Hot/Cold Lamination
Lamination is the process of manufacturing material in multiple layers. That will help to achieve improved strength, stability, sound insulation, appearance. Other properties from the use of differing materials, such as plastic. Laminate is a permanently assembled object created using heat, pressure.
There are different lamination processes, it depends mainly on the type or types of materials to be laminated. The materials used in laminates can be identical or different, depending on the process and the object to be laminated.
Laminating paper products, such as photographs, can prevent them from becoming creased, faded, damaged, stained, abraded, or marked by fingerprints. Photo identification cards and credit cards are almost always laminated with plastic film. Boxes and other containers may be laminated using heat-seal layers, extrusion coatings, pressure-sensitive adhesives, UV coating.
There are mainly two kinds of lamination procedures, called hot and cold lamination.
Hot laminating
A hot laminator will use heat to activate an adhesive material to the layer. This helps to secure the plastic around the document.
This provides more durable protection and it is also much faster. There are some advantages and some things about this type of laminations,
You have additional applications for the laminating machine. This includes different materials like vinyl and a variety of heat settings.
The materials used in this generally cost much less than the materials used in a cold laminator.
Some colors, inks, and materials can be damaged in the high heat generated by this. You can purchase special plastic laminates to help protect your documents from the heat.
Using a hot laminator can be a skill that is difficult to master. It can take time and experience to deliver consistent results. The heating element can be extremely hot and dangerous to users who aren’t careful.
Cold Laminators
A cold laminator will only use pressure and an adhesive to secure the document between sheets of plastic. To finish this only need to do is apply some pressure on the rollers in the laminating machines.
Many users prefer this lamination method over a hot laminator. They find the process delivers quality outcomes without the use of the heating elements in the hot laminators. There are advantages to the cold laminator:
It needs only less time to set-up and less maintenance. These types of machines are inexpensive and they are generally easy-to-use. Many are manual and will require a user to operate.
The pressure from the rollers of a cold laminator will remove the unsightly bubbles that sometimes occur with a laminate.
The colors and quality of the printed document are typically better when you use a cold laminator. The heat of a hot laminator can cause colors to bleed or degrade.
You have the option of laminating only one side of a graphic, making cold laminators the best option for decals and adhesive decorations.
