4over Issues

[Robohopar]

IMO UV coating’s best application is when it’s used in combination with strike-thru dull varnish - the contrast effect is amazing.

Sorry to bring this back up from so long ago but I just went to Teclighting for a demo. Moses, one of the owners, showed me how the machine operated. Really cool people there and I really liked the machine. The pros and cons

Pros
Low price point in the machine
Low price per sheet to glossy or matte
Not too large of a footprint if you manual feed
They have a “soft touch” option.

Cons
Konica toner wasn’t liked by some of the matte options including “soft touch”
Soft touch wasn’t really soft touch but rather rougher matte finish?
Needs ventilation
I know it takes a few minutes but it’s a bit of a messier cleanup than I’d like.

My take was instead of getting the Teclighting coater I rather upgrade my garbage single side Duplo laminator dfl-500 to one of those 2501 drylams that also don’t take up much space, I’ve heard nothing but good thing about this machine. I’m more of a short run style print shop. I would source cheaper and large qty lam rolls to bring my price point lower. I know I cannot compare price per sheet to the UV coater but I know I know I can get the cost lower.

 

[jwheeler]

My take was instead of getting the Teclighting coater I rather upgrade my garbage single side Duplo laminator dfl-500 to one of those 2501 drylams that also don’t take up much space, I’ve heard nothing but good thing about this machine. I’m more of a short run style print shop. I would source cheaper and large qty lam rolls to bring my price point lower. I know I cannot compare price per sheet to the UV coater but I know I know I can get the cost lower.

We had a TecLighting and it worked with our KM toner, but didn’t try the matte. We bought their filtration unit since ventilating it wasn’t an option. The machine was pretty simple to operate (we had the hand feed) but it was such a hassle to setup/clean up. If you need to run it all day, every day, it’s a great unit and does the job. But we only needed it once in a while and it was too much of a hassle, so we ended up selling it.

We bought a DryLam HLA-2501 about a year ago and it’s been a great unit. We’ve tried various thicknesses and finishes. The only thing I’ve noticed to be a problem is if the print has a solid flood of toner, the laminate will start to peel rather quickly. Perhaps we need to mess with different temps or speeds, but I saw others had similar issues with laminating on large solids in general. Someone mentioned this ultra grip laminate did the trick for them. We haven’t tried it yet.

 

[Stickman42]

The machine was pretty simple to operate (we had the hand feed) but it was such a hassle to setup/clean up. If you need to run it all day, every day, it’s a great unit and does the job.

I second this. We ran a TEC 15" coater for many years, alongside a D&K film laminator, for short run book cover finishing. We give our clients the choice, and film was an upcharge. When it came time to replace the aging TEC, we ultimately went with the Duplo Ultra 200. The singular reason we did was because cleanup is now a button push, and a light wipe. The TEC was much more difficult, and undesirable to clean. After running the Duplo for 2 years, it performs better than our TEC coater did in all other aspects.

 

[tngcas]

We had a UV Coater way back but when we changed our shop location the building permits to install the ventilation made it too expensive. We hated the hassle of cleaning it and we just didn't have a large enough customer base to justify the cost and cleanup time so we ended up getting rid of the machine. I love the idea of a machine that would clean itself though. Anyone have a generic price range on the Duplo Ultra 200? Is it $40k or $100k

 

[Stickman42]

Anyone have a generic price range on the Duplo Ultra 200? Is it $40k or $100k

In 2023, mine was just about $50k with the IR dryer, high capacity feeder and high capacity stacker.

 

[J_DVRS]

Sorry to bring this back up from so long ago but I just went to Teclighting for a demo. Moses, one of the owners, showed me how the machine operated. Really cool people there and I really liked the machine. The pros and cons

Pros
Low price point in the machine
Low price per sheet to glossy or matte
Not too large of a footprint if you manual feed
They have a “soft touch” option.

Cons
Konica toner wasn’t liked by some of the matte options including “soft touch”
Soft touch wasn’t really soft touch but rather rougher matte finish?
Needs ventilation
I know it takes a few minutes but it’s a bit of a messier cleanup than I’d like.

My take was instead of getting the Teclighting coater I rather upgrade my garbage single side Duplo laminator dfl-500 to one of those 2501 drylams that also don’t take up much space, I’ve heard nothing but good thing about this machine. I’m more of a short run style print shop. I would source cheaper and large qty lam rolls to bring my price point lower. I know I cannot compare price per sheet to the UV coater but I know I know I can get the cost lower.

I am not sure if you are considering using their soft touch or matte coatings, but they are a disaster. Before covid they worked just fine, after they changed up their formula and the results are just terrible. Toner reactivates on the back side and melts on to the sheet above it. Also if running it for more than like 30 minutes the coating starts to get gunky. I only run gloss on mine, and it works perfect. I would just use extreme caution if you are considering it for the soft touch

 

[cmack]

In 2023, mine was just about $50k with the IR dryer, high capacity feeder and high capacity stacker.

The Ultra200 with SF-300 feeder is about $40k. We are Top Ten dealer for Duplo in the southeast. I have a brand new Ultra100 with SF in our warehouse. DM if you want to know more.