Ask Ozone

We’re often asked if a common hairdryer can be used to melt down shrink wrap film instead of a heat gun. You can certainly try it, but you will most likely be frustrated with the results. You see, the maximum temperature for a hairdryer is 140 degrees Fahrenheit. If your hairdryer crept one degree higher than 140, the machine would burn your skin.

A heat gun will warm up to a toasty 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit. Definitely not something intended for hair styling! A heat gun is designed to warm up quickly and shrink down the film that is wrapped around the product in the shortest amount of time possible.

The HotShot Shrinkwrap Heat Gun by Traco is a proven, industrial-strength heat gun that will melt down almost anything including PVC and Polyolefin films. This compact, easy-to-use shrink wrap gun will quickly wrap gift baskets, fruit baskets, DVDs, CDs, boxes, a wide variety of food products, and more.

The HotShot Shrinkwrap Heat Gun features variable temperature controls to get the job done fast. Because heat guns are so compact, it is easy to reach difficult places such as corners and other hard-to-reach areas.

Question:

I need help selecting the appropriate coil binding machine for our business needs. We currently take our projects to Kinkos; however, we would like to purchase a machine to handle our coil binding needs in-house. Our last few orders were 10 to 12 books of 45 page presentations. I only see machines on your site that accommodate 20 pgs. We don’t bind on a daily basis, but do need a machine with the ability to move fast and clean. We have a two comb binding machines, but we prefer the more professional look of coil.

If you could please provide information on a couple of machines that would fit our needs, we can move forward with making a selection and purchase. I would like information on both manual and motorized inserting machines.

Answer:

We have several coil binding machines that can tackle your job. However, to keep things as brief as possible I will only highlight two recommended models here. If you need a binding machine that’s a good value and requires very little physical effort, then the Akiles CoilMac-ECI is a machine that you will be pleased with. The CoilMac-ECI has a large, easy-to-use punching handle. That means it will punch up to 20 sheets of 20 lb. bond paper at a time.

You said that you require a machine that can punch and bind up to 45 pages. The CoilMac-ECI can definitely help you accomplish this. All you need to do is punch three stacks of 15 sheets at a time, combine them into one stack, and then insert the coil. The CoilMac-ECI has an automatic coil inserter located at the front of the machine. Plastic binding coils come in various diameters and colors, with the largest diameter capable of binding up to 230 pages.

If you want a fully motorized machine, then the Akiles Coilmac EPI Plus Coil Punch with Electric Inserter is the model that I highly recommend. This coil binder will punch up to 25 sheets at a time, and it does it simply with the press of a foot pedal. It also has an electric coil inserter built into the machine. Both of these machines are simple to use and have excellent performance track records.

Looking for a good information source on operating and troubleshooting your office machines? Office Zone has a full-time staff with leading knowledge and expertise in office automation technology, office equipment and other business machines.

We have harnessed this experience and bring it to you in the form of our product guides, FAQs, video demos, step-by-step instructions and other helpful information that quickly gets your office equipment up and running. Feel free to browse through our large archive of office equipment information. You’re undoubtedly bound to learn something new.

• Binding Machine Resources & Information

• Laminator Resources and Information

• Office Equipment Articles Tips & Information

• Office Equipment Repair

• Paper Cutter Resources and Information

• Paper Folder Resources and Information

• Paper Shredder Resources and Information

• Product Manuals

• Shrink Wrap Resources and Information

We recently added an unusual but impressive cutter to the Office Zone Web site. It’s the Fletcher-Terry FSC substrate cutter. This rather large, industrial-strength cutter performs quick and accurate cuts on a wide variety of most substrates including oversized poster paper, vinyl, and other surfaces that you can print on with a wide-format printer.

The 65″ Fletcher Substrate Cutter is a heavy-duty machine built to last for years to come. It delivers years of consistent, flawless cutting. It leaves behind very little debris, and may be used in the same area as your wide-format printer or laminator. The Fletcher-Terry 65-inch Substrate Cutter (FSC) also cuts Dibond, corrugated plastic, aluminum, alumalite, PVC, Econolite, acrylic, gatorboard, polycarbonate, foam board, polystyrene, and glass.