Laminating film comes in many different thicknesses, sizes, classes of quality and can be supplemented with various forms of substances. As regarding to the size the only limit is the size of your machine, where every conceivable size to fix your job is available. These variations in substances incorporated in the production are made to meet the demand of all the distinct users of laminating machine. The main distinction of laminating sheets can be made between a glossy and a matte finish.
Requirements for the laminating film can be;
Intensify color
The right kind of laminating film can have a neat expression of the colors. This is mostly achieved with a glossy finished foil. The laminating foil shows depth in the print which was sealed, what can put things in a more elegant perspective.
Scratch Resistant
Ordinary films are produced with quite solid plastic but are though not available in that many different kind of varies. For the industrial type of machines there is more to chose from, where there are foils made of a harder composed materials.
Writable
It can be very useful to be able to write on your laminated products. Though most films are glossy what makes it hard to write on. In this case you can use a matte laminating finish, what gives you the possibility to write comments and notes on the laminating film.
UV resistant
It is a film containing an absorbing chemical that protects the plastic from shrinking or fading. This makes it suitable for outdoor usage and can wear for some years without deterioration of the prints colors.
Moisture resistant
What is nice about laminating is that it can seal the material of air tide. This gives a good protection against fluids and aging of the material. Almost everything that is spilled on there can easily be wiped away.
Laminating film is composed of polyester and some additional substances to create supplemental qualities as mentioned above. The films are coated with adhesives that can depending on the purpose and laminator be activated by heat or pressure.
The thickness of the laminating film is also called weight and is measured in millimeters. Most common films available have a thickness within the range of 1.5 to 15 mils. Different thicknesses serve various end results. As you can imagine, a sealed report does not have to wear as much as an ID-badge.
If you use a lamination machine with a temperature control function, it is recommended to do a test starting cold and then progressively laminate hotter. This way you find the critical point of lamination, which implies that the best possible sealing is realized. When laminating to hot, it will impair the film because of melting, leaving an uneven discolored result.