[Bernhardsen]

Hi

We have been trying to make our own flat bed laminator. The laminator (is suppose to) work like this:
- The table is 6 meters long and 1.5 meters wide.
- There is a gantry with a 1.5 meter roll that will press the laminate down on the media.
- The roll is suspended by two airpumps that lifts it, or gives it up to 6 bar pressure down on the table.

You can see a simallar maching at this URL: http://www.rollsroller.se/

The table should be as flat as posible, but needs to be 100% flat along the roller, or there will be bubbles and/or wrinkles in the lamination. This is what we are having trouble with.

So far we have tried getting it built with aluminum extrusions, but that was way to soft (you could visibly bend the table with one finger).

Then we built a table using high duty steel shelfs, with a MDF top. We had support every 30 centimeters. The base of the table is only 110 cm wide, so we added mounted wooden blocks that stand out from the table to support the edges of the top, but this was not straight enough eiter.

We are now going to try to lay down square tube steel all the way down the table. We are going to use 60 pieces wich will leave about 5 cm space between them. We have both an acrylic top and a MDF top that we are going to try with.

Do anyone have any good suggestions how to make this as flat as posible. We have been working on this table so long, trying to tweek it to be flat, so its getting kind of frustrating. A glas top would obviously be an easy way out, but it would need to be pretty thick (at least 10 mm i think), so it will be pretty costly.

Suggestions are apprechiated.

[weaselboogie]

Torsion boxes or torsion tables are used in woodworking for assembly. They are made super flat with a grid system between faces so that when tables and chairs are assembled they are put together on a flat surface.. no wobbling.

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/shows_..._26946,00.html

[warrenb]

Hi

We have been trying to make our own flat bed laminator. The laminator (is suppose to) work like this:
- The table is 6 meters long and 1.5 meters wide.
- There is a gantry with a 1.5 meter roll that will press the laminate down on the media.
- The roll is suspended by two airpumps that lifts it, or gives it up to 6 bar pressure down on the table.

You can see a simallar maching at this URL: http://www.rollsroller.se/

The table should be as flat as posible, but needs to be 100% flat along the roller, or there will be bubbles and/or wrinkles in the lamination. This is what we are having trouble with.

So far we have tried getting it built with aluminum extrusions, but that was way to soft (you could visibly bend the table with one finger).

Then we built a table using high duty steel shelfs, with a MDF top. We had support every 30 centimeters. The base of the table is only 110 cm wide, so we added mounted wooden blocks that stand out from the table to support the edges of the top, but this was not straight enough eiter.

We are now going to try to lay down square tube steel all the way down the table. We are going to use 60 pieces wich will leave about 5 cm space between them. We have both an acrylic top and a MDF top that we are going to try with.

Do anyone have any good suggestions how to make this as flat as posible. We have been working on this table so long, trying to tweek it to be flat, so its getting kind of frustrating. A glas top would obviously be an easy way out, but it would need to be pretty thick (at least 10 mm i think), so it will be pretty costly.

Suggestions are apprechiated.

Granite tables are beautiful things. I don't know how I had a shop without one.

[Pierke]

Hello Bernhardsen,
i think that your table is not the problem for the bulbs!
What kind of roller you are using?
I've seen a demonstration from the Rollsroller, i have seen a roller that press with 2 pneumaticle cilinders and a special roller, that seems like Velcro-tape, or material on 3M sponge?? Its not a flat roller, he is with a stucture on it.

Pierke

[LeeWay]

I would suggest a combination of suggestions so far.
Use a torsion box as a base. Use granite countertop material that is about an inch thick. Not cheap either.
There are some pretty good plastics that could be added to the torsion box.
Add additional softer covering on the roller.
If it's not already, you could add heavy duty springs to the roller to account for any side to side error on the surface. Might take some doing.