For book manufacturing constituents looking for cutting edge solutions to their bindery equipment needs, an early October trip to Chicago may have been a good place to start. Several manufacturers exhibited their back gluing, casing-in, casemaking and manufacturing lines at the 2002 Graph Expo. Exhibitors were pleasantly surprised by the number of attendees at this year's show (nearly 38,000, according to the organizers), lending an air of optimism to the future of the printing industry.
BTM details the latest from some of the exhibitors who were on hand to demonstrate their offerings.
Banner
Banner American Products (www.banam.com), a manufacturer and distributor of pouch and roll laminators, showcased the 520HP Foliant series laminator and separator. Introduced earlier this year, the Foliant received a validation from Xerox, which tested the product as an off-line single side laminator and found it compatible with the DocuColor 2045 and DocuColor 2060, and the DocuColor 12 and DocuColor 40. The Foliant targets the small commercial print shop and book publisher. The single-side lamination system works with a variety of thin gauge films, using a chrome-coated working roller, which is regulated by exact thermal control. The 520HP Foliant series features a quick warm-up time, a user-friendly control panel, a microprocessor that allows automatic control of speed and temperature, displays run count and the amount of unrolled film available, and a film capacity of 10,000 feet.
Bielomatik
German bookbinding manufacturer Bielomatik (www.bielomatik.com) began developing a cost-effective solution for short-run case-binding in 1999. Bielomatik designed modules to cut the book-block, make the case, emboss the case and case-in the book. At Graph Expo, the manufacturer introduced the Bookmaster 360, the casing-in module it brought to the market this year. In 2003 Bielomatik plans to make the entire book factory available. The company considers the Bookmaster 360 to be the most important module. Needing no set-up time, it automatically case-binds a book in 10 seconds. The 360 moves a book block, either cut sheet from a digital press or threaded signatures, into the case feeder where double fan-gluing with cold dispersion adhesive is applied. Gauze is set to the spine, a headband is attached and the book is cased-in and rounded. The next book to follow can be a different size and the run-lengths can be set to any amount.
Muller Martini
Serving the finishing solution needs of trade binderies, Muller Martini (www.mullermartiniusa.com) exhibited the AmigoDigital, a system designed to work in line or near-line for high-end finishing needs of both digital printers and short-run book manufacturers. When configured in line, AmigoDigital adapts itself from data supplied by the upstream machine. Its near-line configuration takes settings directly from the hand feed/measuring station. The AmigoDigital plugs into on-demand workflows in order to transfer each book to the bindery for hands-free setups. The system's spine gluing station has a two-roller applicator for even coverage, and a side gluing station adds an extra measure of durability to the book by applying glue to the front page and back page of the book block.
Muller Martini also premiered the BravoPlus AMRYS (automatic makeready systems) at Graph Expo 2002 that sets up saddle stitching systems between jobs. Job parameters are either entered by the operator, retrieved from the device's hard disk or captured directly from a company's prepress system via the CIP3/PPF print production format.
The Muller Martini Ventura book sewing machine for hardcover manufacturers made its North American debut at the show. Ventura can produce one-up or two-up streams at a rate of 12,000 cph. The commander control system makes the Ventura user-friendly and its optical scanning system ensures correct sequencing and proper opening of each signature.
National Adhesives
National Adhesives (www.nationalstrach.com), a division of National Starch and Chemical Co., showcased two new adhesives for bookbinders at Graph Expo. The Pur-Fect Bind 34-850 hot melt adhesive excels at one-shot perfect binding, burst binding, hinging and tight backing. The product possesses the ability to work well with difficult paper stocks.
Cool-Bind, National Adhesives' second offering, offers customers a low temperature, hot melt adhesive for perfect binding. Designed for application at 250 degrees, Cool-Bind provides excellent adhesion, low odor, good color, low energy use, reduced burn severity hazard and less maintenance. Its adhesive qualities work well with any combination of equipment given the product's fast set up time and long open time.
Nordson
Nordson (www.nordson.com), a manufacturer of adhesives, sealants and coatings, displayed the EP48V slot gun for applying adhesives to books. The book binding system controls the delivery of polyurethane hot melt adhesives to book spines on traditional perfect binders. The slot gun provides a positive application pressure, which results in better wetting producing high pull values and lay-flat properties. Nordson also introduced DuraBlue adhesive melters that provide an all-electric solution for manual and semi-automatic applications. The Teflona coated tube tank eliminates dead corners and minimizes adhesive char.
Timsons
Timsons (www.timsons.com) released its fully integrated Press Management and Reporting System at Graph Expo 2002. Timsons created the system to provide T48A, T48A ZMR and T32 book press crews and management with real-time press count, waste, makeready and job information at the press or on a LAN.
The T48A ZMR is capable of making short-run printing on a web offset press cost efficient by eliminating makeready. The ZMR can also act as a two-color press by utilizing tool-less, semi-automatic plate loading and unloading. Timsons QMR (Quick Make Ready) sequence changes plates quickly and reduces makeready on two color printing.
Standard Finishing
Standard Finishing Systems (www.santafeservice.com) introduced the Standard Horizon BQ-270 Perfect Binder at Graph Expo 2002, to replace its predecessor, the BQ-260. The BQ-270 single clamp binder is designed for single-person production to 500 bph and requires minimal operator training. Standard features include an intelligent touch-screen control console, a newly-developed adhesive application and side gluing system, and an automatic air-suction cover. The BQ-270 can perfect bind books with sheet sizes from 5.9 inches by 4.2 inches to 12.5 inches by 12.5 inches.
-Warren Chiara