Drupa Demonstrates Bindery’s Crucial Role

THOUGH MOST of the press conferences and “big news” at Drupa centered on 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 touch-screen 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 inline finishing equipment on their devices, showcasing their interoperability.

Ken Macro, assistant professor in the Graphic Communication Department at California Polytechnic State University, was at Drupa to seek bindery equipment to integrate into the school’s curriculum—particularly JDF-compliant systems. He found a lot of them at Drupa. He noted that interactive, icon-based touch-screen interfaces are almost ubiquitous on the latest bindery equipment. 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 laminating 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 and MAN Roland showcased enhancements in cold foiling. Elsewhere, new coating capabilities offered customers more ways to add value. (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.

The New Blue

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 saddle stitching 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 uses an intelligent control concept with a central touch screen and local operating units on all modules. On the E version, the Amrys automatic set-up system, automatically sets devices to the right size.

Duplo 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.

Duplo 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 booklet making line. The DSF-500 feeds 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. Incorporating two knife folds, it can handle up to 50 sheets per minute.

Also new was the Ultra 205A UV Coater with variable speeds of between 9m to 36.5m per minute. It boasts a self-centering and self-tensioning conveyor belt.

Intelligent Automation

Using the theme “Think Intelligent Automation,” Horizon International (represented in North America by Standard Finishing Systems) showed automated post-press solutions like the small-format AF-406A, a six-buckle, suction-fed folder with pile feed. With a maximum sheet size of 15.7x25.6˝, 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, now in buckle-buckle format. It 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. It includes an icon-based color touch-screen.

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 conveys this data to the binder for setup of 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. Horizon also demonstrated a case binder, the HCB-2.

MBO unveiled the T 535 buckle folder. It has a pile feeder with electronic height control and a 15˝ color touch screen. Other features include the MS control, belt drive, spiral fold rollers and slitter shafts with plug bearings.

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

Baum was showing the Baum 20 AutoSet with ifold, a computer with a touch-screen 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 201⁄2x33˝ and a minimum of 4x6˝.

Mathias Bauerle, parent company of GBR Systems, unveiled a folder, the prestigeFOLD Net 52 Continuous, at Drupa. CIP4 compatible, it processes continuous form paper delivered by a cutter and cut sheets online with a cut sheet printer with sizes up to 201⁄2x52˝. Setup is automated from the feeder to the delivery. The Net 52 includes 20 pre-programmed folds, plus space for 200 custom jobs. Another new folder, prestigeFOLD Net 38 was also announced at Drupa. It also has automated setup, is CIP4 compatible and includes 20 pre-programmed folds and space for 200 custom jobs. Both have a network interface to accept JDF files and send production data back to a host.

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. It will take pre-collated output from any digital print engine and can produce approximately 1,000 booklets per hour. The new version can send and receive data via a Web browser.

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. It has electric double-sheet detection, a batch counter and a calliper system that allows instant changeover of stock ranges.

American Binding showed the new B-535 automatic bookbinding machine. It uses spools of wire with diameters from 1⁄4˝ to 11⁄4˝ 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 cycles per hour.

Gateway Bookbinding Systems demonstrated its Total Cut & Bend dual-sided crimping unit, which cuts and crimps a range of plastic spiral diameters from 6 mm to 50 mm. The unit debuted at Graph Expo. 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.

Nordson demonstrated the advantages of PUR adhesives and introduced the EP48 VSB bookbinding application head, which reduces premature PUR adhesive curing. Retrofitable into existing binders, its servo-automatic width adjustment ties to the binders’ automatic setup. By using less adhesive, the EP48 VSB head reduces production costs. Also in the booth, Nordson’s BetterBook binding solutions were shown using PUR adhesives and Nordson slot nozzle technology for precise application of glue.

Challenge showed its 23˝ Titan 230 paper cutter, which it introduced at Graph Expo. Programming is accomplished via the user-friendly prompts on the LCD display. There are 99 channels of memory and 9,801 cut positions. Category 4 light curtains guard the cutter opening and ensure safety.

Polar introduced its PowerMonitor for POLAR XT cutters. It indicates critical peak loads arising in the cutting process and allows an early intervention. The load on the cutter is displayed for each cut, so the operator can easily see when the load is reaching a critical range.

Laminating, Die Cutting, Foil Stamping

As mentioned, GBC Commercial Laminating Solutions Group, part of ACCO Brands Corp., set a world laminating record with its new 8500HS Cyclone, running at speeds up to 500 feet per minute. The 8500HS Cyclone can accommodate sheet widths up to 44˝. The 8500HS Cyclone includes an integrated high-speed MABEG feeder that can run up to 18,000 sheets per hour.

Another new product was the GBC 7580 Voyager laminator, ideal for medium and high-volume finishing of book covers, folders, brochures and bags. It runs at 200 feet per minute.

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) die cutter, 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, automatic format presettings and production stability at very high speeds. The die cutter can also be integrated into the Prinect workflow.

Vijuk showed its new MV-2005 Outsert System for the first time, combined with a new GUK folder. The MV-2005 can produce large outserts—leaflets with the final panel folded inward and secured. The knife folder now has digital dials that adjust roller tensions for the consistent transfer of outserts, and set the back-stop for accurate folds. 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 system features “intelligent,” self-teaching jam detection. The timing of the passage of a sheet is recorded. If sheets do not pass the checkpoints at the right time, operation preceding that point is shut down to stop further jamming. A modem facilitates off-site diagnostic analysis. IPG