For a very long time now, I have received this particular question over and over again. People have been asking if their laminators will turn themselves off when it is no longer in use. This feature is usually referred to as automatic shut-off.
For safety reasons, it is necessary to turn off any appliance that makes use of electricity when it is no longer in use. When you turn on electrical appliances for an extended period without using them, you might be at risk of a fire accident.
Laminators are electrical appliances, although not all. The two variants of laminators, the hot and cold laminators, differ in their mode of operation. Hot laminators make use of electricity to heat up, so it is ideal to shut them off after use.
Cold Laminators, on the other hand, do not make use of electricity to bind documents together. They do not need heat, so there is no need for electrical power. It is, however, necessary that you turn off a hot laminator after use.
I believe that what brings you here is to find out if your laminator will turn itself off when it is no longer in use. I have done my research on that, and I have concluded for you. Let’s see the following subheading.
How Do I know If My Laminator comes with Automatic Shut-off?
Remember that I mentioned earlier that the feature whereby a laminator turns itself off when it is no longer in use is called an Automatic shut-off. This feature comes in handy, especially when you are most likely to forget things easily.
If you will be buying a laminator soon, I will advise that you also put this in mind and make it a criterion for choosing a good laminator. Anyone can forget to turn off the laminator after use. Though it sounds careless, but it is bound to happen, primarily when you get occupied with other important things at the same time.
You could leave your laminator on for too long, and this will cause overheating, which could result into a fire outbreak if it is not noticed on time. When your laminator comes with an automatic shut-off feature, it will turn off when it is no longer in use for a particular period.
Many manufacturers set the laminators to turn off after 30 to 60 minutes of inactivity. However, this feature is peculiar to some sets of laminators. This means that not all laminators come with the automatic shut-off feature.
For you to know if a laminator comes with this feature, check the product description or product manual to see if it is included. If it is included, you will also see the auto shut-off time of your laminator.
For some laminators, the auto shut-off time could even be less than the one specified above. Just remember that the time it will take to shut off automatically differs with each manufacturer.
What Happens if I Leave My Laminator On and Inactive for too long?
Leaving your laminating machine turned on for too long when it is not in use could be very dangerous. Well, you might not know how dangerous it can be unless I list out some of these dangers.
First of all, you could be damaging the motor of the laminator. When a laminator is turned on, the motor begins to move and aids the heating process. When this motor keeps rolling for too long, it could get damaged.
In most areas, laminator motors could cost a few bucks, and leaving your laminator on could put you through unnecessary spending. Another thing that can get damaged is the laminating films.
The overheating will directly affect the laminating films and cause it to get baked, rendering them useless forever. You might have to purchase new laminating films to continue using your laminator if it does not affect the laminator further.
When hot laminators are turned on for too long than necessary, touching them could burn your hands. The exterior will get very hot, and you might burn yourself if you get to touch it.
In addition, you could be exposing yourself to electric shock. In fact, there is a high possibility of getting electrocuted when you touch a laminator that has been turned on for so long.
The most significant risk of leaving your laminator turned on for too long could be very disastrous. It could cause a fire outbreak, and if you are operating it in an office space, you could be putting all essential documents in a risk of getting lost forever.
Fire outbreak is primarily typical with roll laminators when they are left on and unattended to for an extended period. The constant heat generated into the laminator will cause overheating, resulting in fire accidents.
Conclusion
As I mentioned earlier, not all laminators come with this auto shut-off feature, so it is essential to check which one does before making your purchase.
However, laminators that come with this feature usually cost more than laminators without the feature; This is because you get to work conveniently with the former. Also, remember that you have to check the product description to know if the laminator comes with this feature.
Some sellers will allow you to test the laminators before making your purchase. If you are allowed to do so, ensure you try the auto shut-off feature. If the laminator has been described to automatically shut off after 1 hour, turn it on for one hour and confirm if it shuts off.
Observe if it shuts off by itself after this time, then you can go ahead to make your purchase. However, if it doesn’t, make sure to ask questions from the seller. You should know what you are spending your money on.
The truth is, I will never be too sure of this auto shut-off feature. After using the laminator, it is safer to turn it off yourself instead of leaving the job to the machine. When you turn it off yourself, you are putting your mind at rest that there will be no danger.
If, after using the laminator, you leave it on for the machine to turn off by itself, it could be very risky. Machines can run into an error at times, so it is 100% safer to turn it off yourself and leave it to auto shut-off when you are not in reach.
Moreover, laminators can even cause fire outbreaks without necessarily being turned on for too long. When the source of power brings in too high voltage than it can take, it can also result in fire outbreaks. So, it is also vital to check that the voltage is moderate for the laminator.