The lamination machine in Information Technology handles material up to 25" wide. Operation is straightforward.

1. Insure that your material can be laminated.

The laminator will only work on flat items, at most only a few paper-thicknesses. Posterboard is about as thick as it will accept. Make certain that your material is no wider than the machine you are using (25"). Do not laminate metallic materials, and be aware that lamination is a high-temperature process which may damage thermal inks, such as those used by some rolls from our poster maker, or the paper used by older FAX machines.

2. Pre-heat the laminator (allow 20 minutes).

Make sure that the blue MOTOR switch is in the STOP position. Move the white speed control to the FAST position. Move the grey POWER switch to the upper "|" position. The green POWER light should illuminate, the amber WAIT light should flash, and the green READY light should come on briefly, then go out. You'll also hear a tone from the built-in buzzer. The machine takes about 20 minutes to heat up; be patient. Wait for the green READY light to come on, and for the WAIT light to go out.

3. Laminate your materials.

Adjust the SPEED control as desired; medium speed will usually work; for thinner material, you can go faster, and for thicker materials you should run more slowly. Hand-feed your materials into the machine, and use the blue MOTOR switch to start and stop the machine. It is a good idea to run about an inch of film out of the machine before inserting your first piece, as the 'parking spot' on the film does not always provide a good seal.

When placing objects for lamination, leave a gap of at least 1/4" between pieces so that the film can seal properly. Also, position your materials at least 1/4" from the edges of the laminating rollers.

4. Cut your laminated material off of the machine.

Once you have run your last item through the machine, run enough empty film that you can cut the laminated pieces off the end of the roll. There is a cutting blade above the film exit; push down on the handle and slide the blade across the film. When you are finished laminating, move the grey POWER switch to the OFF position to shut off the machine.

Lamination costs:

The 25" laminating film is $0.40 per linear foot. To figure the total cost, spread the laminated material out on the floor. Each floor tile is one foot square.

rev0.3 - DCAjr - 07/23/1998--HTML 12/29/1999