Drupa Highlights Bindery Basics

Finishing equipment filled a few halls at Drupa, with computer integration more prevalent than ever.

Computers have integrated themselves into the postpress world more than ever. Take Heidelberg's new Stitchmaster ST 400, shown at Drupa. Data generated at the impositioning stage of the prepress process can be loaded into the ST 400's press setting program. Also, feeding, stitching and cutting are all monitored to prevent jams.

Then there's MBO's new touch screen Navigator Control system on its T 700 and T 800 buckle folders. It integrates the folder into the digital workflow, controls sheets from feeder to delivery and includes an integrated spare parts list, wiring diagram and instructions.

Elsewhere, manufacturers were integrating their finishing options into the latest digital printers. Fresh from being named Xerox' 1999 "Finishing Partner of the Year," C.P. Bourg showed its binding and finishing equipment working online with both the Xerox DocuTech and the Heidelberg Digimaster 9110. Other Drupa highlights:

MBO showed a new buckle folding machine, the T 530, and a combination folding machine, the K 530, both for 20x28˝ sheets. Both have electronic speed control and optional pile or continuous feeders. MBO also showed its T 700 and T 800 perfection buckle folders, with a new operator-friendly loading system.

For smaller scale folding, Martin Yale showed the AutoFolder desktop folder. The machine handles 5,000 sheets (81⁄2x11˝) per hour, and will fold three sheets together. It folds documents into letter, double parallel, single and z-folds. The AutoFolder handles sizes from 31⁄4x4˝ to 9x14˝.

Bookletmaking was big at Drupa. C.P. Bourg gave visitors a preview of the SBM4 signature booklet maker, which it plans to debut in September. It accepts 14x22˝ sheets, and changes sizes in less than 30 seconds at the touch of a button. Users can preprogram sheet sizes.

Duplo launched its floor-standing System 4000 bookletmaker. It incorporates up to six collator towers, each with 10 bins. Each bin holds 2.4˝ and is fitted with its own air blast and suction system for paper feeding. The vertical transport system in the collating towers has been improved, with twin conveyor belts ensuring faster, more consistent paper handling. Auto error detection and a double reject tray system are also in place.

ISP Stitching and Bindery Products showed its Stitch'n Fold BookletMaker System. It can collate and make up to 2,300 booklets inline per hour. It has a 10-bin collator. Sheet sizes range from 43⁄4x81⁄2˝ to 121⁄2x18˝. It produces 65,000 stitches before re-loading. The system also offers jam detection, and on/off line operation.

Heidelberg's new bindery gear included the Stitchexpert, which collates, folds and cuts in a single pass. It handles up to 13.8x20.5˝ and processes up to 4,000 sets of brochures per hour, with a maximum set thickness of 22 sheets. Another new device, the Bindexpert adhesive binder, produces perfect bound publications at 300 cycles per hour. It has an extractor unit for paper dust and trimmings, and it supports a maximum binding length of 16.9˝ and a block thickness of 2˝.

Océ introduced the Digi-Stitch System 2000 inline set stitcher, which delivers up to 8,220 saddle stitched booklets per hour, keeping pace with Océ's fastest printers. It handles formats from A4 and US letter to A6. Incoming sheets are identified by a bar code, aligned, center grooved, prefolded, collected then stitched.

For perfect binding, Rosback showed its 880 Perfect Binder, a single-clamp, hot-melt, floor model unit that delivers square-bound books. Features include 600 cycles per hour, with milling, side gluing and a three-horsepower motor, with either conveyor, vertical stacker or drop-tray delivery. It was shown with an optional 885 Vacuum Cover Feeder. The 880 comes in spine sizes of 15.5˝, 17˝ or 19.5˝.

Graphic Whizard's FinishMaster 200 air-feed perforating, scoring and slitting system handles up to 20,000 sheets per hour and offers wide or narrow scoring, an optional slitting blade and conveyor outfeed delivery. Vertical air feed lets users feed up to four times as much paper and continuously load while running.

Riso introduced its first Riso-branded collator, the TC5100, available by year's end. It comes as a single or a twin, with 10 bins on each, and collates up to 60 sets a minute. Each bin holds 280 sheets of A3 paper.

The Challenge Machinery Co. showed the Champion 305 XT programmable paper cutter with a 10.4˝ diagonal color touch-screen display. Managers can program jobs on a PC, save them on a disk and give the disk to the operator. This, according to Challenge's Robb Gould, lets shops hire less-experienced operators. By Graph Expo the cutter will incorporate a pile lift device.

New from James Burn International was the BB500 high-speed wire-O binding machine. Users just hang their booklets from the "hooks" on the coil and press a foot pedal, or let the sensor start the process. No tools are necessary, providing quick changing of binding diameters. The BB500 has an electronic control panel.

Another coil binder, the Digicoil, was introduced by GBC Document Finishing Group. The operator drops in the coil, presses the foot pedal and the machine does the rest. It can coil bind 450 books an hour. Changeover for different sized coils and book sizes takes less than two minutes, without tools. Digicoil handles index tabs and oversized covers.

by Bob Neubauer