Sarasota, FL-based Tehan & Co. is the exclusive North American distributor for a new line of liquid laminators from the Lami Corporation is Osaka, Japan. The devices use a sprayhead technology to apply protective clearcoats to single sheets or rolls of printed media. The first model now offered in the US is a 55-in.-wide unit that lists for $24,500.
Single sheets of graphics are fed through the machine on a plastic-wrap-like 0.5-mil carrier film. Operators tape each corner to the carrier film as a sprayhead with sensors makes four passes above it. The sensors tell the sprayhead to spray only when it is over the print. The carrier film is then rewound as the graphic exits the machine. To keep the laminator from clogging up when not in use, the sprayhead rests against a wetted sponge. Daily cleanup is limited to flushing the machine with fresh water every night using the included water pot. (Tehan & Company: www.tehanassociates.com; Lami Corp.: www.lami-corporation.co.jp).