What is Roll Lamination?

A heated roll laminator uses heated rollers to melt glue extruded onto lamination film. This film is in turn applied to a substrate such as paper or card using pressure rollers. The primary purpose of laminating with such a machine is to embellish or protect printed documents or images. Heated roll laminators can vary in size from office based pouch laminators to industrial sized machines. Such industrial machines are primarily used for high quantity/quality output by printers or print finishers.

Whether small office or industrial machines – their primary function is to embellish or protect printed works. Such laminators are used to apply varying thicknesses of lamination film onto substrates such as paper or fabrics. The main advantage to the use of heated roll laminators is that of speed. Heated laminators use heated rollers or heated shoes to melt the glue which is applied to lamination film. The process of heating the glue prior to applying the film to a substrate allows for a faster application of the film. The laminates and adhesives used are generally cheaper to manufacture than cold roll laminates, oftentimes as much as half the cost depending on the comparison made. As the materials are non-adhesive until exposed to heat, they are much easier to handle. The glue is solid at room temperature, so lamination of this type is less likey to shift or warp after its application than pressure activated laminates, which rely on a highly viscous, adhesive fluid. *

Some of the wide materials you can laminate include:

  • Brochures
  • Business Cards
  • Calendars
  • Caution signs
  • Coffee break signs
  • Construction permits
  • Danger signs
  • Equipment procedures
  • Equipment tags
  • Exhibition displays
  • ID badges
  • Instruction manuals
  • Luggage tags
  • Maps
  • Maintenance check lists/procedures
  • Phone lists
  • Place mats
  • Plumbing notices
  • POS materials
  • Posters
  • Press clippings
  • Pricing guides / lists
  • Product inventories
  • Promotional materials
  • Project covers
  • Recipes
  • Report covers / presentations
  • Safety signs
  • Sales & marketing materials
  • Sales presentation
  • Security badges
  • Signs
  • Temporary signs
  • Time tables
  • Training certificates
  • Warning signs

* Source: Wikipedia.org