Binding

Innovations In Collating Equipment

November 21, 2008

by: Renée Varella

To meet customer demand for greater value, the quest for creative paper-handling and finishing technologies continues to accelerate. Advanced levels of automation remain key, shortening changeover times, reducing errors and labor costs, and providing more flexibility. Increased collaboration between conventional post press vendors and manufacturers of digital devices also has resulted in higher levels of post press workflow integration. Here, several manufacturers share some of the latest collating solutions.

Key Collating Challenges

While friction-feed collators use rubber rollers to grab the paper, air- or suction-feed collators use a vacuum pump to move the paper into the finishing system, whether it be a bookletmaker, folder, creaser, etc. Difficult substrates continue to pose unique challenges for collators – and the type of application can determine the most appropriate equipment choice. Joe Bondonna, product manager for Spiral Binding Company, Inc., based in Totowa, N.J., noted that although friction-feed systems are initially less expensive to purchase, the use of coated stocks and misfeeds or tracking problems are driving customers who can afford the higher price tag to consider suction-feed collators. “We can discuss a customer’s application to determine if a specific piece of equipment is correct for its application and if the customer has considered the downside of a friction-feed piece of equipment,” he said. “Some customers can deal with some tracking issues; others may not have heavy coverage where tracking will be an issue. Other customers may be using standard 20 lb. bond paper, where misfeeding in a friction-feed system is not an issue.”

For Duplo USA Corporation, based in Santa Ana, Calif., collating challenges come in the form of requests for collated tabs, laminated single- or double-sided documents, and carbonless NCR documents. Si Nguyen, Duplo’s director of marketing, pointed out that churches and schools, in particular, can more easily afford friction-feed systems but said a purchasing decision depends on the type of substrates used. “For newsletters and saddlestitch booklets, a friction-feed system is a perfect component for printing with ink and for normal bond paper and up to 110 lb. cardstock,” he said. However, to accommodate coated substrates, tabs, NCR stocks, single-sided lamination, and UV-coated applications, Nguyen solely recommends an air-vacuum system. Duplo’s patented, pumpless vacuum-belt feed system provides significant versatility, with its ability to feed up to 300 gsm and a variety of sheet sizes.

Mark Hunt, director of marketing for Standard Finishing Systems, based in Andover, Mass., noted how key it is for trade binderies to have collating equipment that can handle a wide range of materials, including Mylar, Braille, and other unusual substrates. “Standard Horizon collators can feed everything from very fragile 52 gsm tissue to 230 gsm cardboard to 16-page signatures and envelopes,” he said. “Due to such problems as static and marking, suction-feed collators have overtaken the market and now dominate the production end of the industry.”

The Footprint Question

Another issue for collators centers on equipment size. Depending on how you plan to finish the product, Bondonna noted that in-line as a collating option can be a great tool: “In most cases, perfect binding, coil, wire, and comb binding are being done off-line and having a pre-collated document saves time and money.” He said most manufacturers of digital copiers now offer in-line bookletmaking binding solutions, with their own set of pros and cons. “The disadvantage comes into play with reduced production speeds and limiting other jobs when a print engine is tied up running booklets,” Bondonna said. “Downtime also is a problem when either the copier or bookletmaking portion of the machine is down, because then you’ve lost two units, not just one.”

Hunt added that most suction-feed systems are now vertical, which offers a significant space-saving advantage. The trade-offs inherent with a smaller piece of equipment include reduced performance and speed, decreased bin capacity, and lack of commercial-duty robustness, making such units less suitable for a trade bindery. “Standard offers both a 10-station and a 6-station collator, which can accommodate 5.1 of paper in the stack making them especially suitable for longer runs,” Hunt said.

Nguyen noted that commercial printers want equipment made out of heavy iron and to be able to produce 5,000 books an hour, using larger buttons and knobs so they can see what they’re doing. “For smaller quick printers and family-owned print shops, floor space is at a premium, so if you can give them a high-quality booklet in a smaller footprint it really attracts them,” he said.

Automation Is King

The sources here noted that today’s bindery operations reflect considerably higher degrees of automation in finishing. “A well-designed machine interface helps operators make easy and proper set-up decisions, taking them through each step in the process, and allows previously entered finishing parameters to be instantly recalled,” Hunt said. He noted that for the last 10 years Standard Horizon has concentrated on advanced programming, error detection, and system monitoring, outfitting machines with state-of-the-art touchscreen-control consoles. “Automation is a critical way for our customers to reduce costs, improve set-up and changeover speeds, and attract suitable employees who can be trained and cross-trained more easily. We’ve designed our machines so that once they learn how to operate the collator they can pick up our saddlestitchers, perfect binders, or folders very easily.”

