Vivid Easymount Air EM-A1600SH
Vivid has a wide range of laminating machines, one of the latest being the Easymount Air EM-A1600SH. Brian Sims takes a closer look at this machine’s construction and at some of its new features
Principal consultant, Metis Print Consultancy
Friday, 12 Jan 2024 12:15 GMT
Swing-out arms allow for the swift and easy exchange of film and laminate rollers
Finding Nirvana
Adding value is what we are constantly trying to do for our clients, whether they have asked us to make the upgrade or if we have chosen to do so in a bid to secure or enhance a relationship. The problem is that on most occasions, the added value we want to offer comes either as a subcontractor cost or requires some form of capital investment to purchase more equipment. Either way, these options cost more and then you are left with the conundrum of what to do with these costs – pass them on or take them on board yourself? Neither of these options are overly palatable.
If your business model involves striving to keep things in-house, the route, if you are committed to adding this elusive extra value, is going to require capital investment. There is an increasing number of manufacturers that are coming to the market with equipment that has been deliberately designed to cover off the issue of costs, but still provide quality machinery.
In looking for these manufacturers you can add the value you want and then you are left with a much smaller gap to fill between what it costs and what you can charge. It could be that you reach a breakeven point – Nirvana.
Spoilt for Choice
So, expanding on this further and with our thoughts turning to laminating, one of the manufacturers well-known in this arena is Vivid Laminating Technologies. The company has a wide range of laminators from models that take up only a small amount of space in an office up to hot laminators with a 2,100mm sheet width.
Designed in-house, all the machines come with innovative features and functions, but the costs are not prohibitive and the footprint of even the largest machines is not such that you will not be able to find space for them in your workspace.
Added to this, the effectiveness of all the machines Vivid produces is coupled with the use of quality products such as Boss pressure sensitive films meaning the finished product is going to satisfy the most demanding of clients.
As an example, the Easymount Air EM-A1600SH has taken on some of the operation issues that are not untypical of laminators, that being the amount and consistency of pressure applied to the applicator roller.
The Easymount Air EM-A1600SH has a pneumatic system that allows the pressure roller to be lowered smoothly to the most delicate substrates”
Vivid’s solution is to use pneumatic control to apply the required pressure and this has the advantage of being able to apply a very accurate and precise amount of pressure to films and substrates. Furthermore, should you be looking to laminate foam or soft fluted board, the roller can ‘float’ down to get the exact thickness between materials which then can be adjusted to the correct pressure.
Taking all the guesswork out of the pressure not only makes the job considerably easier to complete but due to the accuracy of the setting, the production speeds are optimised and then increased. Not only is speed and production volume increased, but you can mount onto Foamex board from 1mm to 30mm in thickness. Previously this might have been a task you would have outsourced.
Large pressure rollers ensure there is an even pressure across the vinyl or film
The overall machine has a robust design making the deployment of large pressure rollers possible, which in turn ensures there is an even pressure across the vinyl or film. This ensures each job you run on the EM-A1600SH will be produced to the highest standard.
Easymount, Easy Loading
The EM-A1600SH has a new system designed to make the laminator even easier to use than in previous models. This model has a cleverly designed system to allow you to swing the laminate and vinyl reels from the machine to allow much easier loading of both.
Whilst this might seem a minor change to the model, the amount of downtime this feature creates quite significantly increases the production volumes for the machine. The second upside of this feature is the ease at which the operator can make the change of film and making the machine easy to operate can only bring upsides to production.
Not only are speed and production volume increased, but users can mount onto Foamex board from 1mm to 30mm in thickness
Along with the large pressure rollers and swing-out arm for the film, there is a release liner take-up system making the whole handling and application of the film or laminate quite an easy process.
The operation of the EM-A1600SH is completed via a patented multilingual control panel which is laid out so it can be used with ease. The operation of the machine itself is completed using a foot pedal leaving the operator free with both hands to assist with the substrate or film.
Vivid has used trusted features from its stable of laminators in the Easymount EM-A1600SH, a sensible idea meaning this new machine will continue to bring further success. Just one of these is the speed control and reverse mode; which ensure the time the laminator is in production is at the maximum volume.
There is an option of a take-up unit which adds further value to the machine and ease of use, a further option being a silent running compressor. We all probably know that compressors for smaller equipment can raise noise levels to annoying but not dangerous levels in a print shop. A small, neat maintenance-free silent compressor means the EM-A1600SH sits effectively doing what it does best without affecting the environment in which it is placed.
Space Not Needed
The Easymount Air EM-A1600SH is like all laminators from Vivid in as much as they are ergonomically designed for use but also with an eye on the space they need to take up. It is quite easy to design equipment which is a delight to use but takes up a lot of valuable space.
This machine has a footprint of 2.1 x 0.65m and stands only 1.2m high meaning it can be easily placed in even the busiest of print shops. Should the laminator only need to be used on occasion, it is mounted on rollers making it easy to move and store.
To further help with the ability of the EM-A1600SH to quietly fit in and around other equipment, the machine uses 240 volts at 50hertz so it can be moved and powered up without the need for electrical installation.
Adding value is sought by both the client and supplier and with equipment such as this laminator it can be accomplished.
Statistics
- Laminating Speed (m/min) 10m
- Max. Width (mm) 1600mm
- Mounting Thickness (mm) 30mm
- Roller Diameter (mm) 130mm
- Film Core (mm) 77mm
Brian Sims Principal Consultant, Metis Print Consultancy, www.metis-uk.eu
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