Special Drupa Coverage — Bindery Plays A Crucial Role

THOUGH SEVERAL of the press conferences and ”big news” at Drupa centered around digital printing, innovations in bindery and finishing were no less prevalent. In fact, many of them sprang from the very digital printing trends that overshadowed them.

As digital printing speeds have increased, bindery equipment has also gotten faster, with vastly improved automation and simplified touchscreen controls to make them even easier to set up. JDF compatibility is becoming more common in bindery equipment, allowing devices to be preset using production data.

Demands for higher-quality printed products have led bindery vendors to improve their paper-handling techniques. Folds look better on the latest equipment, machines can more easily detect and spit out problem pieces, and vendors are offering more value-added options in laminating, coating and foiling.

Across Drupa’s many halls, printing and finishing equipment were almost inextricable, as all the major digital printing vendors had in-line finishing equipment on their devices, showcasing their interoperability. There were also a host of JDF-compliant systems on the latest bindery equipment for all types of applications. Interactive, icon-based touchscreen interfaces are almost ubiquitous. The ability to archive jobs for future use is becoming more common, and many systems also incorporate training videos and presentations.

Finishing vendors used Drupa to show off faster production speeds; GBC, in fact, set a Guinness World Record for the fastest lamination speed; its 8500HS Cyclone laminated 102.2 square meters of paper in 40.53 seconds. Heidelberg, manroland, Komori and Ryobi showcased enhancements in cold foiling. Elsewhere, new coating capabilities offered customers more ways to add value and differentiate their printed pieces. (One UV coater on display at Drupa made big news when its exhaust system caught fire, shooting flames into the air before it was brought under control.)

Drupa was also an opportunity for bindery vendors to reach new markets. Baum was at Drupa for the first time hoping to find new overseas dealers for its American-made products. Spiel Associates reported few Americans, but many Europeans checking out its Coilmaster Jr. and other products.

Muller Martini used Drupa to unveil its new color scheme. The equipment in its impressive, 29,000-square-foot booth was all painted “laser blue.” What’s more, its products now feature more modern, ergonomic designs, with curved covers and operating elements positioned at optimal working height and at the best angle of incline for the operator.

These design innovations were apparent on the new Primera 140 saddlestitching system, built for the mid-range performance segment. Able to handle a large range of sizes, its modular design permits optimal adaptation to individual needs. Operator-friendly and easy to set up, the Primera features an intelligent control concept with a central touchscreen and local operating units on all modules. The E version of the system includes the AMRYS automatic setup system, which automatically sets devices to the necessary size.

Goss International announced its new Pacesetter 1600 saddlestitcher. The shaftless system finishes products from A3 to A5 size at up to 16,000 books per hour. Servo-driven horizontal or vertical hoppers can be repositioned within systems or among multiple systems. The Pacesetter 1600 also includes a spine register infeed, vacuum opening, and selective binding and ink-jet capabilities.

American Binding showed the new B-535 automatic bookbinding machine. It uses spools of wire with diameters from 0.25˝ to 1.25˝ for a maximum binding thickness of 1.1˝. The machine is manually fed with pre-punched and gathered products, and boasts a maximum speed of 2,500 cph.

Hohner presented two saddle binders on its stand that are designed for quick turnaround applications, including the digital printing segment. While known for its stitching heads in the United States, the company’s line of binding systems is new to this market despite having a proven track record in other countries.

The HSB 10,000 (10,000 cph) saddle binder offers automated setting and motor-driven adjustment of all components and units—including stitching heads—for fast changeovers. It features setup and monitoring via touchscreen, an ergonomic feed station height and a maximum untrimmed format of 460x320-350mm (432x340mm trimmed).

The new HSB 8,000 (8,000 cph) semi-automatic model with tool-less setup is an upgrade to the HSB 7,000 model. It features a decreased chain pitch for running light stocks, an improved shuttle and a 360x350mm maximum untrimmed format with a stronger trimmer that handles a 10mm maximum thickness, all in a compact footprint.

Both systems are modular and have six lineal bearings for precision guidance and long knife life.

