Laminating Troubleshooting Guide
There are many types and makes of hot pouch laminators in use, some have flat heated plates and others have heated rollers. Some (mainly older machines) require a card carrier to be used every time that you laminate an item. Other, usually cheap machines, do not have either adjustable speed or adjustable heat settings, meaning that perfect lamination is hard to achieve. Due to these and many other factors, this troubleshooting guide is by no means exhaustive and may not be accurate for every machine. Please consult the manufacturers guidelines or contact your supplier for specific information concerning your machine.
| Problem | Causes | Remedy |
|---|---|---|
| Pouch looks blistered or wrinkled | Temperature too high or speed too low | Increase speed or decrease temperature |
| Pouch looks lined or wrinkled | Film not straight when fed into machine | Ensure pouch is fed squarely into the machine |
| Dirt / objects on rollers | Contact supplier | |
| Pouch looks cloudy / adhesion is weak | Temperature too low or speed too high | Decrease speed or increase temperature |
| Pouch too thick for the machines capabilities | Use a thinner pouch | |
| Pouch is curled | Temperature too high or speed too low | Increase speed or decrease temperature |
| Pressure on rear roller too great | Contact supplier | |
| Film wrapped around rollers / jammed in the machine | Temperature too high or speed too low | If pouch is still visible, reverse rollers, remove the film. If pouch is not visible contact supplier. Remove any adhesive from the rollers by heating the machine to normal laminating temperature and then passing a non glossy piece of card through the machine as if laminating. Adjust temperature/speed before trying again |
| Unsuitable pouch used for item to be laminated | If pouch is still visible, reverse rollers, remove the film. If pouch is not visible contact supplier. Remove any adhesive from the rollers as detailed above. Use suitable pouch when laminating again | |
| Pouch not sealing properly | Item requires laminating at higher temperature | Decrease speed or increase temperature |
| Rollers are not running | Required temperature of rollers has not been reached | Wait |
| No power | Turn on the power switch. Check and plug in correctly |