Digital print environments are drivers of automation. Spiral Binding offers the Plockmatic VF1008 feeder/collator. “In addition to being a straight collator, it acts as a feeder where the unit can merge pre-collated materials into a single document,” Bondonna said. ” the unit only has eight collating bins, by using it as a feeder you can merge these pre-collated sheets from offset press, black and white copies, and color sheets in any order into one book. The programming is intuitive with the touchscreen keypad.” While the VF1008 can be ganged together as a straight collator to produce a 96-page booklet, it also can produce a 96-page booklet with one tower by using the feeder function, with precollated materials coming off a digital print engine.

Small print shops also demand the efficiencies produced by greater automation, particularly when the collating function can be combined with other processes. Heidelberg’s Stitchexpert allows small print shops to perform both centerfold and side stitching of booklets from a central console. Sheets are collated in a tower, then jogged into neat stacks, stapled, folded, and face-trimmed. Formats and paper weights can range from CD booklets to 20½×14, and from 60 to 250 gsm. Stapling can be done at the top, on the side, or through the spine. Additional collator towers can be installed to increase capacity and facilitate replenishment of the hopper bins. The Stitchexpert also can be used as a dedicated collator.

Another example of collating equipment that is integrated with other functions on the bindery floor is MBM’s StitchFold bookletmaker and optional trimmer, which uses wire-fed stitching technology to produce up to 65,000 booklets from a single spool of wire. A collator interface is included. The FC 10 automatic 10-bin friction collator collates a variety of paper stocks and weights at speeds up to 3,600 sets per hour, with a 275-sheet bin capacity. The FC 10 Twin Tower Transport Unit allows two FC 10 units to be combined into a 20-bin configuration for high-volume production; the collators can be used in tandem or separately while connected.

The Campaign for Complete Solutions

So what’s next in the collating field? Standard’s commitment to “Intelligent Automation” has yielded several advancements – and a glimpse into the future. “Customers are looking for high levels of set integrity and security,” Hunt said. “Our systems must have high error-rejection integrity built into each feeding system and can be equipped with a camera to read each set for accuracy and to ensure no blank sheets.” The company’s CCD-VAC Image Checking System enables collated documents to be handled with full integrity and verification. For space efficiency, six high-performance CCD cameras are installed in the transport area on each VAC-60 collating tower. The CCD-VAC system includes a touchscreen console for centralized control, set-up, and system monitoring. The CCD-VAC cameras match and verify each sheet and then either alert the operator or stop the system if an error is found – such as wrong or improperly loaded sheets in the bin.

Nguyen noted that today’s post press device – perfect binder, creaser, and collator – must target complete automation, including at the front end. “A printer wants automation before he goes to the bindery area,” he said. “Such options are especially important, because printers define pre press as the bottleneck of the operation.” Nguyen added that Duplo recently conducted several case studies and determined that all of its customers were looking solely to automation to achieve efficiencies in the next five to 10 years. In response, the company came out with the Duetto “near-line” solution, an all-in-one configuration that merges uncollated sets and pre-collated sets from digital printers. The post press solution provides 100 percent set integrity and handles multiple print engines.

Hunt added that collating systems of the future will feature intelligent feeding, with set-up from a database or screen and an increased ability to provide dynamic content. He cited the example of an insurance document application that could be driven by a database or bar code so that certain clients receive a health club promotion in their packet.

Manufacturers like Standard Horizon, Heidelberg, and Duplo are offering another layer of communication by providing JDF-enabled systems that integrate the process of printing with the business of printing. For instance, Duplo is one of the finishing partners of Ultimate Technographics, which has developed connectivity with finishing equipment to limit paper waste and offer precise registration for cutting and folding throughout the job. The hands-free Impostrip On-Demand process – with defined parameters for Duplo’s equipment at the pre-press stage – builds in a custom bar code to automate the finishing equipment, freeing operators for other work. “Ultimately, a print line incorporating JDF from start to finish will dramatically cut both production costs and set-up times for the printer,” Nguyen said. “Only limited manual intervention is required to run the entire print line, making it easy for even the most inexperienced employee to successfully manage the print run.”

Horizon also has deployed “i2i,” its own JDF-driven system, in cooperation with a suite of approved MIS vendors. The i2i system consumes the JDF finishing parameters from upstream and transfers the data over a network to the appropriate Standard Horizon finisher – a cutter, folder, collator, saddlestitcher, binder, or trimmer. In addition to the benefit of automated setup, i2i reports real-time production statistics upstream, via JMF, providing visibility into work-in-process across the bindery.

The need for versatile and highly efficient collating equipment has spurred a technology revolution. The Binding Edge will continue to explore advancements in job set-up and changeover, servo-motor technology, and automation features to ensure your bindery benefits from the latest in user-friendly technology.

