The Tamerica SM330 is a laminating machine that is targeted at small to medium businesses that want the capability to laminate a wide variety of documents. In the following review, we take a closer look at the SM330 and present you with some of the machines strengths and weaknesses.
Strengths:
1. One of the chief features that puts the SM330 in a slightly different class than some of the other pouch laminators on the market is that its rollers operate independently from its main power control. You ll find that on the vast majority of pouch laminating machines, the rollers start rolling when the power is turned on. Over time this has been shown to affect the longevity of the typical laminating machine, a problem that you won t have with the SM330. With this machine you can wait until the machine is warmed up and ready before you engage the rollers.
2. Another great feature of the SM330 is that it can handle pouch sizes for 3mil to 10mil. This machine can run laminating pouches with or without a pouch carrier. Most other laminators that we are aware of require either carrier free lamination, or need a carrier in order to work properly. As always, we recommend you use a carrier whenever possible to help extend the life of your laminator.
3. The SM330 is remarkably versatile in that you can use it to laminate pouches that are as large as twelve by eighteen inches in size. Plus, you can laminate items as small as a business card or a credit card if you desire.
4. We really liked the fact that the SM330 has a temperature control that will allow the user to adjust the heat at which the machine operates. If the laminations are turning out cloudy you can increase the heat; or you can decrease the heat if the documents are rippled or wavy.
Weaknesses:
1. If you have any experience at all with 10mil size pouch laminating, you know that if they are run without a carrier, they are very prone to leaving deposits of adhesive on the machine s rollers. Though the SM330 has a well placed chart on top of the machine that lets the user know which setting to use for which pouch thickness, you ll soon figure out that there is no displayed setting for 10mil pouches with a carrier. This means is that if you choose to process 10mil pouches sans carrier, you really need to make sure that you run a cleaning sheet though the machine regularly in order to avoid adhesive buildup. Or you can try running your 10mil pouches at the highest heat settings and see if they get enough heat to fully seal.
2. The operating speed of the SM330 is right around twelve to fourteen inches per minute. This is not a bad speed for a laminating machine at this price point. However, businesses that are going to be laminating larger volumes of documents might want to look into a machine that can operate a little bit faster.
3. We found that the SM330 became pretty hot to the touch during normal operation. The user is warned of this in both the manual and with a label placed on top of the machine. However, we still feel that it might be best that all users of the machine be trained beforehand so they are aware of this fact. Children should not be allowed within reach of the machine while it is in use.
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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