EXPRESS
ENCAPSULATION
& LAMINATION
Hot or Cold Laminating Machine: Knowing
the Difference and Your Need
Whether you are planning to open your laminating and binding business or just
want to get a laminating machine for your company, knowing what kind you should
get is very important. Little do we know that there are different types of laminating
machines and getting the wrong one will result in wasted time, effort, and money?
And none of us can afford to get them back. So whether you are going to
laminate film for printed media or large banners, you need to know which will
serve your purpose best.
Hot laminating machine:
This is the most popular form of laminating machine, and more often than not, this
is the type that we are used to. The first laminating machines produced uses hot
temperature to heat an adhesive material in one side of a laminate film. Once it is
heated, it melts and binds to a surface of a material or another laminate film.
The advantage of using a hot laminate film is that it is very easy to operate. It also
produces a very durable material. With exceptional durability comes amazing
preservation features allowing you to retain the condition of the laminated material
for longer periods. Unfortunately, hot lamination also comes at a price.
Temperatures can go as high as 300ºF and has the potential of melting away an
entire laminate film unless it is turned off from time to time to let the machine cool.
With high temperatures, it can also potentially alter the print material like melting,
fading, and mixing the colors of the print media.
Cold laminating machine:
This laminating machine is made for larger laminating purposes. It uses intense
pressure to make a laminating film stick to the surface of a print medium. Instead
of melting an adhesive, the cold laminator uses a laminate with an attached
adhesive that immediately sticks to a surface upon contact. But upon contact,
immediate pressure is also applied to make sure that it pushes out air to prevent
air bubbles from forming.
This is great for those who prefer having thinner more flexible print media. This is
great for materials that you can hang. Though it is not as durable as hot laminators
but many find this more versatile and superior. Cold laminate is the answer to large
materials; it also uses light laminate film for print media and perfect for other
business documents that need an extra layer of protection since it doesn’t melt or
alter colors in any way.
Whichever you need, hot or cold laminate serve the same purpose, add a protective
layer to your print media.