GRAPH EXPO & CONVERTING EXPO 2004 Binding & Finishing -- Binde

by chris bauer

Managing Editor

If you still think of the bindery as a labor-intensive segment of the print shop where manual operations are the norm, then you obviously were not paying close enough attention at Graph Expo and Converting Expo 2004. Exhibitors touting the next generation of finishing equipment proved that bindery gear is now just as automated and digitized as equipment in prepress departments and pressrooms.

Muller Martini, for example, showed printers and finishing professionals how to make the most of computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) in their binderies and pressrooms. Under the theme "Integration—Solutions from A to Z," the company introduced a host of interoperable stitching, binding, printing and on-demand finishing products.

"This year's Graph Expo was about more than bringing our Drupa advancements to North America," says Werner Naegeli, president and CEO. "We connected the dots with working applications, so printers and bindery professionals could see how the new integrated workflows can benefit them and their customers."

Muller Martini's BravoPlus Amrys demonstrated CIM connectivity. As its name indicates, BravoPlus Amrys (Automatic Makeready System) automates one of the most time-consuming jobs in the bindery—setting up saddlestitching systems between jobs. Job parameters can be entered on the system's console, retrieved from the system's built-in hard disk or captured directly from a company's MIS or prepress system, via JDF (Job Definition Format).

At the show, everything the saddlestitcher needed to know about the project was supplied directly from a JDF digital job ticket. A second BravoPlus Amrys was an integral part of MAN Roland's CIMcity workflow display in its booth.

As a service to area students, Muller Martini's AmigoDigital perfect binding system produced classic works of literature as part of the "Books for Schools" program. The demonstration ran continuously at the Delphax booth to document AmigoDigital's short-run, zero-makeready production capabilities.

Chicago Public Schools were the recipients of books finished on an AmigoDigital at the show. Six classic works of literature were produced in soft cover, with 6,000 copies of assorted titles donated to the school district.

More Good Reads

Another 2,500 copies will be provided to the GASC Education Program—to be distributed among 25 schools in a four-state area. Muller Martini's project partners at this year's Graph Expo included Glatfelter Paper, Delphax, Stralfors, MBO/Palamides, Shuttleworth and Xeikon.

Standard Finishing Systems used Graph Expo 2004 as the launch pad for the Standard Horizon i2i system, a full-featured CIP4/JDF-enabled digital workflow that brings automation and job status visibility to the bindery.

Standard Horizon showed a complete i2i system that can ingest JDF file data to drive a network of finishing solutions that includes the AFC-546AKT folder, BQ-270 perfect binder and StitchLiner saddlestitcher. Horizon belongs to Networked Graphic Production (NGP), a strategic alliance of printing industry manufacturers that have joined forces to deliver on the promise of JDF-based integration and interoperability.

"The bindery is the last frontier of the digital print production workflow, so it offers printers the highest potential for labor savings and productivity gains," asserts David Reny, vice president and managing director, Standard Finishing Systems.

"Printers who invest in Horizon JDF-ready finishing equipment know they'll be able to integrate that gear into a JDF workflow when they're ready. In the meantime, they benefit from unparalleled automation for fast, easy setups."

The Horizon i2i system provides barcoded tickets for easy job management; the ability to save and recall recurring jobs; job record data for accounting and analysis; automated machine setup; and the ability to monitor job status of i2i-connected machines in real time from a central console. The system leverages the value of finishing parameters that can be input at the point of job creation, allowing jobs to flow seamlessly through the print production process.

LithoTechnics and MBO America also gave live demonstrations of CIM possibilities at the show. Visitors to the MBO America booth witnessed JDF folding data being generated by Metrix LithoTechnics' new automatic layout calculator, and being fed into the MBO Datamanager to automatically set up an MBO Perfection folding machine with Navigator control.

MBO's digital integration software, Datamanager, has been commercially available for several years. However, until Metrix, no PPF/CIP3 generating system has been able to create complete folding data for custom folds, instead restricting operators to a limited number of standard folds from a catalog, the companies say.

Metrix, on the other hand, does not use a catalog, but allows users to build their own custom folds using a simple, step-by-step graphical user interface that mimics folding a sheet on-screen.

"We are very excited that Metrix can give us complete folding data," says Hans Max, president and CEO of MBO America. "And our customers will certainly benefit from this new level of integration."

Metrix ships with a library of more than 80 common folding schemes, but also allows users to simply build custom folds.

At its monstrous space on the show floor, Heidelberg introduced its line of Eurobind perfect binders for small- and mid-sized printers in the North American market. Also making its domestic debut were the high-volume Stitchmaster ST 350, an operator-friendly, semi-automatic saddlestitcher, as well as the entry-level Stitchmaster ST 90 saddlestitcher.

Other finishing highlights from Heidelberg included the Stahlfolder Easyfold and TH 66 buckle-plate folders and the Dymatrix diecutting system. The Polar Automated Cutting for Efficiency (P.A.C.E.) line of Generation X/XT high-speed cutters and cutting systems was also featured prominently.

Following its acquisition of Heidelberg's high-volume postpress product line, Goss International demonstrated its commitment to continuous finishing innovation. The company demonstrated the new servo-driven hoppers for its Goss Pacesetter 1100 saddlestitcher at the show.

"Servo drives represent the next frontier in high-volume postpress technology," says John Morgenstern, director of postpress product management for Goss. "A system like the Pacesetter 1100 with independent motors for each hopper provides significant makeready and versatility advantages."

The Pacesetter 1100 system was first demonstrated at Drupa 2004. Quad/Graphics has ordered the first four systems for installation in the United States, Goss reports. Servo-drive technology allows hopper-to-chain phasing to be adjusted independently, making it easier to manage multiple product formats going into a single book.

In conjunction with the new hopper technology, Goss has enhanced its Omniflex software package for saddlestitcher and adhesive binding systems.

Colter & Peterson's exhibit contained a number of new product innovations. The centerpiece of the display was the new Baumann BASA automatic jogging system connected to a new generation of Wohlenberg pro-tec paper cutters. The Baumann BASA system automates the task of jogging material prior to cutting.

Cutting Systems Shine

The company also displayed its Prism paper cutter with standard 8˝ liquid color screen, as well as the latest generation of Saber paper cutters with 10˝ color touchscreens and CIP3/4 compatibility. The C&P Amatco division showed off its Acutrim three-knife trimmer and a reconditioned Stahl three-knife trimmer.

Rollem USA showcased the PB-15 automatic feeding, jogging, drilling and delivery system. This system combines maximum output with reduced setup time. The only manual setup is the positioning of the heads when changing the hole pattern. Paper size and spine margin of the holes are programmed and set automatically. The PB-15 handles drilling of loose-leaf, perfect-bound books, stitched or folded products. Drilling of loose-leaf piles can reach an output of 1,500 piles per hour.

Mailing technology, a hot trend in the printing industry, made its presence known at Graph Expo. Domino linked two Bitjet+ units and a JetArray to a Heidelberg ST400 stitcher at the show, demonstrating the ability to selectively insert and variably print the corresponding product with inside/outside matching ink-jet capabilities.

The system was driven by Domino's Editor GT controller, an ink-jet controller package that offers users complete control by managing up to eight configurable print heads anywhere on the line. At Graph Expo, the JetArray could be seen printing upside down on a plough-opening station, showing its versatility and ability to print in any print orientation.

Another option for printers interested in mailing, Videojet Technologies debuted the Videojet BX6000 Series of binary array ink-jet printers. With the 128x256 dpi BX6000 Series, printers can produce addresses, maps and other basic graphics, promotional messaging, loyalty cards and a wide range of other applications.