Collators — Freedom of (Much) Choice

Versatility is a key ingredient for serving the evolving needs of clients, according to Tony Cockerham of Buhrs Americas. Feeder varieties merit attention.

"One should pay great attention to the types of feed hoppers available and their ability to run the different types of product that may be required by the client," he says. "Is the product to be collated single sheets, multiple pages, stitched books, perfect-bound books? What are the thickness requirements? Is the orientation of the product fold or bound edge in the right or same orientation? Can the feed hoppers be changed or interchanged to accommodate? Can the system be controlled by a line controller for selective or intelligent collations customized for demographical collations? Do the feed hoppers have quality checks such as miss-feed or double-feed detection?"