While the primary role of lamination is to protect a piece of printed work, a quality finish can also add value to an application. Be this a business card that will be passed around at busy events, a takeaway menu taking pride of place on the fridge, or even a poster on the wall of a cinema, lamination can have a significant impact on a printed product. Luckily for print service providers (PSPs), there is a wide range of lamination equipment on offer to the industry, with many trusted manufacturers and suppliers to work with to ensure you are investing in a solution that will meet your lamination needs. Here, we cast an eye over some of the latest offerings on the market and look at how their new features can help users further improve the quality of output. Smarter and Faster First up in our analysis is Morgana Systems, which offers solutions right across the finishing spectrum. Ray Hillhouse, vice president of sales and marketing at Plockmatic, the parent company of Morgana, says investing in the latest laminating equipment allows PSPs to take advantage of smarter, faster, easier-to-operate products designed for today’s demanding short-run market. “Perhaps more importantly, printers can feel confident that they are producing laminated work that conforms to the latest standards regarding sustainability,” Hillhouse explains, adding: “Biodegradable materials are now being increasingly seen as the way to go, so it is important that any machine installed will happily run these latest products, and at the desired speed. “Using outdated, or under-powered equipment can certainly lead to poor quality lamination, which equals a job that reflects poorly on your business. Slower more cumbersome machines, often designed for hand feeding, can take time to master and get the best from.” The latest addition to the Morgana laminator family is the Laminator Pro 550, an automatic laminator for sheets of up to 550 x 720mm, and up to 400gsm in weight. The temperature on the machine is controlled by a sensor, while the device automatically vacuum feeds work through the machine. “With its easily adjustable de-curling system and pneumatic pressure, this laminator gives the smoothest results on a wide range of stock and lamination finishes,” Hillhouse says. Hillhouse also explains how the Morgana Laminator Pro 550 incorporates a INTEGRAL TO FINISHING With lamination playing an integral role in finishing off many print jobs, we take a look at some of the latest equipment in this area and analyse the key benefits of these for users 63 FOCUS ON / LAMINATION EQUIPMENT Issue 342 - May / June 2023 email: news@printmonthly.co.uk
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