GBC Ultima 65 keeps stopping?

I just want to make a big shout out thank you to Bob Haller from Pittsburgh, PA!!!

I just received my used Ultima 65 machine and cleaned it up and when I turned it on, the rollers would not turn even though they did heat up. I thought I bought a dud, but after a quick google search and this page about Ultima 65 laminators where this Bob guy seemed to have all the answers,I gave him a call.

Bob was the best, he walked me through the process to troubleshoot my laminator over the phone and within 15 minutes I had the drive chain off, checked the bearings, freed the paper stuck between the rollers, and finally realized there was a safety switch on the front left not engaged since my front tray was removed. Now all is well.

Seriously, Thanks Bob! I could not have figured it out without you.

Dmitry

Dmitry
June 2016

If your laminator has thermistors on it, that will cause them to run a few seconds and stop. they are located under the relay at the bottom of the board. Ps 1 & 2 you can put a fuse across it.5 amp will do.If rollers keep running change Q50 &d53 on power supply board

Tvrepairer
January 2014

Im not sure anyone is looking at this anymore, however I do need some advice if you are. I have a machine that when you turn it on it rolls and will not stop. It will reverse and heat up and everything else...JUST not stop! I have put in a new control panel...not fixed!
Anyone??

Sheryl-Jamerson EL
October 2013

If anyone has a ultimate 65 that only runs a few inches forward and then stops.......

this can be caused by bad red roller bearings. they will either need replaced or cleaned totally and relubed with high temp grease...since a set of 4 from a bearing supplier is only 40 bucks and will take hours to replace, its a good idea to install brand new ones

to confirm its the bearings first remove the film then carefully remove both allen screws from the sprocket...

then try turning the red rollers forward, if they jam but try easily backward you need new bearings ...

even for me its a time consuming nasty job with screws that wouldnt unscrew, you should clean the roller bearing ends with a large flat file, there are lots of small screws, be very gentle when working with the lamps they are very easy to break, and at near 400 bucks a set expensive..... taking some photos of the roll ends before they come apart will help with reassembly and you will need large snap ring pliars......

its a no fun job i did today

bob haller service and sales pittsburgh pa 412 366 4906
October 2012

for the bad fuse on bottom left its actually a bad breaker. they can be bought for under 10 bucks from digi key, just give digi key the number on the breaker. or buy it direct from GBC for around 40 bucks:(

its a good idea to install new spade terminals on the breaker wires, to prevent reoccurence... use wire nuts or crimps to connect the new breaker wires to the harness back far enough the wires are good.

when you see toasted or melted wires the wires are bad. the wires have overheated.....

and will permanetely get hot. thus ruining a new breaker.....

bob haller service and sales pittsburgh pa 412 366 4906
September 2012

Sorry i missed these posts:( As I said i fix roll laminators for a living.

when ultimate 65s run backwards the problem is nearly 100% a bad membrame switch on the control panel. the contacts get dirty and pushing forward makes it run backwards. a good way to create a jam:(

The good news its a cheap easy fix 20 bucks for the switch directly from GBC and under 15 minutes to install..

pull machines plug. remove right side cover, pull control panels plug. loosen control panel mounting screws a little and lift panel up.

now sit the control panel upside down and remove the boards screws. gently remove the board and the membrame switch. watch the buttons dont fall out, its a hassle to put them all back in the proper places.

install new membrame and clean the contacts on the board with alcohol or contact cleaner, let dry a moment and put it all back together....

this description is very detailed, its actuall a 5 or 10 minute easy fix...

and may last a few years. if you have futher questions feel free to call me phone tech support is always free. the other day a gal called from hawaii.

bob haller service and sales pittsburgh pa 412 366 4906
September 2012

I am helping troubleshoot a GBC Ultima 65 at my kids school. The symptoms seem related to the control panel:

- Run button has to be pressed very hard and held for the rollers to turn.

- In the last couple of days the machine seems to run in reverse initially when the run button is depressed. I would guess maybe this is related to the teachers pressing the run button so hard to make it work.

I am guessing that the "Run" button at least is failing but would like some more expert insight. Is it possible to replace individual buttons or does the entire control panel have to be replaced? How hard is it to do this?

Jake
August 2012

Bob,

We have one of these that was donated to us and it appears as if the fuse is blown. We have tried to reset the breaker on the bottom left but to no avail. We think the reset button is gone. How can we replace that button?

Tim
February 2012

I fix these for a living. Pull both side covers and tighten all the allen screws on the sprockets, they are metric. Make sure the chain is secure. Check the cap head allen screws on the ends of grey pull rollers. frequently the allens come loose and the pull rolls come loose. the film will move just a bit. If you are in the pittsburgh area I will give you a free on site estimate

bob haller service and sales pittsburgh pa 412 366 4906
February 2012

If hank isnt interested I may be in buying your broken machines, I canabilize them for parts and can make picking them up a mini vacation:) feel free to call me if interested.

bob haller service and sales 412 366 4906
May 2011

A few weeks ago, someone from our tech department dropped off a laminator (yet another GBC ultima 65-uggh!) to replace our broken one. It's not new so I'm not sure where it came from since it's also not the one we sent in for repair. Anyhow, so far its working fine but we are still planning and have approval to purchase another one (just in case...). I will certainly look into your recommendation of the USI ARL. I'm not sure what the plan is for the other 2 broken ones that I mentioned before, but I will also hold on to the contact (Hank H.) that you suggested. Thanks once again Bob for coming through with the 411 !!!

Nita
May 2011

GBC ultimate 65 rollers are around 500 bucks each retail and a real pain to replace. If you must get a new roller replace all 4 bearings, 40 bucks each from GBC, or 10 bucks each from a bearing supplier. Its possible to get ultimate 65 roller for around 250 bucks each. But it will take at least a couple hours to install if you know what your doing. Often minor cuts can be ignored ......

