Lamination is the coating of printed products with a special film. The main purpose of such an event is to protect the product from external influences, in particular from mechanical damage, precipitation, etc. For this, a laminating film is used, which is made in several ways. The work is carried out using a special automatic machine called a laminator. Now let's take a closer look at this topic.
About Features
Laminating film is used not only for protection against external influences. It is also a great way to significantly improve the appearance of the product. For example, a laminated poster looks many times better than a regular one. This also applies to other printed products, such as book covers, documents, promotional items, etc. However, the main value of such a device,as a laminator, it is precisely because it allows you to protect valuable documents from damage for a long time. They are not so afraid of moisture, wear, as well as other mechanical and age defects. For example, every motorist always carries a driver's license with him and quite often presents them to traffic police inspectors. If they were not laminated, they would have deteriorated after a few years of operation.
Briefly about the advantages of laminating films
The film itself has suitable technical characteristics, which made it possible to use it for these purposes. For example, a high level of adhesion means that the film can be used on almost any surface. High adhesion to various materials makes it simply indispensable. In addition, it is a complete protection against moisture, as well as temperature extremes. Therefore, if a document or poster stays at high sub-zero temperatures for a long time, and then immediately gets into heat, nothing will happen to it. Well, one cannot but say that the film for laminating A4, A3 and other formats does not emit unpleasant odors during operation. Moreover, there are no harmful chemicals that could affect the wearer's he alth. Now let's move on.
About film thickness
Modern laminating film can have different thicknesses. This is due to the need to achieve certain performance characteristics in a particular case. In most cases, the thickness ranges from 8 to 250micron. Naturally, the scope of application is completely different. So, to cover the covers of books, calendars and business cards, a film of the smallest thickness is used, but archival documents and important papers are covered with a thicker layer, approximately 100-150 microns. As for 150-250 microns, this thickness is most often used on various kinds of passes, driver's licenses, badges, etc.
It is immediately necessary to say that the film for laminating A4, A5 formats and some others is made soft and hard. This indicator directly depends on the thickness of the layer of polyester and glue. If the layer of glue is larger, then the film is hard, if less - soft. There is not much difference here, but sometimes it makes sense to make a softer or, conversely, hard coating.
Film texture
Currently, lamination film manufacturers offer glossy and matte products. The first type is considered more popular and in demand. The fact is that the glossy surface gives the printed product strength, and also makes it pleasant to the touch. All this affects the fact that the cost of production increases. But, despite this, only matte films are able to hide various kinds of glare. In addition, if it is necessary to give a certain style, then they use a matte finish, since in this case it fits an order of magnitude better.
If we talk about outdoor advertising, films imitating the texture of linen, sand or canvas are very popular here. This option is usedin greatest demand when creating expensive souvenirs, wedding albums, etc. If the film is not so much protective as decorative, then color options are most often used. Against the background of ordinary ones, they look more attractive, but their use on valuable documents is unacceptable.
Cold and hot lamination
Hot lamination coating technology involves heating the film to a temperature of 70 degrees Celsius. The product on which the film will be applied is also heated to the same temperature. As a result, the adhesive layer is heated and it becomes possible to connect the film and the product. For example, an A3 lamination film for hot lamination will be more popular than an analog made by a cold method. In any case, hot lamination currently prevails over cold lamination on the market, as it has several undeniable advantages. Firstly, ease of manufacture, and secondly, the high tightness of the product and its reliability.
Cold lamination film is used when the temperature effect on documents and securities is unacceptable and can be fatal. In this case, neither the film nor the product is heated, but passed through a press. As a result, we can talk about the effect of high pressure on the adhesive, which softens and sticks to the surface.
Film for laminating rolls and bags
Practically all printed products are covered with film using roll or batch technology. With the batch method, processed papers are placed in a special hermetic bag and passed through a press. Ultimately, the processing of the document is carried out in one cycle. This technology has such significant advantages as ease of manufacture and high processing speed. But as for the shortcomings, the main disadvantage is that there are restrictions on the size of processed documents. Many manufacturers now offer a wide range of sizes ranging from A2 to A6, and can also make discount cards and business cards in 70x100mm.
But self-adhesive roll laminating film has practically no size restrictions. The rolled material is automatically fed to the laminator, while allowing you to process both oversized and small documents, as well as any other paper.
Film bases
Polypropylene is used as the base of the film for lamination, which is considered the most popular and in demand. The product is relatively soft and elastic. From this material, a film for lamination is made glossy, as well as matte. In addition to polyester, polyvinyl chloride is also used. The main advantages of this material are UV resistance, elasticity and also high resilience. But it is worth noting that such material is most often used in outdoorand indoor advertising, since the surface of the film is usually textured.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are different types of film. They differ depending on the manufacturing method, material, thickness, etc. If you bought a cloudy self-adhesive laminating film - do not be alarmed, this is how it should be. After you apply it to the surface, the adhesive layer will melt and grow together with the document. The surface will again become transparent and clear. But if you want to process any security or something like that, then it is better to turn to professionals. This is due to the fact that non-compliance with the technology can lead to damage to the product, and sometimes it is very expensive to restore documents. However, if you have a laminator, and you have experience with it, then why not do it yourself. In principle, now you know almost everything about the film used for lamination.
