A pouch laminator uses a lamination pouch that is usually sealed on one side. The inside of the lamination pouch is coated with a heat-activated film that adheres to the product being laminated as it runs through the laminator. The substrate side of the board contains a heat-activated adhesive

Adhesive

An adhesive, or glue, is a mixture in a liquid or semi-liquid state that adheres or bonds items together. Adhesives may come from either natural or synthetic sources. The types of materials that can be bonded are vast but they are especially useful for bonding thin materials...

 that bonds the print to the substrate. This can be any of a number of board products or another sheet of laminate. The pouch containing the print, laminate, and substrate is passed through a set of heated rollers under pressure, ensuring that all adhesive layers bond to one another.

Pouch laminators are designed for moderate use in the office or home. These inexpensive machines are quite effective. However, for continuous, large-volume lamination projects, a roll laminator performs more efficiently.

Pouches can be bought with different thicknesses in micrometres (referred to as MIC). Standard home or office machines normally use 80-250 micrometre pouches, depending on the quality of the machine. The thicker the pouch, the higher the cost.

In the United States, lamination pouch thickness is measured in mil, which equals one thousandth of an inch. The most common pouch thicknesses are 3,5,7 and 10 mil (76,127,178 and 254 μm).

Certain pouches such as Butterfly Pouches can be used with a pouch laminator to form ID cards. Butterfly pouches are available with magnetic stripes embedded.

Maintenance

Many pouch laminators require the use of a carrier. Carriers are usually manilla in color and are similar in thickness to a file holder. A carrier holds the pouch as it is run through the laminator. This helps prevent the hot glue, some of which leaks from the sides of the pouches during the process, from gumming up the rollers. The carrier prevents the rollers from getting sticky, which helps to prevent the lamination pouch from wrapping around the rollers inside the laminator. If your rollers are dirty you can still prevent wrap-arounds by using a carrier. For safety reasons, it is not recommended to clean a pouch laminator yourself. It is safer to contact a professional to provide these services.

Many newer laminators claim that they can be used without a carrier. While this is true, it is still recommended to use carriers regardless as they will extend the laminator's lifespan.

If your laminating pouch does get jammed inside your laminator, it really is best to contact a service center for assistance. If you must service the machine yourself it is very important to not use sharp objects that can damage the rollers in the machine.

Associated Links

• Cold roll laminators
  Cold roll laminators
  Cold Roll Laminators use a plastic film which is coated with an adhesive and glossy backing which does not adhere to the glue. When the glossy backing is removed, the adhesive is exposed, which then sticks directly onto the item which needs to be laminated...
  
  
• Heated roll laminators

Pouch Laminator for ID Cards