Don't Be Late?Collate

In-plants are often called on to produce a variety of jobs in a short amount of time. Look for a collator that can meet your demanding needs.

PRODUCTIVITY. RELIABILITY. Accuracy of set-up. Ease of changeover. Ease of use. Versatility. These are the key features in-plant managers should look for in a collator, according to Mark Hunt, marketing manager for Standard Finishing Systems. Since in-plants will need to use a collator for a variety of jobs, an easy-to-use and versatile system is crucial.

"In an in-plant environment you may be asked to run a wide variety of stocks through the machine," Hunt explains. "You don't want to have to make a bunch of fine-tune adjustments every time you pop a different kind of paper in the machine."

Customers are now demanding more out of their finishing systems. Mark Pellman, sales engineer for Baumfolder, says he often hears three requests from customers:

• Alternating bin features, so users don't have to stop and reload.

• Higher bin capacities.

• The ability to feed a variety of stocks.

The increase in color work may also affect your choice in collating equipment, since friction-fed devices could cause marking on color sheets. Vendors suggest vacuum-fed collators for shops doing high volumes of color work or shops that often use coated sheets. Vacuum or air feed models separate sheets with minimal marking and are gentler on the sheets.

The accessories you use with your collator are also important, vendors say.

"Having the right accessories to compliment your collator is as important as having a good collator," Hunt insists. This includes folding, stitching and trimming equipment.

Here's a look at the latest in collating equipment.

Putting It All In Order

Get Set Quickly

The Baumfolder QuickSet 10 and QuickSet 20 collators produce 60 sets per minute and offer multiple functions to sort a variety of paper sizes and thicknesses. QuickSet collators provide finishing solutions for your copier, offset press, digital duplicator or laser printer. Features include crisscross or straight stacking, total and preset batch counting, large bin capacity, alternating bin mode, adjustable feed and separator pressure settings, easy bin removal and self-contained bin extensions.

Tower Power

The C.P. Bourg Suction Tower Collator uses full suction paper pick-up and feeding, eliminating the need for rollers that can mark freshly printed paper. It can process more than 9,000 sets per hour. Ten programs are automatic plus nine variable programs for maximum system utilization, including sheet spacing, insertion, set spacing, digitized infra-red, set security, and station-by-station programming. Collators can have 10, 20, 30, 40 or 50 stations per tower.

Eliminate Marking

The programmable DC-8000S from Duplo USA uses air suction-feed to virtually eliminate feeding and marking problems. Each of its four eight-bin towers also can operate as an independent unit. It can be

programmed for bin-to-bin or tower-to-tower loading. Other programming choices include four-bin, eight-bin, block and alternate cover. The DC-

8000S can process up to 3,500 sets per hour and can connect to a stitcher/folder, bookletmaker, face trimmer and stacker.

Collate On Demand

The new DocuVac Document Finishing System from MBM, designed for the on-demand market, collates up to 3,800 sets per hour. It handles a range of paper stocks without marking due to the vacuum belt feeding system. The DocuVac system currently incorporates an eight-bin system, but an additional two towers will soon be available—creating a capacity of up to 24 bins. This system also provides stacking, bookletmaking, stapling and face trimming capabilities.

Heavy-duty Collating

MBO America is the exclusive distributor of the heavy-duty Theisen & Bonitz line of collators. These machines are available from five to 42 stations, and offer vacuum feeding, quick set-up, and solid construction. Inline stitcher/folder/trimmer units are available for booklet manufacturing. Maximum operating speeds are variable to 4,000 per hour. Available accessories include three-sided and multiple-up trimmer or hole punch units.

Master Your Finishing Needs

Available from Rosback, the Setmaster vacuum-feed horizontal collator is a solution for collating sets of every description, including calendars, posters, one-time carbon, newsprint, fabrics, vinyls, laminates, folded sections, business forms, tabbed index cards, and paper in all weights and sizes. Collate virtually anything you want to put into a set. Features include continuous loading on the run, and a missing and double sheet detection system. It has a variable speed up to 3,500 cycles per hour.

Feed In Your Jobs

The FeedNet collator communications network is the cornerstone of the system offered by Streamfeeder. FeedNet software enables communication with all components of the collator, including friction feeders, conveyors, diverters, wrappers and other equipment. Streamfeeder collator solutions range from simple two-feeder lines to systems with more than 30 feeders. Features such as bar code reading, sequential start/stop and line synchronization are available.

Can Collate Various Materials

Spiel's Sterling S59 gatherer/collator can collate sheets as thick as 1⁄4˝ at a rate of 6,000 sets per hour. It can collate tabs, envelopes, greeting cards and numerous other materials. The stations are positioned on both sides, reducing the overall length by almost half. All adjustments are designed to be at your fingertips, making the Sterling S59 user friendly.

Not Your Standard Collator

The Horizon SpeedVAC System from Standard Finishing Systems features the VAC-100 collator. This vacuum-feed system can collate 20 sheets at over 5,000 sets per hour. Dual direction feeding allows the SpeedVAC to run simultaneously in both directions. The operator can run sets into a bookletmaker at the front of the system, while at the same time collating at the rear. It is expandable from one to six towers, for up to 60 feed stations. VAC-100 towers can be combined with a range of Standard finishing gear.