Attention also focused on Wohlenberg’s product line (distributed by Colter & Peterson) that consists of the new Master 8000 perfect binder, the new Streamer gathering line with card gluing systems, electrostatic blocking for web signatures and card placement, cameras with barcode readers, the new City e series and the unique Quickbinder.

Also turning heads were Wohlenberg’s VSS face trim system, KRF cover folder feeder and trim-tec 90e three-knife trimmer. The trim-tec 90e is capable of producing more than 15,000 perfect bound specialty books (in piles) per hour.

Duplo also previewed several products at Drupa, including a PUR version of its single-clamp DuBinder. The DPB-500 perfect binder can handle digital and coated stock, and runs at cycling speeds of up to 525 books an hour. The machine boasts user-friendly touchscreen controls, which facilitate a 35-second setup between programs.

Duplo also unveiled its new DSF-500 modular high-speed production level feeder, which can feed up to 400 sheets per minute. Two feeders were shown in a tandem configuration on the Duplo Digital System 5000 Pro bookletmaking line. The DSF-500 offers fast, reliable feeding of a variety of substrates with both ultrasonic double and optical double detection.

Duplo also added a knife folding option to its DC-645 slitter, cutter, creaser. The knife folder incorporates two knife folds, making it ideal for parallel fold applications. It can handle up to 50 sheets per minute.

Intelligent Automation

Using the theme “Think Intelligent Automation,” Horizon International (Standard Finishing) showed a number of automated postpress solutions. These included the small-format AF-406A, a six-buckle, suction-fed folder with pile feed. With a maximum sheet size of 15.7x25.6˝ and a minimum size of 3.9x1.9˝, it has an optional six-buckle second unit that can be added straight or at a right-angle.

Also debuting was the AF-566F six-buckle folder, which accepts sheets up to 21.9x33.4˝, includes a pile feeder with a suction head, and has an optional four-buckle second unit that can be added straight or cross-wise. This buckle-buckle format addresses an established need for the North American market. It includes an icon-based color touchscreen and advanced operator interface.

Horizon added a new 10.4˝ color screen to its Perfect Binder BQ-270C along with a new, ergonomically situated digital caliper that measures book thickness and automatically conveys this data to the binder for immediate setup of all sub-stations.

The company showed a landscape-feeding version of its VAC-100 collator, called the VAC-80sa. The new format offers increased speed and avoids the rotation of 11x17˝ sheets for standard-size bookletmaking. Horizon also demonstrated a case binder, the HCB-2. It can produce up to 90 hardcover books per hour with one operator.

MBO unveiled two new 21˝ buckle folders as part of its economical Efficiency series, the basic T 535 and automated T 535 EA, suitable for high volumes and frequent job changes. A pile feeder with electronic height control lowers the pile four times faster. Other features include MS control, maintenance-free belt drive and spiral rollers, and a new fold roller quick-release device. The T 535 EA incorporates a 15˝ color touchscreen, Vario-Control and Rapidset.

MBO also added a new sheet deflector for its T 800 Perfection and T 960 Perfection folders. The deflector segregates severely misfolded sheets without interrupting production because sheets are not deflected until after the parallel folding unit.

Baum displayed the Baum 20 AutoSet with ifold, a computer with a touchscreen monitor that provides information to the operator on setup, maintenance, operation and troubleshooting. It can store 100 jobs and more than 30 pre-programmed folds, and includes video demonstrations for most applications. Originally debuted at Graph Expo, the Baum 20 AutoSet has a maximum sheet size of 20.5x33˝ and a minimum of 4x6˝.

Brandtjen & Kluge showed a new scoring unit on its OmniFold folding and gluing system, along with the ability to insert CDs automatically. The system has integrated left and right registration, which simplifies makereadies. Bearing bed drives eliminate friction between drive belts and the table. The vacuum feeder includes dual vacuum wheels and blow pipes.

Morgana released a new version of its DocuMaster automated finishing system. It is now JDF ready and can handle variable data books. The DocuMaster can crease, fold, perforate and produce booklets. It eliminates the time-consuming necessity to take pre-creased work and hand feed it into a bookletmaker.

Technifold introduced its Turbo-Creaser 52, designed to eliminate cracking problems on digital and offset-printed pages. It can accomplish eight crease styles and produces fine micro-perforations. The machine has electric double-sheet detection, a batch counter and a caliper system that allows instant changeover of stock ranges.