I will check on indenpendent service dealers in your area monday.

The heater lamps get cold spots as they age, they cost over 100 bucks each and really must be replaced in pairs....

bob haller service and sales 412 366 4906 pittsburgh pa
April 2011

I have a GBC Ultima 65 with a small cut in the upper roller enough to have a void in the lamination, the top roller is also not hot enough and does not give a full lamination on that side, bottom roller works fine. Any idea of how much to repair or any solutions? Anyone in the Houston or San Antonio area?

Ray Alaniz
April 2011

We can help you with service on your laminators. Call us and we can discuss. We do service on laminators, paper cutters, shredders, folders, etc..
I have a trip planned in the next day or two in the tidewater area.
Hank Humphries
Graphic Equipment
601 Research Road
Richmond VA 23236
800 845 4007

Hank Humphries
March 2011

Hi after calling around I found a indenpendent sevice company that does hampton roads virginia. They have a tech in that area

Hank Humphries
Graphic Equipment
601 Research Road
Richmond VA 23236
800 845 4007
www.graphicequipmentspecialist.com

bob haller service and sales 412 366 4906
March 2011

GBC parts. I dont know if this site will allow the posting of a link to a good place to buy GBC parts for far less than the manufacturer. Keybird on e bay is a great seller and has become a regular supplier for me. You can search GBS rollers he runs them constantly but also sells other gbc parts at large discount

A link to his roller sales, if you message him your needs he wwill send you his price and if its acceptable create a buy now for you

http://cgi.ebay.com/2-New-GBC-Ultima-65-Eagle-65-Laminator-Ht-Rollers-/170620756894?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27b9ca239e

bob haller service and sales pittsburgh pa
March 2011

I have friends in charlotte NC and baltimore who service GBC machines, unfortunately your about half way between them:( On monday I will do futher checking to see if theres someone closer.

Because of the extremely high cost of GBC parts I sell USI machines. I prefer to sell the USI ARL machine $1300 that has variable speed, electric reverse, and cooling fans. Its less expensive than the ultimate 65, takes color coded film that elminates the which side is shiney which side is dull. OOOPS I put the film on backwards.

Like rubber heat roller ultimate 65 $ 500.00

USI under 60 bucks:) Unfortunately people do cut rollers:( 60 bucks isnt too bad, but the 500 bucks per GBC roller effectively junks the machine:(

Main board ultimate 65 $600.00
Main board USI, 100 bucks

The USI ARL is not only more affordable to buy, it comes with a 2 year warranty and lifetime telephone tech support. If theres no local dealer the telephone folks do a excellent job.

Someone from here called looking for a 4250 power switch. I was too busy its been unreal, perhaps the full moon? I will call them back monday and want to see if I have some in stock. If not Grainger had them in stock last time I checked

If I wasnt so busy I would come down and take a look and spend a couple days at the beach. I have done things like this before:)

bob haller service and sales 412 366 4906
March 2011

I'm in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia and just found out our repair person passed away :( ( we didn't even know he was ill which is why it never got repaired---feel so bad...) I think my boss has lost patience with GBC so we're NOW in the market to purchase a new machine and possibly from a different manufacturer. Any recommendations? I'm not sure what we'll do with the 3 broken GBC laminators we currently have. If you have a referral for a repair person in my area, I'd appreciate that too. Thanks a bunch!!!

Nita
March 2011

I had a ultimate 65 do the stop start thing friday. The plexiglass covers interlock switch is tripped by a roll pin thats mounted in a pin held by a metric allen screw in the square bar that the plexiglass is mounted too. I have seen this before and forgot to mention it here.

the customer reported wiggling the power cord got it running, but they must of been leaning over and pushing on the plexiglass safety shield.

intermittent troubles are hard to fix, I have a ultimate 65 in the shop that loses motor drive once or twice in every 500 foot roll of film. having changed motor, main board, and transformer I am suspecting bad bearings locking up only when hot for just a moment.

I never give up, because the problem will show up again:( Once you find out whats up the next one is far easier:)

bob haller service and sales pittsburgh pa
March 2011

Hi what part of the country ae you in? I have friends in many places doing what I do repairing laminators:)

After all these years its kinda of a loose association, if your stuck we may be of help:)

bob haller service and sales pittsburgh pa
March 2011

Thanks so much for the reply Bob Haller!
Our "repair" person has had this machine out since I posted the inquiry (3 whole months ago) so would have LOVED to have YOU come onsite but unfortunately my company is nowhere near pittsburgh... Thanks again for your offer and suggestions though!

Nita
March 2011

Our GBC ultima 65 was working very well 1 month before until we changed the laminater roll, machine is now not laminating well, we can see the air inside the laminated posters. specially right side of the laminated stuff (posters) comes out without laminating, the laminating film is not sticking with the posters properly. it can comes off easily.. can some body help us..

Newcraft Signs.
February 2011

Hi I fix these machines for a living. Its important to make certain the lower roller film is under the lower idler bar. Its under the lower orange heat roller. In addition the mandrell tension should be pretty loose. That is when the machine stalls try moving the rolls of film a little, and see if the machine begins to run again. The tension may be too tight. Another common problem is the exit rollers they could be really dusty, so they dont grab the film well. Or the cap head allen screws that hold them in place, on either end of the grey rollers may be loose. They back themselves out and roller pressure is too loose. Run long enough and roller will fall out. If your anywhere near pittsburgh I offer FREE onsite estimates no cost no obligation, and carry a loaner machine with me, its free too. I call it my instant fix:)

bob haller
January 2011