Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting the Foil Stamping Process

July 13, 2014

By Chris Raney, Heidelberg USA

There is no better way to enhance the visual appeal of a folding carton than by adding a foil element to the printed image. The process lends products an air of luxury intended to grab a consumer’s attention. Hot foil stamping substantially ups the ante by creating a pleasing visual and tactile experience that is the result of combining relief and textured embossing with the application of foil in a single pass.

The application of colored foil or holographic design produces a special bond between the substrate and the foil, producing an exceptional shine. Embossing elements lend the substrate a multidimensional look and feel. Typical applications include packaging for high-quality consumer goods such as chocolates or perfumes.

Traditionally a time-consuming and expensive process, improvements enabling efficient foil usage and faster makeready times have increased the competitiveness of hot foil stamping as the ultimate way to enhance a printed image. Below, a few things to keep in mind:

Waste Not: All hot foil stamping machines offer “step-and-repeat” solutions designed to optimize the efficient use of costly foil in job layouts. Generally speaking, however, it’s not possible to use foils widths less than 2″ wide, meaning there are limitations on how closely different colors can be placed next to each other. Multiple machine passes can be used to obtain the required final effect; however, in addition to considering the cost of re-running sheets through the machine, converters also must take into account the accuracy of the registration that can be achieved. Take care not to create such a challenging design that the resulting waste levels make the product uncompetitive in the market.

Hot Stuff: Accurate makeready and careful control of heat across the different areas of the sheet will ensure perfect laydown and a superior mirror effect, unmatched by competing processes like cold foil or metallic inks. It is also possible to run combination foil stamping and embossing dies for the ultimate in reflectiveness and relief effects.

To Die For: Consider carefully some of the recent innovations in die positioning technology to save time during stamping die makeready. Traditionally, embossing dies are mounted onto a honeycomb plate when cold. Considerable experience is required to do this accurately and to compensate for the expansion the dies will undergo when the machine is at operating temperature. Available today are several solutions that combine an image of the embossing dies on the honeycomb with a PDF file of the job. With the use of sophisticated heat expansion modeling, the two can be overlaid accurately, ensuring perfect registration of the embossing dies to the printed sheets.

Chris Raney is vice president, packaging at Heidelberg USA, Kennesaw, GA. A leading solution provider for the print media industry, Heidelberg manufactures precision printing presses, platesetters, postpress equipment and software for integrating all printshop processes. For more information, call 770.419.6500 or visit www.us.heidelberg.com.

Q&A: Foiling Over UV Coatings

May 13, 2014

This Q&A exchange was extracted from the Foil & Specialty Effects Association HelpLinks forum, an online resource whereby FSEA members can ask questions about challenging projects or conduct research on machinery or supplies and receive advice from the online FSEA community.

Question:

We recently came across a “problem project” involving a cover of a perfect bound book. The outside was flood UV coated with “stampable” Gloss UV (this term was used by the printer’s coating supplier). The inside was flood with a “standard” Gloss UV. It was printed on a 100lb matte cover stock. We were stamping on a Brause SBL 1050SEF and the foil required was a shiny silver. After much trial and error, through varying brands and suppliers, we determined Infinity MX10 as running the best – using copper dies at 260 degrees. Foil stamping was on the outside only, but we still had issues.

Even if we pulled very small lifts (1/2″) out of the delivery, the foil appeared to be picking onto the inside of the cover above it in the lift (just like ink would offset). The surface of the foiled image also looked like it had very fine pitting – perhaps dust on the sheet?

I was wondering if you had any words of wisdom for foiling over UV coatings (or UV-cured inks)? Would Dyne testing pens be a good investment?

Answers:

1. The UV coating has to be imprintable. It must contain no silicones or certain waxes in order to attain proper adhesion.

2. Can the foil stamping be done before the UV coating is applied? If you’re using a regular gloss or silver foil, generally the foil can be UV coated over the top of the foil. It would be difficult for anyone to identify that it has been coated over.

