One simple change can make you just want to scream
We have all been there. Your doing a job you have done many times with success and all you are getting are failures. The adhesive doesn’t stick, you are getting wrinkles, etc. And when you review all the steps you have taken, they all seem okay and identical to what you have done in the past. Don’t think you are alone. This happens to us several times a year. What has happened is that something has changed. Your first reaction may be to look at your laminator and see if it needs service, but many times, that is not the case.
Papers changes, boards change and adhesives can change. So when things aren’t working, you need to become a detective and examine your process to determine what to do. We always start with a quick review of the laminator. We use an IR thermometer to check the temperature of the roll and make sure the nip is okay by placing a board between the rollers and closing them with minimal pressure and make sure we can’t move the board left or right. If the speed seems normal, we move onto other things.
If you are experiencing wrinkles, we check the thickness of the boards. All boards have tolerances and if they are towards the thicker part of the tolerance, you can have too much pressure and create wrinkles - if so turn the nip to the next largest setting. If you are running hot prducts with wrinkles, if the board doesn’t seem too thick, the paper may have changes and need might be expanding or moving towards the heat and sticking prematurely. Papers, like boards, have tolerances too. You can turn the heat down or just hold onto the end of the print to keep it from moving towards the roll.
If you print is not sticking to the board (as was the case earlier this year when Gator changed their manufacturing process) try preparing your board by wiping it with rubbing alcohol to neutralize any chemicals in the surface. If that fails or if you are having issues with adhesive sticking to your print, you may need to try a more aggressive adhesive. If using a heat process you may need to try a cold adhesive.
The key thing to keep in mind is the issue probably has nothing to do with what you are doing. One of the manufacturers could have a small change (often unbeknowned to their dealers), that while within their tolerances does not react well with the other components you are using. Just review your process and see what can be tweaked. Call your laminating supplier. It is possible that we have heard of similar issues (in addition to Gator changes, Epson has changed their premium papers this year too) and we know how others have worked through the problem. Five minutes on the phone can sometimes eliminate an hour of frustration. And just so you know, we do call others who we know run similar films and laminators and picked their brains when these happen to us.