Bound To Last
For binding, it's not enough to be fast; it also has to be strong. That's why Muller Martini (www.mullermartini.com) teamed-up with digital printing provider Océ Printing Systems (www.oceusa.com). For the first time this year, Muller's AmigoDigital perfect-binding system linked to an Océ DemandStream 8090CX digital printing system with Hunkeler paper handling equipment. The result: A workflow that will produce commercial-quality paperback books in a single pass.
"We maintain that quality quotient by incorporating into the AmigoDigital the same perfect binding techniques we use in our high-volume equipment," says Andrew J. Fetherman, manager of Muller Martini's Digital Finishing Division.
Based on Muller Martini's AmigoPlus line, AmigoDigital is enhanced with electronic and mechanical interface modules that enable it to work inline with a variety of digital printing systems. In the on-demand market, it's the only system that produces commercial quality paperbacks at speeds up to 1,000 cycles per hour.
The process behind on-demand binding begins by measuring gathered signatures to verify the size of the book block, which is aligned, then clamped. The backs of the signatures are milled and roughened to create a receptive gluing surface. "Here, the number of milling and roughening knives is important—the ability to adjust milling depth and book hangout," admits Fetherman.
The spine gluing station is the next stop by applying glue to the front and back pages of the book block before a cover feeder marries the cover to the book.
According to Fetherman, this particular system can be adjusted for two- or four-line scoring of the cover to prevent cracking and ensure a tight fit. The appearance of the book is also treated at a built-in nipping station, which checks registration and squareness of the book's backbone.
The ABCs of binding
But according to Reindl Bindery (www.reindlbindery.com), types of binding vary by necessity. At Reindl, case binding, for instance, is treated by a Kolbus BF2000s 7-station compact case-in line with head banding, round- and back-capability and adhesive application technology. Each signature is sewn to create the strongest, most durable binding method on the book market. Accordingly, case binding also requires that spines not be perforated, possess a 3/8-inch high folio lip and stairstepped marks. Used for library editions and children's books, the alternative, McCain and Moffet side-sewn case binding, stitches through the book block and parallel to the binding edge.