Plastic Spiral Binding – Problems Solved!

August 21, 2007

by: Anna C. Massey, Gateway Bookbinding Systems Ltd.

Plastic spiral binding is fast becoming the mechanical binding method of choice for many publishers, printers, and binderies. The product’s durability, the vast array of available colors to choose from, and advancements in the automation of the binding process have enabled spiral binding to inch (or coil!) its way onto millions of books each year. Plastic spiral has become a viable mechanical binding alternative to the traditional comb or single and double loop wire types of binding. Knowing what the options are and knowing what the experts recommend can help a company handle any production obstacles encountered when those challenging projects come through the door.

My bindery has tabletop electric punches and coil inserters for plastic spiral binding. The punch has a round hole in a 4:1 pitch. We do okay with books up to about an 18 or 20 mm coil diameter but anything thicker than that slows our output. What can we do to speed things up?

The rule of thumb for plastic spiral is simple. The larger the punch hole and wider the pitch spacing (distance between the holes), the easier the coil insertion process. The 4:1 pitch round hole that is common on most small or mid-range coil punching equipment is great for work that falls between about a 6 and a 16 mm coil diameter. However, if you are doing a lot of work thicker than about 5/8″ you really should consider incorporating a wider 3:1 (3 holes per inch) or 2.5:1 (2.5 holes per inch) pitch punch pattern for those thicker books.

It also is recommended that an oval shaped hole be used (versus a round hole). A hole that measures at least 6.5 x 5.5 mm in size works best. The oval (or “Double-D”) provides more height within the hole for the coil to find its “way down the books” binding edge. And the wider 3:1 or 2.5:1 pitch spacing means fewer holes for the coil to wind through. Oval holes – even in the 4:1 pitch – really speed things up. The larger oval hole, coupled with the wider pitch, will equate to improvements in production of up to 40 percent.

My supplier tells me that 4:1 pitch and 6 mm pitch and .2475″ pitch are all the same stuff, but coil equipment manufacturers tell me their equipment is “pitch specific.” If I punch 4:1 (4 holes per inch), is it important that I use 4:1 coil?

The term “pitch” refers to the distance between the punch holes or the actual loops of coil. For example, a 4:1 pitch means that there are exactly 4 holes within every 1 inch measurement. Should the same pitch of coil that matches the punch pattern be used? Absolutely! The 4:1 pitch is very common. There also are European machines that work with a metric 6 mm pitch. (That means that there are 6 mm from the center of one hole to the center of the next hole). The .2475″ pitch – although very close to the 4:1 / .250″ pitch – centers best on the common 11″ and 8.5″ binding edges without the need to pull any punch pins.

If punching a 4:1 pitch and running a 6 mm pitch coil through those holes, the smaller diameters of coil won’t run as well as they could. Larger diameters of coil are a little more flexible so they are a little more forgiving. There is, however, enough incompatibility between different pitches to affect productivity if the incorrect pitch is used.

When I am quoting a binding job for plastic spiral, I often find that the book production per hour rarely comes in at what I had estimated. Why is there such variation between jobs with the same size of coil?

When estimating a plastic spiral binding job, there are more than just the book’s thickness and binding edge length that need to be considered. The complexity of the book can dramatically affect its run through the bindery. Does the book have tabs? How many? Any inserts or folded pages? Oversized covers? What type of stock?

If a job comes through the door with tabs, the odds are that the tabs (and probably the covers) were punched separately from the body of the book. Unless the utmost care has been taken to ensure precise punch registration, when the components are married together there may be misalignment of the punch holes. Without good, clean punch registration, when the bindery operators go to insert the coil, the coil will get hung up as it tries to find its way through the holes. That slows down production per hour. Make sure the complexities of a project are understood in their entirety before estimating the production output.

There is equipment on the market that would let us manufacture our own coil. When does it make sense to bring this process in-house?

Studies show that when a bindery or in-plant is purchasing approximately $20,000 to $25,000 per year in coil, it is at the point that it makes financial sense to bring the coil manufacturing process in-house. In-house coil manufacturing usually represents a material savings of almost 50 percent. In addition, spools of filament are in stock, allowing the bindery to convert it to the various diameters and lengths required as needed. Inventory floor space is dramatically reduced, transport costs for spools of filament versus countless boxes of pre-formed coil also will be reduced, and the bindery is positioned to respond to its customers’ requirements much faster.

Q&A: Challenges in Perfect Binding

May 1, 2007

The Binding Edge

Perfect binding is an economical, attractive way to present information in a bound book format with both short and long runs. Once looked at as a binding method for thick books or publications only, perfect binding equipment can now work with minimum page counts as low as 24 and thicknesses as small as 1/16 of an inch. This, coupled with advancements in equipment, has caused perfect binding to become a popular option. However, it doesn’t come without challenges.

