For all the ardent laminator fans out there, scratching your heads and asking why GAE is selling another machine called the Delta when it used to sell the GBC Delta, fret no more. The Komfi Delta and the GBC machine are one and the same.
The Komfi range of thermal laminators used to be sold under the GBC brand, but following the sale of GBC Commercial Laminating Systems to Indian firm Cosmo Films by its owner Acco back in June, the machines have been sold under Komfi's own brand.
Aside from the change of name, there's no massive difference. GAE works with Cosmo Film's UK distributor GIF where it needs to - for example, getting the right film for customers.
"After the GBC sale, Komfi came to us about selling it direct from them for the UK," says GAE technical finishing products manager Alan Harrison.
Komfi is a Czech engineering firm that has been manufacturing the Delta range for 10 years. In that time, it has sold more than 800 laminators, over half of which have been Deltas. Its range of print kit includes laminators such as the Aspira, Amiga, Sagitta and Sirius, as well as offline coaters.
The rationale behind buying a thermal laminator is to allow firms with low-volume laminating requirements to bring production in-house. "If you're sending out a few thousand pounds per month of lamination, you should definitely consider an in-house laminator," says Harrison.
It's not just about the money, there's also the issue of turnaround time and control of the process. "Book covers are an example where you'd go in-house because of their on-demand nature," adds Harrison.
Coating options
But why not coat? After all laminating puts a sheet of plastic over the top of a sheet of paper, presenting potential problems at the pulper when it comes to recycling.
"There are distinct differences between the processes," says Harrison. "Laminating delivers higher quality results and digital work and some boards will still crack when folded under a coating, but won't if laminated."
The Delta is what Harrison calls a "cheat's format". It is 52cm-wide, which means it will handle sheets up to B2, but they'll be fed in portrait format with the short edge across the machine, which has an impact on productivity.
The speed of the machine is 30m per minute flat out, or more realistically in day-to-day operation depending on the stock being laminated and the laminate used, around two thirds that, or 20m per minute.
In terms of sheets per minute or per hour, you can work that out by dividing the linear speed by the length of the sheet (and in the case of sheets per hour, multiplying by 60). So for instance, if you're running B2 sheets flat out at 30m per minute that's 30 divided by 0.72. It comes out at a shade under 42 sheets per minute or 2,500 per hour. For B3 sheets, the speed is roughly double at just under 85 sheets per minute/5,100 sheets per hour.
"Most customers talk about metres per minute and once you understand how many sheets you get per metre, it's easy to understand the productivity you'll get," says Harrison.
If you don't need the speed or the B2 capability, for digital cut-sheet work for example, Harrison suggests the Delta's smaller sibling the Amiga 36, which, as the name suggests, handles film up to 36cm wide; it's also slower with a maximum speed of 20m per minute.
Speed sums
When it comes to working out what sort of speed you'll get in use, Harrison says it depends on the laminate and the stock. "Litho runs fastest as digital needs more heat and, therefore, more time," he adds. "It's a balancing act."
The thickness of the stock will also make a difference, with heavier stock taking more time. But speed is only one way to control the process, you can also adjust the temperature. However, the hotter you run, the more curl gets introduced into the sheets, although there is a de-curling wheel.
When it comes to laminating digital work, it's important to test the machine and the films you're planning to use with output from your kit. Different models and even different ranges from the same manufacturer may use different types of toner and fuser, which will affect the way they laminate.
The bogeyman in digital print is the use of silicon oil in the fusing process. Basically, it's like greasing a pan to stop the printed sheet sticking to the innards of your printer, so you can see why it then creates a headache if your next step is to try and stick something on top of the print.
It's possible to get around the problem by increasing the time and the temperature, as well as by using special films that are optimised for digital print. When it comes to selecting films, GAE recommends talking to GIF to source something that precisely fits your applications.
If you're not familiar with the process, a laminator works by applying a plastic film over the printed sheet. With a thermal machine, a good bond is ensured by running the print and the laminate through a set of heated rollers to melt the glue. Subsequently, the sheets are separated using snapping rollers and skew wheels. The rollers make one side of the job run slightly faster (and thus at greater tension) and then a slight nick to the film on that edge will spread all the way across, cutting the sticky-backed plastic web back into sheets.
"The Delta has an oscillating knife that just flicks into the edge of the web, it's amazing how clean the edge produced is," says Harrison.
Easy changeover
You can run straight into the next job with two or three waste sheets, as long as there are no changes to the speed, temperature or pressure. The only time it will take longer is if you change the laminate film, but even then it only takes a couple of minutes to re-thread the film through the rollers.
The machine doesn't take up much space and with a touch-screen to control most functions it's a cinch to use.
However, there are a few options to make life even easier. A slitting wheel cuts down wider rolls to suit narrower stocks and a jogger is available if you need to straighten up the output stack for a subsequent process. A crane for lifting the reels of film is available.
There's also a Delta P1us, which runs at up to 50m per minute. However, Harrison says the market is more interested in a basic machine and GAE has yet to sell any.
SPECIFICATIONS
Max sheet size 520x740mm (B2)
Paper weight 115-350gsm
Types of laminating film OPP, PET, nylon
Max speed 30m per minute (Delta Plus 50m per minute)
Price £47,500
Contact GAE 020 8997 8053 www.gae.co.uk
THE ALTERNATIVES
Autobond Mini 52 T
Autobond's Mini 52 T boasts a feeder from Heidelberg Stahl and electronics from Siemens. At 45m per minute, it's faster than the Delta and with the option of handling stock up to 650gsm, perfecting and the ability to apply a magnetic material to the sheet, it's very versatile.
Max sheet size 520x740mm
Max speed 45m per minute
Price £36,000
Contact Autobond 01773 530520 www.autobondlaminating.com
D&K Jupiter
Redditch-based D&K offers a range of laminators and the Jupiter 30 is the nearest to the Delta in terms of specification. The Jupiter range also includes the slower and cheaper Jupiter 25 for £30,000 and the new DS, which operates at 25m/m in double sided operation and 30m per minute single sided.
Max sheet size 540x740mm
Max speed 30m per minute
Price £35,000
Contact D&K 01527 520073 www.dkeurope.co.uk
Foliant Castor 520
The Castor takes just 10 minutes to warm up. It's also simple to install and the machine is equipped with its own compressor and a power supply for the jogger. Palette feeder and stacker are optional.
Max sheet size 530x740mm
Max speed 35m per minute
Price £48,499
Contact Foliant 0845 2607377 www.foliant.co.uk
Synergy Ecotack Digit
UK dealer Tarrant Machines reckons that, for the digital and short-run sector of the market, fast job changeover is important and the Digit scores highly thanks to its pressurised water heating system, which allows for rapid temperature adjustments to cope with different stocks.
Max sheet size 520x740mm
Max speed 45m per minute
Price £60,500
Contact Tarrant Machines 01943 602355 www.tarrantmachines.com
Tauler PrintLam Digital B2
Friedheim offers the Spanish-made Tauler in the UK, according to the dealer it's a robust and compact laminator suitable for both digitally and litho printed stocks down to 110gsm and up to 600gsm.
Max sheet size 520x750mm
Max speed 30m per minute
Stock 110-600gsm
Price £40,000
Contact Friedheim 01442 206100 www.friedheim.co.uk