3. You can use a permanent marker to test the Dyne level of the sheet surface. It is a “poor man’s” dyne pen, but it gives basically the same results. If the ink beads up you are going to have trouble. The dyne pens have a limited shelf life, but we always have permanent markers around.

4. We only have two print customers where we will entertain foiling over press-UV. We did extensive testing with both customers to ensure a happy foiling experience for all. Even doing that, we are still cautiously dipping our toes into UV coatings. So far, we have not had an issue, but we work very closely with these folks to maintain consistency in the chemistry.

If you would like to participate in the FSEA HelpLinks industry advisory, call the FSEA headquarters at 785.271.5816.

The Marriage of Board and Adhesives

February 28, 2014

by Dave Senter, Eska Graphic Board USA B.V.

One of the most popular questions I get now that I’m in the graphic board industry – and it’s a question I often received when I was in the adhesive industry, too – is, “What’s the proper amount of adhesive to use?” The answer is that it depends on a lot of factors.

Factors Affecting the Adhesive/Board Bond

There are different applications in the book industry, and adhesive requirements vary based on the application. During my time as a glue guy, my job was to sell glue; but my bigger job was to make sure my customers weren’t creating problems for themselves with the wrong adhesive or inadequate application. It’s best to follow the mantra “less is more,” and then adjust as needed.

There is a fine line between what enough is and what is too much. In both casemaking and casing-in, operators will start out at a level that they believe is sufficient coverage for that substrate on a particular board, but they often don’t see or know the bigger picture. What issues are happening farther down the process? I always stress to operators the “less is better” rule.

Another common adhesion issue actually is caused by the speed of the machine. An operator may have an adhesive that isn’t properly matched to the speed being run on the machine, which inhibits the application of the proper amount of adhesive.

In addition, environmental factors can complicate the adhesion bond. When the weather is cold and the relative humidity is low, paper products and wood fibers react. As a result, the fibers in a particular board, when exposed to low humidity, become very dry; just as a piece of wood would react. In the summer, when the humidity is high, the fibers swell as they take on moisture. The amount of adhesive that is required varies based on the condition of the fibers.

At the casing-in process, when applying a case to a book block using a casing-in paste, less is always better in the summer because there should be equilibrium on both sides of the board from the adhesive. So, if the casemaking process applies

Solving Adhesion Issues

If adhesion issues are experienced, what is the issue? Why is the glue not sticking? Is it setting up too fast? Is it setting up too slow? Is the glue on too thick? Is it on too thin? Is it the proper adhesive for the substrate? Not every adhesive works on every substrate.

In the 35 years I have been in the industry, working with both adhesive and board, one thing has been consistently true. When there is a problem, it never seems to be recognized soon enough. Operators will work through a problem to get to the next operation; and then, further down the line, something happens. When the issue is back-tracked through production, the problem often is found to have started much earlier in the process. If theres a problem, when should an adhesive or board supplier be consulted? The timing is easy: once all basics have been checked (temperatures, solids content, coverage and machine speed) and the problem still exist, then it’s time to make the call.

The adhesion issue could be caused by a number of factors, such as incompatibility between adhesives and substrates. It could be caused by using a substrate that has been modified rather than the one typically used in a particular operation. It could be a change in a process or material that wasn’t adequately communicated.

In this competitive environment, companies have to lower cost. Many times, raw materials are targeted as a way to reduce expenses. Once a vendor has supplied a solution to an operation, adequate testing must be performed. Results need to be documented and reviewed, and possible fail points should be identified before changes should be made. If this is not performed and different components are introduced to an operation, the possibility of an adhesion problem occurring is greater. At that moment, it’s time to raise a red flag and say, “Something has changed, and we’re not sure what.” Testing a new product before bringing it in can help to avoid potential adhesion problems.

