AGL 6400 Process Control Feedback

A Northeast-based printer received a large project from a national bank chain that was changing their brand. The project consisted of more than 15,000 large-format posters encapsulated using a 10mil gloss thermal laminate front and back. The printer owned the AGL 6400 from Advanced Greig Laminators (Booth C5910) to perform this project.

Problem

The large scope of this project and tight deadline posed several challenges to the printer:

• The operation would have to run three shifts, six days a week
• The thick 10 over 10 mil thermal laminate required a laminator powerful enough to consistently process the film
• Multiple operators with different experience levels were in charge of laminating
• Multiple operators resulted in operating the laminator at different settings  
• Inconsistent settings lead to an inconsistent output including waves and image curl
• Inconsistencies lead to a large increase in material waste
• Increased material waste caused an increase in media, ink, and laminate cost
• Labor cost increased due to repeat work
• Having to repeat work put the deadline at risk

Solution

The AGL 6400 laminator is designed to provide repeatable process control feedback for temperature, speed, pressure, and, most importantly, film tension. The easy-to-read gauges and displays of the 6400 allow a user to identify and communicate the ideal settings for a specific project requirement. To eliminate human error, the project manager (PM) took it upon himself to program the 6400 to determine the correct laminator settings.

Temperature was set utilizing AGL’s proprietary heated roller design. Having a consistent temperature profile allowed the unit to run nonstop without the need to overheat the rollers. Some operators anticipated heat loss and would overheat the rollers. Overheating of the rollers was the cause of waves in the images.

Nip roll pressure was set to a specific PSI. Precise pneumatic control allowed the PM to dial in the desired pressure to achieve the best, repeatable results. The non-crowned rollers of all AGL laminators ensures even pressure across the entire roll face.

The PM determined the ideal run speed to provide adequate dwell time of their 10mil over 10mil laminate. 270° of roll surface coverage allowed the thermal adhesive of the film to activate at a higher speed and achieve superior bonding to the media.

Lastly, film tension was set to a specific psi for both upper and lower unwind film stations. Inconsistent or excess film tension settings used by each operator was the cause of the image curl/potato chip issue.

Once the PM identified the ideal laminator settings, he recorded his settings by taking a picture of the laminator controls with his smartphone. He then printed the picture, taped it to the side of the 6400 with instructions: “These are the settings for the bank project. Any changes, see me first!” With all the operators using the same settings, the project was completed in time and waste was minimal.

Summary

Whether you’re a large organization with multiple operators, or a single owner/operator, having a laminator with easy to use, identifiable, and repeatable process control feedback is vital. Having repeatable process control feedback can mean the difference between handing a project to your client at higher profits, or handing a project to your dumpster at lower profits. 

In this case, having process control feedback resolved output issues due to one operator’s preference versus another. Production increased and waste decreased significantly.