of this laminator except as provided for above. Further, this warranty will not apply to any machine or part thereof which has been damaged as a result of an accident or as a result of the abuse, misuse, or neglect of the machine.
Incorrect Shipment: 1. If the material you receive does not correspond with your order, notify Ledco immediately. Include the order number and item(s). 2. Hold item(s) until return instructions are received. Returns: DO NOT RETURN DAMAGED OR INCORRECT ITEMS UNTIL YOU HAVE RECEIVED SHIPPING INSTRUCTIONS AND AN AUTHORIZATION NUMBER FROM LEDCO. 3-1 Product Illustrations & Names of Parts The photos below and on the following pages identify major components and operating controls.
4-1 Safety Precautions: DANGER 1. High temperatures are present and care should be exercised in operating and maintaining the laminator. Even after the machine has been turned off it will remain hot for an extended period of time. Contact with hot surfaces may cause burns. 2. Always make sure the power cord is not placed under the laminator where it might get overheated from proximity to the bottom heat shoe. DANGER 3.
9. Turn the heat/power switch to the OFF position, unless you are going to proceed with threading and laminating. Unplug the machine. 5-2 Threading the Laminator 1. Remove the supply roll mandrels and the feed tray. The supply roll mandrels are now ready to accept loading of the film rolls, wound with the polyester (shiny) side out. When viewed from the front of the machine, the core grippers on both top and bottom supply roll mandrels should point toward the heat shoes (and toward each other).
3. With the roll aligned with the scored line on the right side of the mandrel, place it in the top bracket. Place the left side of the shaft in its slot first, then place the right side of the shaft in its slot, turning it as needed. FOLLOW THE RECOMMENDED LOADING PROCEDURES CAREFULLY WHEN THREADING FILM IN THE LAMINATOR. ACCURATE ALIGNMENT OF ROLLS WILL MINIMIZE WASTE AND HELP KEEP THE LAMINATOR CLEAN. 4. While the machine is still cold, review the threading diagram.
8. Now drape the film from the bottom roll against the top shoe. If the laminator is hot, the exposed adhesive on the top web will hold the bottom web and make it easy to stick the two rolls together. If you are threading the machine while it is cold, use tape to stick the bottom web against the top web. 9. Tip the safety shield down into the laminating position.
CAUTION: The laminator is designed to be run with the operator directly facing the control panel and feed tray, not at an angle or from the side of the machine. For operator safety, the safety shield must be in position over the upper heat shoe when the machine is ON, or when the drive switch is in the forward position.
5-4 Laminating 1. Turn the heat/power switch to ON. The heater light will come on. The laminator will be ready to operate in about 10 minutes. The heat indicating light will turn off when the machine has reached the correct temperature. Allow about 20 minutes for warm up the first few times the machine is used. WARNING: Never permit the temperature to exceed 310°° F while film is threaded and the laminator is not running. The film could disintegrate and require cleaning and rethreading of the machine.
6. Examine the film as it exits the machine. If bubbles or wrinkles appear in the film, this means there is not enough tension to draw the film tight and smooth over the heat shoes. Turn the tension control knobs clockwise to increase the tension. If the film is tight and smooth as it goes over the heat shoes but then draws in towards the center of the machine or squeals, there may be too much tension on the supply roll mandrels.
Film Melt Temperature Chart (All Fahrenheit) Film Type Film Thickness 1.5-1.8 mil 3 mil 5 mil Monopolymer 310°-320° 280°-290° 270°-280° Low-temp (copolymer) 300°-310° 220°-270° 180°-260° Ultra-low Temperature 230°-280° 180°-270° 180°-260° Several important notes about this chart: 1. Your film vendor must have the primary responsibility for providing information about the film that you are using. 2. This chart is to serve as a general guide when better data is not available. 3.
laminator. Temperatures over 300°F are not needed except with 1.5 mil film. Film that is 3 mil or thicker is generally run at 280°F or less. 5-6 Preventing and Solving Problems Please read this section before you have a problem. Problem: Wrinkling of the material as it goes into the laminating rollers. This problem usually occurs when laminating an item that has been folded, rolled, bent or wrinkled.
Make sure the film is threaded properly (see 5-2 Threading the Laminator). Problem: Film gets wrapped around the pull rollers. Solution: Wile threading a laminator when the shoes are cold, the loose ends of the unlaminated web are particularly susceptible to “wrap-around” on the rear rollers. To minimize this possibility, pull the threading card after it emerges from the pull rollers until the film clears. Stop the web and trim the film from the back of the unit.
rollers and create a world-class wraparound. This type of wraparound is difficult to clear because the film adheres to the roller and to itself for the entire length of the accumulated film on the roller. It’s best to clear this right away, before the adhesive hardens. Follow the steps above to clear. Solution: To avoid this problem, stop the laminator before either roll runs out, cut the webs of film, and remove the two near-empty rolls of film and then rethread new rolls.
Problem: A laminated item comes out with a large “oily” spot on or near the leading edge. Solution: It’s not oil that causes this effect, but excess adhesive. When a machine is left heated but idle for a few minutes or longer, the adhesive from the film over the shoes can form droplets if material is put in immediately. This excess adhesive saturates an area of paper, creating what looks like an oily spot.
Solution: Reduce the heat and/or the supply roll tension. The film is not shrinking so much as it is being stretched by excess heat and tension, causing the web to get narrower as it is pulled over the shoes. Problem: No power is getting to the laminator. Solution: Make sure there is power at the electrical outlet being used, and make sure both ends of the power cord are firmly engaged.
6-1 Instructions for Options NOTE: The footage counter and slitter cannot be installed together. 6-2 Footage Counter Measures film usage in feet, also available in a metric version. To measure the use of film with the footage counter: • Set the wheel of the counter against the roll of film. • Press the reset button located next to the digital read out. • The counter will continue to measure the number of feet of film used unless the wheel is lifted off the roll of film.
7-1 Maintenance There are no user-serviceable parts inside the machine. Please refer internal maintenance to qualified personnel. DANGER: Always use extreme caution when performing maintenance on your machine! Always make sure the machine is unplugged and that there is NO power to the machine when working on or cleaning any part of the unit. Use extreme caution to avoid hot surfaces which may remain hot for a period of time even if there is NO POWER to your machine.
7-4 Cleaning the Rubber Rollers Both the laminating rollers and the pull rollers need regular cleaning. Collectively these are referred to as the rubber rollers. The upper heat shoe on the laminator swings away in seconds, making it easy to clean the laminating rollers. To clean the laminating rollers: 1. TURN OFF AND UNPLUG THE MACHINE. 2. Loosen the four thumbscrews located on the heat shoe brackets. 3.