Dave Senter is sales account manager at Eska Graphic Board USA B.V. Eska Graphic Board is a producer and supplier of top quality graphic board for hardcover books, files, ring binders, diaries, albums, games, puzzles, displays, show cards and luxury packaging. The board is marketed under the brand name Eska and is well-known for its excellent and consistent lay-flat, stay-flat quality. All Eska products are made of recovered paper, and FSC certification has been acquired for all products. For more information, visit www.eskagraphicboard.com.

Stable Product Transport Important to Finishing Operations

August 13, 2013

by Mark Talley, Precision Finishing Systems

One item that often gets overlooked when finishing operations decide to get into affixing or tipping applications is the transport. Many people want to use an old base or conveyor they have sitting around to save a few bucks and don’t realize that the very expensive, highly accurate tipping/affixing feeder they just purchased is only as good as the transport it is mounted on.

Make sure there’s a vacuum

Old DC-driven mail bases, or vacuum bases that have little or no vacuum, can significantly affect production speeds and quality. These do not work as well as today’s drive technology in which precision is increased and profitability rises. The vacuum is critical to product stability and consistent transfer of product, whether you are running 20# bond paper or 20 point board. A vacuum system should deliver the product at a consistent speed and quality, at all times; whether you have a single piece of paper or end-to-end pieces on the transport.

Ease of operation

Operators have to deal with a lot of challenges on any given day. Setting up the systems for operation should not make their job harder. The 10X line of vacuum transports has been designed with simple-to-move vacuum tubes, register tapes for proper measuring and placement of tubes and quick change for belting if needed. While belts don’t need to be changed often, changes can be made in minutes because of the unique belt system design.

Many options from which to choose

There are a lot of options to use with the vacuum transport, including tipper plates for inline folding; vacuum opening stations for opening pre-folded products; high-speed labeling systems for applying a variety of labels; imaging systems with read-and-print capabilities; and much more, including plow folding.

Plow folding has become a required option for many applications, such as affixing cards or magnets, running heavy stocks, multi-page brochures or producing a glued double-gate. With the new postal regulations requiring a single line of glue, plow folding can provide an excellent option over traditional buckle folding. Another option getting a lot of attention these days is the divert gate system. With client applications requiring read-and-print, tracking, matching and more, a good divert gate is worth its weight in gold.

Mark Talley is president of Precision Finishing Systems, an Arlington Heights, IL, equipment systems integrator for bindery, mailing, packaging and print finishing companies. He can be reached at 262.945.5963 or mark@precisionfsinc.com. For more information on the 10X line of vacuum transports, visit www.precisionfsinc.com.

Troubleshooting Common Cutting Problems

November 21, 2012

by: Jen Clark

Dull blades cause cutting problems, and so do poor maintenance, lack of proper operator training and insufficient knowledge of safety procedures. Bruce Peterson knows this. The self-proclaimed “Cutter Doctor,” who also happens to be president and CEO of Colter & Peterson, Inc., Paterson, NJ, knows a thing or two about paper cutters. He said most cutter problems fall into one of three areas: dull blades; dirty, run-down and poorly maintained equipment; and poor operator training coupled with a lack of safety awareness. “Most of these are maintenance/management related issues,” he said. “If you pay attention to your machine, you’ll hear or see small problems and you can alert a technician to them before they get to be big issues.”

Peterson says “Cutter Common Sense” can go a long way to keeping an operation running smoothly. These are things he has learned over his nearly 40 years in the paper cutting industry.

Regular Maintenance Can Reduce Production Issues

Neglecting the blades on paper cutters can damage product and lead to costly reruns. “The stresses a dull blade places on a paper cutter are astronomical,” Peterson said. “It smashes material instead of cutting. It is an easy problem to solve – just keep the blade sharp.” The five early warning signs of a dull knife include a rough or chipped cutting edge; a banging sound when cutting through a pile; the cut material sticks together; the cut edge is ridged or turned down; and inaccuracies in cutting, like overcuts and undercuts.