Knowing where the potential problems lie can help operators allow extra time for set-up or run-time difficulties; and can help customer service staff and sales teams guide the customers in creating appropriate expectations.

The Binding Edge contacted three companies for insights on the challenges in perfect binding. Contributors include Jody Harrison, product manager of book and publication binding, Muller Martini; Jim Kaeli, division manager of book and publication binding, Muller Martini; David Young, Technical Sales, Deluxe Stitcher; and Don Dubuque, Marketing Manager, Standard Finishing Systems.

Question: What challenges are there when doing layouts for perfect binding jobs? How are they overcome?

There are some things that are just understood when it comes to layout for perfect binding jobs. Page counts must be divisible by four. Binding on the landscape side can cause problems with certain machines. Glue adhesion is generally best if the product doesn’t have a spine of more than three inches.

One of the most common challenges with layout comes when there is a read-across section (where the image must align across two consecutive pages), particularly if they are in two different signatures. It is recommended to try to avoid this if possible by working with the layout and moving pages so the read-across falls in the same signature.

Also, when you are working with gate folded pages and the image on the gate is the same as underneath (or similar), very accurate folding is required.?If this takes place, it is best to try to ensure that the margin area where the match must be made does not have very precise tolerances, since there would be detailed images or print that would clearly show off-fold register. Paper grain is another key to successful perfect binding. Cross-grain pages can cause waves or cracking at the spine, or reduced spine strength. Less paper fiber also is exposed during milling, leading to less-than-optimal glue adhesion. Again, working with this during the layout stage can help decrease a lot of problems during the perfect binding process.

Question: What difficulties arise when a binder needs to accommodate a customer’s request for inserts? (CDs, pull-outs, etc)

From the point of view of layout, the location of the insert in the book can create issues, and the type of carrier can create a “hard to bind” situation. It is suggested to avoid the placement of multiple inserts in a book in the same relative location since that creates significant localized buildup of thickness.

In addition, when running inserts or “gimmicks” (as they are sometimes called), much more time and effort is required to get a machine ready to run. There is usually a pre-determined slow down percentage allowed for the production run, including more time to ramp up to an acceptable running speed. This makes production numbers much harder to reach. Each machine has certain limits of what type of paper, cards, CDs, etc., that it will run, and more and more printers are accepting difficult work. Every printer wants to make the customer’s advertisement look unique, and the customer continues to push the envelope so its advertisement stands out in a book or magazine, making more modification and adjustments to the perfect binding process necessary.

Question: How does stock thickness / spine thickness affect the way a perfect bound job is done?

Stock thickness can greatly affect the run speeds of the machine used to produce it, with thicker books requiring slower speeds and greater accuracy in setting up the trimmer. Thicker paper stocks usually run a bit easier, but the machine requires more workers to keep it full as it can run out of stock much faster. This may not be an issue for shorter runs, but thicker paper can certainly add time and cost to larger runs.

Generally, the spongier the stock, the more of a challenge it can be to perfect bind as it does not compress well unless under pressure (in a clamp for example). For thicker products, this can be an issue and cause multiple passes on the perfect binder. It is recommended to consider this when selecting the paper stock and avoid the more spongy stocks for thicker books or publications.

Question: When are glue adhesion issues most likely to occur?

Referring back to the previous question, stock thickness also affects adhesive selection. Heavyweight coated stocks will make using a PUR adhesive more attractive. PUR adhesives are many times more costly, but may be necessary for certain applications. In addition, cross grain signatures can cause adhesion issues, and other issues can be caused when printers/designers do not allow for the proper masking off of the spine area on covers when varnishes and heavy ink coverage is being used. This refers back to the first question where these issues can be avoided if the layout is properly done.

Stock or covers with slick coated surfaces make surface adhesion of the adhesive more difficult as well. Often, running a quick binding test will determine if the paper will need extra attention.

Question: What benefits does automation bring to perfect bound jobs?

Automation in perfect binding equipment is driven by a decline in run lengths, quicker turnaround requirements, and the need to easily train workers. As run lengths get shorter, set-up time becomes a bigger percentage of total job time, driving up labor cost per unit produced.

In addition, short production runs leave little margin for error or on-the-fly equipment adjustments. That’s where new software makes a difference. Touchscreen technology guides equipment operators through each step of the setup procedure, reducing the likelihood of waste due to errors. Advanced automated systems deliver shorter set-ups, less set-up waste, and faster turnaround, which translates into higher profits.

With today’s run lengths becoming shorter and shorter, binderies and printers must look at newer, more automated equipment to decrease downtime and set-up time from job to job.

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