When it comes to taking care of your roll laminator, there is really only one thing to concern yourself with. But you should repeat it like a mantra every time you use, look at, or even think about your laminating machine. Are you ready? Here goes: Keep the rollers clean.
No, you don t need to clean the rollers every time you use the machine, (a good rule of thumb is about four times a year) but the more you think about doing so, the more often it will get done, and the longer your machine will last. This is especially important to keep in mind for large organizations such as schools and churches and in any situation where the machine will see heavy use from many different users of varying levels of experience.
There is no hard and fast rule as to how often the rollers should be cleaned, but it is important to note that the longer you wait, the harder the adhesive becomes, and the more difficult it is to remove. Also important to keep in mind is that you should never, ever, use sharp objects like Exact o knives or any other kind of blade to scrape the rollers clean. The rollers are made of softer rubber like material and any sort of cut or ding will lead to even more future problems.
Here are some simple steps to keeping the rollers of your laminating machine clean:
1. Make sure that there isn t any film in the machine. In fact, you might use that as a good excuse to clean the rollers every time you change the film.
2. Heat the machine as if for normal operation. This will help soften the adhesive so that it can be removed more easily. Just please be careful not to burn yourself while you are working on the machine.
3. When the machine is warmed up, use a green scrubbie (aka 3M Scotch Brite pad) to scrub the rollers. Set the machine so the rollers are moving as slowly as possible. Never, ever use steel wool or SOS pads or anything of the sort, as these can lead to damage. Be patient, take your time and make sure that you are getting all the adhesive off the rollers.
4. When the cleaning process is finished, go ahead and install some new rolls and remember to make sure that the feed table is engaged.
There are some ways to help prevent problems with your rollers, and for a heavy use machine it might be a good idea to make a sign (and laminate it) to place near the machine that says the following:
1. Do not attempt to laminate anything that is made of metal or contains glitter. The glitter gets stuck in the rollers and can ruin the machine.
2. Do not attempt to laminate heavier items such as wooden objects or coins. We know of one school who ruined their laminator attempting to laminate 3D collages containing sticks.
We hope that by following these rules and by keeping your rollers clean, you can enjoy many years of use from your roll laminating machine.
Author Resource:
Jeff McRitchie is the designer and Director of Marketing for http://www.mybinding.com .He has written over 500 articles on binding machines,binding covers,binders,laminators,binding supplies,laminating supplies,paper handling equipments,index tabs, and shredders.
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