Bound for success
Given the many different parts of the print finishing process and the amount of machines available on the market, when it comes to selecting the right piece of kit for your business, this is no easy process.
Binding forms a key part of the finishing setup for many print-service-providers (PSPs), due to the many different types of applications it is required to help complete. As such, it is crucial to ensure you are investing in a quality piece of kit that will fit in with your other equipment.
Here, Print Monthly takes a wander down ‘Finishing Alley’ and does some window shopping for binding machines, picking out some of the latest examples of options in this market.
Keep up with the pace
First up, Ray Hillhouse, vice president of sales and marketing for the Plockmatic Group offline business unit, which owns Morgana Systems, says with print technology for book and booklet production undergoing such radical change over the last decade, it has been essential for the post-press world to make equally large leaps forward with regard to the capabilities of the product being produced.
“Printers that have failed to keep pace will be left behind. It is therefore essential for any growing business in this sector to make in-house binding an essential ingredient,” Hillhouse explains.
“The printing industry has changed phenomenally over the last decade – and that’s nothing new. It has changed dramatically in every decade that I’ve been involved with it – but now customers expect an ultra-fast turnaround. Same day is often a prerequisite. If you can’t bind in-house, you are already at the back of the field.
“All too often we are misled down the “best price” route. The old adage of ‘buy cheap, buy twice’ has to be remembered! Cheap, poor-quality binders, with little or no on-the-ground support will be considered, and sometimes purchased by printers. Only when such a product breaks down at a critical production moment will the printer recall this phrase. Quality counts and quality does tend to cost just that little bit more.”
With this, he draws attention to the options available from Morgana, explaining how binding development has happened on three separate fronts: its range of high-end book / bookletmakers; PUR binding products; and, most recently, twin-loop spiral binding with the all new DocuBind Pro.
Beginning with bookletmakers, the entry-level BM 60 bookletmaker is a compact and simple to use bookletmaker for hand feeding. This machine is able to saddle staple and fold booklets of up to 22 sheets of 80gsm paper, giving up to 88-page booklets.
Moving up, the BM5050 and BM3050 can staple and fold up to 50 sheets of 80gsm, to create booklets of up to 200 pages, while given the increasing number of printing systems available to handle larger cut-sheet sizes, A4 landscape and oversize booklets, the new BM5035 and BM5050 products deliver these applications by handling sheets of up to 620mm in length.
“The BM5035S and BM5050S are equipped with the very latest stitching head from Morgana – this gives the operator the ability to easily adjust the length of the stitch for thicker books without using tools,” Hillhouse says.
In addition, the Morgana PowerSquare 224VF and 160VF are book-making systems for the production of offline books of up to 224 pages and 160 pages, respectively. The addition of the Vacuum Feed dual bin feeding system aids continuous production, ideal for larger run lengths. Four processes: stitching, folding, spine forming, and trimming are conducted in one machine.
The Morgana PowerSquare 160VF is a book-making system for the production of offline books of up to 160 pages
Next up from Morgana are PUR binders, with Hillhouse picking out the DigiBook range in particular.
“The DigiBook is a truly innovative binding machine designed and built for today’s market requirements,” he says, adding: “It is easy to use via a touch screen panel with icon graphics that allow the programming of all precision operations in just a few seconds, including start-up and shut-down. Glue application is direct and hermetically sealed, without odour or toxic fume emissions, therefore not requiring extraction fans.
“Modern print applications are more demanding than ever. Unlike many hot-melt binders, DigiBook PUR products can work with multiple materials, such as plastic, film, coated and uncoated paper, light and heavy – these can now be bound permanently, simply and easily.”
The entry-level PUR product in the range is the DigiBook 200, suited to both litho and digital printers that require short-to-medium runs of PUR perfect bound books. The DigiBook 200 can produce up to 200 books per hour and is suitable for spine binding lengths from 110mm up to 380mm, and can handle a spine thickness from 2mm to 50mm.
O Factoid: The Morgana DigiBook 200 can produce up to 200 books per hour O
Morgana also provides a growth path for users requiring higher capacity PUR binding with the DigiBook 300XL, and DigiBook 450. The DigiBook 300XL provides for up to 300 copies per hour, and the DigiBook 450 up to 450 books per hour.
Finally, Morgana offers the DocuBind Pro VFX for twin-loop wire binding, a popular method for assembling a document where there is a need for a book to lay completely flat, often for pages to be written on.
“The key elements of the DocuBind Pro VFX are the high-speed Morgana VFX vacuum feeder, running at up to 140 pages per minute, the StreamPunch VFX heavy duty punching and creasing module, and the innovative eWire VFX twin-wire automatic binding solution, which is engineered by GBC,” Hillhouse says.
