GBC 5031TS
OPERATION MANUAL
© 2006 General Binding Corporation
20
USING THE “TRACKING” METHOD
CAUTION:
The following procedure is performed
while the laminator is hot. Use extreme caution.
Avoid contact with the heat shoes. The following
describes a method for loading film whereby the
existing film present on the Heat Shoes may be
used in place of the threading card to draw the new
film through the laminator. The adhesive of the
existing film must be tacky or liquefied. Leading
edges of the new film will be overlapped onto the
tacky adhesive of the old film. The existing film and
the new film will be pulled “together” through the
laminator. Refer to the diagram for threading
directions of Poly-In and Poly-Out films
Do not allow the adhesive side of the film to contact the
Heat shoes, Nip Rollers or Pull Rollers. Liquefied or tacky
adhesive deposited on Heat rollers will require the rollers to be cleaned (See section titled, “Caring for the
GBC 5031TS Series Laminator”).
1. Preheat the laminator. Remove the Safety Shield and Feed Table.
2. Cut the existing top and bottom film webs between the supply rolls and the heat shoes.
3. Remove the top and bottom film supply shafts by pulling the Lateral Film Adjusters from their cradles and
sliding the film shafts to the left until they clear the hex-shaped brake hubs.
4. To load new film onto the film supply shafts, repeat steps 6 and 7 in the previous section USING A FILM
THREADING CARD.
5. To install the film shafts, repeat steps 8 and 9 for the bottom film and 10 and 11 for the top film from the
previous section USING A FILM THREADING CARD.
6. Tack the new rolls of film to the existing film already webbed through the laminator.
7. Replace the feed tray and safety shield; close the rollers using the pressure handle and press RUN.
8. Observe the film being pulled through the laminator to assure that the remaining existing film and the new
film are advancing concurrently. Any separation between the films will require stopping the motor
immediately, and correcting the situation.
9. Adjust the top and bottom brakes to eliminate rivers and wrinkles in the films as they pass over the heat
shoes.
10. Press “Stop” once the newly-threaded film web has completely exited the laminator.
FILM ALIGNMENT PROCEDURE:
It is highly recommended that you line up the edges of the new film before threading the laminator.
1. Center the bottom roll of film to the sheet being fed from the feeder.
2. Adjust the core adaptors by loosening the set screws on their outer edges.
3. Bring the top roll of film down by unwinding several feet of film.
4. Align the edges of the top film roll to that of the bottom film roll.
For fine tuning the edges, the film supply shafts of the GBC 5031TS laminators come with Lateral Film
Adjustment Knobs – see diagram (Fig. 28). Loosen the locking collar and rotate the adjustment knob in
either direction to achieve the desired travel of the web. The unit has adjustment capabilities on both upper
and lower film shafts.
FILM TENSION ADJUSTMENT:
Proper film tension, known as brake tension, is the minimum amount required to eliminate wrinkles or curl
in the finished item. Tension adjustments are necessary if the film is curling up or down or if there are a lot
of rivers and wrinkles in the finished product.
The best way to test for film curl is to thoroughly trim a test product, and place it on a flat surface. You will
easily be able to see if the film is curling.
Poly-in films always
unroll from the
bottom
Poly-out films
always unroll
from the top
POLYESTER
SURFACE
SURFACE
POLYESTER
ADHESIVE
SURFACE