Gateway Bookbinding Systems demonstrated its Total Cut & Bend dual-sided crimping unit, which cuts and crimps a range of plastic spiral diameters from 6mm to 50mm. It requires no tools for size changeovers. Next to it was the PBS industrial roller inserter, offering dual roller insertion. The two rollers provide more force and less friction to drive the coil through the punch holes.

Spiel Associates had its lineup of Coilmaster products on display, including the Coilmaster Jr. This tabletop unit automatically inserts coil into a book from the first hole onward, then cuts and crimps automatically. No tooling is required, and speeds of up to 500 books per hour can be attained.

POLAR introduced its PowerMonitor for POLAR XT cutters within one of Heidelberg’s two halls. It indicates critical peak loads arising in the cutting process and allows an early intervention. Similar to a tachometer in the car, the load on the high-speed cutter is displayed for each cut. The operator can easily see when the load is reaching a critical range, decide if the load has been caused by a blunt knife or by particularly hard material, and react before the safety bolt breaks or the cutting quality goes down.

EZ Turner showed its latest model pile turner, which increases productivity while reducing fatigue and risk of injury to the press crew. It turns 1,200 lbs. of paper in under 30 seconds with zero pressure on the load, eliminating offsetting.

One for the Record Books

As mentioned, GBC Commercial Laminating Solutions Group set a world laminating record with its new 8500HS Cyclone, running at speeds up to 500 fpm. The 8500HS can accommodate sheet widths up to 44˝. Though GBC was running the 56˝ model at Drupa, there are two other models available for sheet lengths of 31˝ and 44˝. The 8500HS Cyclone includes an integrated high-speed MABEG feeder that can run up to 18,000 sph.

Gietz brought its foil stamping technology to Drupa, including the FSA 1060 Foil Commander, a high-speed platen press for B1 foil stamping and embossing. Its Vacufoil foil transportation system allows it to process stamping foil reels with diameters of 11.8˝/13.8˝ at 8,000 sph. Gietz also showed its ROFO 910, a webfed foil stamping machine able to process web widths up to 35.8˝.

Heidelberg showed a vast array of stitching, adhesive binding, folding and cutting equipment at Drupa. It highlighted its new Dymatrix 106 Pro CSB (cutting, stripping and blanking) diecutter, with more features than the Dymatrix 106 CSB. These include a new feeder concept, connection to the Preset Plus feeder of the Speedmaster XL 105, reduced makeready times due to automatic format presettings, and exceptional production stability at very high speeds. The diecutter can also be integrated into the Prinect workflow. The optional DySet Pro automatic feed system aligns sheets accurately before they are transferred to the grippers, thereby significantly reducing the number of missing sheets and jams.

Bobst featured its latest automatic diecutting equipment, the Commercial 76. It is reportedly three times more productive, yet also delivers quality diecutting, kiss-cutting, creasing, embossing, blind embossing, perforating and stripping.

Spartanics introduced its M510 compact plastic card punching system, a low-cost system designed for those producing small volumes (5,000–86,000/day) of hotel keys, membership cards and other plastic cards in standard CR80 formats. The system incorporates Spartanics’ electro-optical registration technology. It provides maximum outputs of 9,000 cards per hour. The M510 is a small footprint system the size of a photocopier. It is manually loaded, with easy-to-operate feeds.

The Vijuk MV-2005 Outsert System was combined with a newly developed GUK folder and exhibited for the first time at the GUK booth. The MV-2005 is capable of producing very large outserts—leaflets with the final panel folded inward and secured to keep them from springing open during the packaging operation and allow them to be attached directly to product containers.

The knife folder now has digital dials that adjust roller tensions for the transfer of outserts, and set the back-stop for accurate folds. These digital dials also serve as reference points for similar or repeat outsert folding jobs. Water scoring softens paper fibers for more effective rotary scores. Non-contact spot gluing is performed on-the-fly to optimize production speed. A pressing device is incorporated to compress the finished outserts. The MV-2205 also has “intelligent,” self-teaching jam detection and is equipped with a modem for off-site diagnostic analysis. PI