Support and reassurance
Next up, Renz UK is known for its wide range of binding solutions, with machines to suit all shapes and sizes of business. Dermot Callaghan, sales manager for Renz UK, says the core draw of taking binding, and indeed other finishing processes, in-house is that this will give the PSP complete control of quality, costing and deadlines, allowing them to finish the job as they intended.
However, Callaghan also says that when it comes to investing in this sort of kit, PSPs need to be careful about who they purchase their equipment from, advising that striking up a close partnership with the distributor or manufacturer will serve the PSP well in the long run.
“It is crucially important to have the right support and relationship with the manufacturer or seller,” Callaghan explains, adding: “It’s importnant to have the reassurance that spare parts are readily available and have direct contact with the service department.
It is crucially important to have the right support and relationship with the manufacturer or seller”
“Here at Renz UK, we have very easy to use machines with the ability to change sizes very quickly, while our machines require very few tools to change job sizes. We offer machines from small desktops to full inline systems with full support from our service department.
“We are happy to discuss with the customer all their requirements before recommending the right solution for them.”
Callaghan goes on to pick out some of the latest and most popular punching and wire binding machines available from Renz UK, first focusing on the Renz Punch 500ES. This heavy-duty, professional punch machine is suitable for all types of book and calendar punching production, opening up a number of markets to users.
The Renz Punch 500ES is suitable for all types of book and calendar punching production, opening up a number of markets to users
Key features on the machine include punching dies for all types of ring wire, plastic comb, coil and calendars, as well as fast die changes, two-part split dies for book and calendar work, quick size adjustment for high flexibility of different paper formats, and horizontal paper feeding. Bespoke professional dies for the Punch 500 ES or Punch 500 HD are also available on request.
Callaghan also picks out the Renz Mobi 500, a semi-automatic Renz Ring Wire binding machine suitable for the production of books and calendars, as well as skip binding. Among the stand-out features on the machine are the ability to bind oversized products, a touch screen assisted setup process, and wheels so that the machine can be moved easily. The Renz Mobi 500 does also not require any tools, meaning shorter set-up times, while it can bind up to 260 sheets.
Stand-out features on the Renz Mobi 500 include the ability to bind oversized products and touch screen-assisted setup process
Efficient operations
Elsewhere, TCS Finishing Solutions offers a selection of binding solutions to the industry, with head of sales Dean Stayne saying that taking this form of finishing in-house offers plenty of advantages to print businesses of all shapes and sizes.
“Operations are under production pressure to profitably complete shorter run jobs in a fast and efficient manner. They must complete work quickly, efficiently and to a high quality,” Stayne explains, adding: “Bringing processes in-house saves time and costs and delivers greater throughput flexibility for a more streamlined process.
Operations are under production pressure to profitably complete shorter run jobs in a fast and efficient manner”
“To achieve this effectively, affordable automation and functionality remain paramount requirements. Cost effective systems that are easy to set up and operate are key. They enable operations to offer more services while maintaining staffing levels. Much of the automation on the C.P.Bourg systems support reduced operator intervention, allowing other jobs to be completed at the same time.”
TCS offers the CP Bourg range of binding equipment, which includes the Bourg Binder BB3002 EVA, BB3002 PUR-C, BB3102 and the BB31202.
On the Bourg Binder BB3002 EVA, Stayne explains the device is designed to create state-of-the-art perfect bound books while being user friendly – thanks to the colour touchscreen interface. This unique perfect binder creates books from 100 x 90mm to 385 x 380mm. It produces single books from two to 600 sheets.
The BB3002 PUR-C, Stayne says, is suited to the production of on-demand full-colour print books such as perfect bound photo books. Its ability to change to EVA / hot melt gluing system supports production flexibility.
The BB3002 PUR-C is suited to the production of on-demand full-colour print books such as perfect bound photo books
It also includes a PUReONE compact adhesive system with an applicator from Nordson and C.P.Bourg.
Both the PUR-C and the EVA can be upgraded with a Bourg Book Loader (BBL), a Bourg Book Complier (BBC) with one or two Bourg Sheet Feeders (BSF) or even with one or two Bourg Preparation Modules (BPM) and a trimmer CMT-130TC or CMT-330TC working in-line, near-line and off-line to increase efficiency.
As illustrated here, there is certainly no shortage of options when it comes to binding kit. However, as advised by the trusted supplier and manufacturers included in this feature, only by working with such a brand will you ensure you invest in a quality solution that will allow you to achieve your business goals.
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