What Is The Difference Between Thermal And Cold Lamination

Cold laminators use a pressure sensitive adhesive that does not need to be heated.

What is the difference between thermal and cold lamination.

For both techniques you require a film to laminate the material. Low melt films have heat activated adhesives that can applied at 185 to 195 degrees. Hot laminators use a heat activated adhesive that is heated as it passes through the laminator. Below is a list of common laminating film.

Cold laminating is sometimes used for sensitive documents such as photos. I ll explain the differences between the two. Both hot and cold laminating is still commonly used today however hot thermal laminating is by far the most popular. Vinyl substrates will melt and stretch under heat and must therefore use cold laminates.

A laminating pouch is used for two sided laminating and comes in either cold pouches or thermal pouches. The downside to hot laminators is that some items for example some photographs can not handle the heat required to apply the lamination. The term mil refers to total measurement of plastic and adhesive within one layer of laminating film expressed in thousandths of an inch 0 001. Heat assist films have pressure sensitive adhesives psas and liners and are applied with hot roll laminators at 185 to 195 degrees.

The cold ones can be made by hand without a machine or can be used with any laminator that has a cold setting. The laminator uses rollers that push the sheets of lamination together. If speed is a factor the ideal laminator for you will be one that warms up quickly and can laminate more inches per minute. Thermal laminating is usually both sides encapsulation while cold is usually one side.

Each of these laminating styles has unique features that make them ideal for certain laminating jobs. However if you use cold lamination the item is subjected to pressure. That said thermal machines are usually a bit more expensive than cold ones simply because they cost more to produce. That is because cold laminating film has a tacky adhesive on one side that sticks to documents when pressure is applied much like scotch tape.

Some laminators only have thermal technology and use heat to seal the laminating film and documents together. A thermal laminator can in many cases be used for cold laminating as well if the machine has that feature option. Thermal laminates are much lower cost than cold laminates. In hot lamination the item you want to laminate is subject to heat.

Others also have cold laminating capabilities meaning the film and documents are pressed together. Laminating film is offered in a variety of thicknesses ranging from thin and flexible to thick and rigid. You can use cold or hot lamination depending on your need and your budget. The difference in price isn t too great but it is there however you will find that the supplies need for cold lamination are more expensive than what you need for thermal processing.

If cold laminating is all you do use self adhesive laminating sheets without a laminating machine. Thermal pouches always require a heated pouch laminator to seal.