Duplo has added to the range of binding choices the iSADDLE 5.0 a combination of collator and 3/5 knife trimmer taking the advantage of using flat sheet to saddle stitched booklet. Brian Sims finds out more.
There are a number of ways we can fold and finish sheets for clients wanting stitched booklets. The issue is that run lengths on the majority of work are reducing, but the need for the professionally finished product is actually increasing. Clients see variations of covers and stepped products and think they can be produced for a volume of tens or hundreds.
Beforehand this would have been a tall order; folding and then saddle stitching a product would have taken quite a shuffle around the finishing department prior to it being dispatched. Those days are a thing of the past with the release of Duplo’s iSADDLE 5.0, an integrated collating, stitching and trimming system which has at its core an innovation of converting a flat sheet into a saddle-stitched booklet.
Breaking the system down into its key constituent parts is quite straightforward. Firstly there is the suction tower collator which stands nearly two meters tall and can handle a sheet 356mm x 610mm and from 52gsm up to 300gsm.
Next up is the stitching section which has at its heart a pair of Hohner stitching heads which can if required be upgraded to three or four flat/loop heads. Finally, there is the finishing aspect of the system which is Duplo’s DKTS-200 trimming head with head and foot knives which can be combined if needed with the DBMS-T5 trimmer front knives.
All in all, this is a very productive combination of equipment, the scope of which can handle a product up to 6mm in thickness made up of 30 sheets of 80gsm stock. Obviously if needed you can also make a combination of sheets, for instance a thicker cover with an accommodating reduction in page or paper weight making up the difference.
As for size, the iSADDLE 5.0 can produce a booklet 354mm x 304mm in one-up production and this can be in portrait and landscape dependent on size configuration. Added to this, the iSADDLE 5.0 can scope out products such as stepped booklets and products with pockets and flaps. Overall the system can produce a wide variation of stitched products normally that needs complex subcontracting.
Having described the iSADDLE 5.0’s wide scope of product, this may start an immediate concern over how each of these devices set themselves to cope with the next job. Well that is all taken care of by Duplo and the automation the manufacturer has built into the machine.
A size or format change can be accomplished by scanning the bar code which you can append to the job pack, route card, or sample product. Once this has been scanned, all in synchronisation, the collator, the stitching head, and trimmer will all move to the relevant positions without any intervention from the operator. This has a number of advantages, the operator can carry on with tasks such as material preparation but more importantly, the precise positioning of each of the parts of the next configuration will reduce the likelihood there will be an issue with the product.
This precision not only will allow for a quick turn-around between each job but will allow an almost waste free start-up into the next job. Do not worry about the number of jobs you may want to produce, the memory on the PC can hold almost an infinite number, capacity being limited only by the PC the operating system resides on.
As for the nature of the work, whilst on first appearances the iSADDLE 5.0 may be best suited for shorter run work, due to the quick makeready, automated job change for example. However, the final stage of three knife trimming can be formatted with three or five knife trim capability meaning you can double production capacity and as such double the speed to up to 10,100 booklets per hour (A6 format).
As for the nature of product, you can run a majority of products from either digital or lithographic print process and on a wide range of substrates. Fine quality papers from 64 to 157gsm along with a cover of 300gsm and art/coated substrate from 85 to 157gsm with the same cover caliper would also pass smoothly through the iSADDLE 5.0.
Aside from the basic format of the machine, there are a number of other features and upgrade options available.
The control panel is innovative as would be expected by a modern machine and is PC controlled. The folding rollers within the machine are all automatically operated and there are double-scoring rollers with manual adjustment if needed. There are error detection systems on the stitching wire, paper feeder, paper jam sensors and safety guards throughout the machine.
You can add a number of Duplo devices to the iSADDLE 5.0 these being up to 6 DSC-1060i collating towers, DCR-ST stacker (Criss Cross) and a DBM-400STR stacker for straight or offset stacking. Added to these connectable devices, there are other options that can be added to the more basic three-section machine.
You can upgrade the Hohner stitching heads from two to three or four flat or loop versions and a six-page cover insert kit. There is a sheet-by-sheet air kit which can assist with the cover application on the iSADDLE 5.0 and if you require it, the machine can be linked via a network making the transfer of data and information seamless as the job changing on the machine itself.
Duplo has focused a lot of energy into producing a product that will straddle a wide range of products of significantly varied complexity. It is unusual to find a combination of equipment which joined together that has the level of automation of the iSADDLE 5.0. The production volumes of the machine can satisfy an equally varied group of clients making it a valuable asset to have if this market is one that you recognise.
| Production speed | 5,050 A5 booklets/hr |
| 10,100 A6 booklets/hr | |
| Max booklet thickness | 6mm (30 sheets of 80 GSM) |
| Sheet size | Max: W 365mm x L 610mm |
| Min: W 120mm x L 210mm | |
| Booklet trimmed size | Max W 354mm x L 304mm |
| Min W120 x L 75mm |
Brian Sims Principal Consultant, Metis Print Consultancy, www.metis-uk.eu
