Opened the Harbor Freight Laminator and found the cause of having to shove
the board to get it to start progressing through. The upper and lower
aluminum assemblage which houses the heater elements has a couple of lips
through which the board has to pass. This opening between the upper and
lower aluminum assemblages was just too small to allow the board and the
toner transfer material to freely pass before being taken up by the rubber
heat transfer rollers.
There is enough play in the plastic end brackets holding the aluminum
assemblages to expand the opening to allow the board and toner transfer
material to pass. A piece of 0.062 double sided PCB wrapped in aluminum
flashing was wedged between the two aluminum assemblages to maintain the
opening.
A board with a Techniks Press and Peel toner transfer circuit was passed
through the Laminator over eight times, but, unfortunately, the toner was
not evenly transfered. Suspect the board was not getting hot enough even
with all the passes.
The Laminator is advertised to get up to 300 F (Techniks Press and Peel
directions says the temp. should be between 275 - 325 F). However, doubt
if anything near that temp. is getting transfered to the board by the
rubber like rollers. Next step is to make the Laminator's temp. adjustable
so it can get hotter and/or slow down the motor driving the rollers pulling
the board through the Laminator.
On Wed, Nov 2, 2011 at 11:09 PM, Mike <k4gmh@...> wrote:
> Hello,
>
> Just finished running a 0.062 double sided pc board with Techniks Press
> and Peel toner transfer through the Harbor Freight Laminator, Model 92499.
> The toner was put on the Press and Peel using a copy machine at a big box
> store. After seven runs through the Laminator, the result was mixed at
> best.
>
> First, the circuit was not transfered evenly over the length of the
> board. Second there was a series of pin holes in the toner transfered to
> the board - as if a roller in the Laminator is a diamond pattern (or
> whatever this is called).
>
> Haven't opened up the Laminator to see what is inside. Anyone else
> getting any results using the Harbor Freight Laminator?
>
> --
> 73,
> Mike, K4GMH
>
>
>
--
73,
Mike, K4GMH
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