Lamination film: types and description

Lamination - covering printing products with a special film. The main purpose of such an event is to protect the product from external influences, in particular from mechanical damages, precipitation, etc. For this, a laminating film is used, which is manufactured in several ways. The work is carried out using a special automatic machine called a laminator. And now let's take a closer look at this topic.

About features

The lamination film is used not only to protect against external influences. It is also a great way to significantly improve the appearance of the product. For example, a laminated poster looks a lot better than usual. This applies to other printing products, such as: book covers, documents, advertising products, etc. Nevertheless, the main value of such a device, as a laminator, is precisely because it allows you to protect valuable documents for a long time from spoilage. They are not so afraid of moisture, rubbing, as well as other mechanical and age defects. For example, every driver always takes his driver's license with him and often presents them to the inspectors of the traffic police. If they were not laminated, they would deteriorate after a few years of operation.

Briefly about the advantages of films for lamination

The film itself has suitable technical characteristics, which allowed it to be used for this purpose. For example, a high level of adhesion suggests that the film can be used on almost any surface. High adhesion to various materials makes it simply irreplaceable. In addition, it is a complete protection against moisture, as well as temperature extremes. Therefore, if the document or poster is to remain for a long time at high minus temperatures, and then immediately fall into heat, nothing will happen to it. Well, we can not say that the film for lamination of A4, A3 and other formats does not emit unpleasant odors during operation. Moreover, there are no harmful chemicals that could affect the health of the owner. And now let's go further.

About the film thickness

A modern film for lamination can have a different thickness. This is due to the need to achieve certain operational characteristics in a particular case. In most cases, the thickness varies from 8 to 250 microns. Naturally, the scope of application is completely different. So, to cover the covers of books, calendars and business cards use a film of the smallest thickness, but archival documents and important papers cover a thicker layer, approximately 100-150 microns. As for 150-250 microns, this thickness is most often used for various kinds of passes, driver's licenses, badges, etc.

Immediately need 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 no particular difference here, but sometimes it makes sense to make a softer or, conversely, hard coating.

Film texture

At present, manufacturers of laminating films offer glossy and matte products. The first species is considered more popular and in demand. The fact that the glossy surface gives the printing 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 you want to give a certain style, then use a matte coating, since it in this case is an order of magnitude better.

If we talk about outdoor advertising, then the films that imitate the texture of flax, sand or canvas are very popular. This option is most in demand when creating expensive souvenirs, wedding albums , etc. If the film is not so much protective as a decorative character, then most often used color options. Against the background of ordinary they look more attractive, but their use on valuable documents is unacceptable.

Cold and hot lamination

The technology of coating with hot lamination means heating the film to a temperature of 70 degrees Celsius. To the same temperature is heated and the product, which will be applied to the film. As a result, the adhesive layer is heated and it becomes possible to join the film and the product. For example, a lamination film for the A3 format for hot lamination will be more popular than the analog made by the cold method. In any case, currently hot lamination prevails over the cold on the market, as it has several undeniable advantages. First, the simplicity of manufacture, and secondly, the high tightness of the product and its reliability.

A film for cold lamination is used when the temperature effect on documents and securities is unacceptable and can be disastrous. In this case, neither the film nor the product is heated, but passed through the press. As a result, we can talk about the effect of high pressure on the adhesive, which softens and adheres to the surface.

Film for lamination roll and packet

Almost all printing products are covered with film by roll or packet technology. With the batch method, the papers to be processed are placed in a special hermetic bag and passed through the press. Eventually, the document is processed in one cycle. This technology has such significant advantages as ease of manufacture and high processing speed. But as regards the shortcomings, the main disadvantage is that there are restrictions on the size of the processed documents. Many manufacturers currently offer a wide range of formats, ranging from A2 to A6, while also it is possible to make discount cards and business cards with dimensions of 70x100 mm.

But the film for lamination self-adhesive roll has practically no limitations on the size. Material rolled up in a roll automatically fed to the laminator, while allowing you to process both too large and small documents, as well as any other paper.

Basics for film

Polypropylene is used as the basis of the film for lamination, which is considered to be the most popular and demanded. The product is relatively soft and elastic. This material makes a film for lamination glossy, as well as matte. In addition to polyester, polyvinyl chloride is also used. The main advantages of this material are the resistance to ultraviolet light, elasticity and also high elasticity. But it's worth noting that such material is most often used in outdoor and 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 method of manufacture, material, thickness, etc. If you bought a cloudy film for laminating self-adhesive - do not be scared, it should be so. After you apply it to the surface, the adhesive layer will melt and integrate with the document. The surface will again become clear and clear. But if you want to process any security or something like that, then it's best to contact the 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 working with it, then why not do it yourself. In principle, now you know almost everything about the film used for lamination.