Every school has one. Teachers and scrap bookers say it is
one of their favorite tools. Yet, in
these tough economic times, the laminator is often one of the first pieces of
equipment to remain idle. This does not
have to be so. With a heated roller
laminator, you can reduce your laminating costs without sacrificing quality.
First, let me provide a quick lesson on laminators. Roll
laminators come in a multitude of sizes, configurations, and costs. Laminators generally operate in two ways. A heat shoe laminator consists of curved
pieces of coated metal that surround the laminating rollers. This metal is heated up and the laminating
film is pulled across the shoes to melt the adhesive on the laminating film. The rollers simply provide the pressure to
stick the film to the item you are laminating. The second type of laminator is a heated
roller laminator. Just as it sounds,
the rollers in a heated roller laminator, which are normally made of silicon,
are heated and thus melt the adhesive and provide the pressure for laminating
at the same time.
So how can a heated roller laminator save you money? It boils down to two factors: heat and waste.
Let's look at each of these in more detail.
Heat Shoe Laminator
In order to melt the adhesive on laminating film, heat must
be applied. A standard 1.5 mil
laminating film that is commonly used in schools generally melts around 275
degrees. Now, with a heat shoe
laminator, there is a small gap in between the heat shoe, where the heat is
applied, and the rollers, where the pressure is applied. Now because there is
no heating occurring in this gap, the laminating film cools down in between the
heat shoe and the roller. This often
requires the laminator to be heated to a temperature much higher than 275
degrees, using more electricity and increasing the wear on the laminator's
internal heating element. A heated
roller laminator does not require the laminator to be heated over the operating
temperature of the laminating film because the film is constantly in contact
with the heat source as pressure is applied to the item being laminated. Lower heat equals less electricity used and
less wear. Not only is this good for
your pocketbook, but good for the environment as well.
Heated Roller Laminator
A heated roller laminator results in much less waste than a
heat shoe laminator. Much like inkjet
printers, a large part of the cost of laminating does not stem from the
laminator itself, but the consumable supplies used. Standard laminating film can be as expensive
as $50 per roll. By minimizing even just
a few feet of waste per roll, large savings can be made. A heated roller laminator minimizes waste in
two ways. First, when a heat shoe
laminator is warming up, only the portion of the laminating rollers that are
closest to the heat shoes are being heated. The back sides of the laminating rollers
remain cool. This results in a repeating
foggy pattern on the first several prints that are laminated because the cooler
sides of the laminating rollers lower the temperature of the laminating film
below the film's melt temperature before the appropriate amount of pressure can
be applied. Unless the laminator
operator rotates the rollers during warm up, the first few feet of laminating film
is wasted.
This is not the case with the heated roller laminator
because the rollers are uniformly heated. Second, the clarity of laminated
prints tends to be better with a heated roller laminator. The laminating film is pulled across the heat
shoes in a heat shoe laminator. Any dust
or burrs on the heat shoe can scratch the laminating film as it is pulled
across the heat shoes.
In the past, heated roller laminators have been overly
expensive when compared to heat shoe laminators. GBC manufactures a popular heated roller
school laminator; however the price is much higher than standard heat shoe
laminators. However, Banner American
Products, a California-based manufacturer, recently introduced a low-priced
heated roller laminator called the EasyLam School Budget. The EasyLam Budget is half the price of
existing heated roller laminators and is manufactured in the US. Start saving
today with a heated roller laminator.
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