Peterson recommends changing blades every 40 hours of cutting. “When I go back (to a client) a year after installing a new blade and the edge is more like a round pipe, I know they aren’t being sharpened properly. All machines today have cut counters. You can see how many cuts you get out of a blade. Clients may find if they change the blade every 40 hours or approximately every 4,000 cuts, they are changing the blade in advance of it getting very dull, before it damages material or the machine.”

Basic lubrication keeps a cutting machine running smoothly. Much like a car, the machine’s oil and filters should be changed every 2,000 hours of use, he said. “People often don’t pick up an oil can and lubricate according to schedule. If you don’t change the oil, it loses viscosity and breaks down. The machine won’t work properly.”

Regardless of the machine’s age, keeping it and the area around it clean also is important, Peterson said. Oil on the floor can lead to costly operator injuries. If there’s dirt on the machine, clean it up. “It’s about taking pride in your operation. Do a visual inspection every couple of weeks,” he suggested. “If you hear something that doesn’t sound right, that’s the time to say something. Don’t wait until a bearing shatters and breaks something else.”

Operator training is another area of concern for Peterson. In the past, cutter operators were craftsmen who spent all of their time at one machine. They knew the nuances of their machine and when things weren’t working right. Over the years, “the level of training has been reduced,” he said. “There’s less of a connection to the machine. Thirty years ago, operators would consider it ‘their machine…their baby.’ They’d take care of it, and they knew when something wasn’t right. Now, operators have a lower degree of training, are moved from machine to machine and rarely handle maintenance. It’s a different philosophy that drives down the ability of the machine to perform.”

Proper Technique Increases Quality, Safety

Operators also should use proper cutting techniques. Depending on the type of paper being cut, operators should set the machine to the right clamping pressure. “But there’s a paradox,” Peterson said. “The softer the paper is the more clamp pressure you need; the harder the paper, the less clamp pressure is required. Some people never adjust clamp pressure and that leads to cutting issues. In addition, every printed sheet has a guide and gripper edge,” he said. “You have to insert it into the machine properly, use the correct pressure and program the machine properly.”

Safety is another area of concern. The guillotine cutters of today are safer than in the past. Non-repeat devices, dual two-hand/hold knife actuation and infrared safety light barriers help ensure the powerful blade cuts nothing but the intended material, he said. Workplace safety is a crucial concern, since injuries can cause significant losses in both physical and financial terms.

When it comes to safety, there are two distinct areas of concern: avoiding Cumulative Trauma Disorders (CTDs) and avoiding injuries that occur while operating the cutter. Studies have shown operators spend only 1/3 of their time cutting, while their remaining work hours are devoted to moving material. To avoid or reduce the occurrence of CTDs, Peterson recommends the following: combining modern technology, equipment and work processes to reduce strain on operators; analyzing the cutting operation to identify areas needing improvement; automating workflow as much as possible; eliminating risk factors; and finding ways to make the overall cutting operation more ergonomic.

While safety has come a long way, injuries still happen. “Clamps have been responsible for most of the accidents on paper cutters, but they are not the only culprits,” he said. “The action of paper cutting has always been, and will always be, a safety concern.”

Peterson offered seven tips for reducing cutter operation-related injuries:

Every paper cutter installation should conform to the latest industry standards.
When possible, install an effective cut line clamp system to show where the knife is going to cut without lowering the clamp.
Use push-outs or “ream ejects” in the cutting program.
Ensure the cutter has a two hand start/two hand hold system with an anti-tie down circuit.
Always use a jogging block when placing hands under the clamp to side jog material.
Check that the cutter has sufficient back up (redundancy) to ensure safety will be maintained if something goes wrong.
Ensure proper installation of safety bolts and/or latches to back up the clutch/brake (or hydraulic ram) and prevent the knife from making an unintended cycle.

Fixing these common cutter issues before they become problems should be part of normal operational policies. “Companies should perform regular maintenance, put more time and effort into operator training and set up a plan to change blades depending on the usage of the machine,” he said. “Every plant manager should study the risk and costs of operator injury when deciding between operating an older machine and upgrading to a newer one together with paper handling equipment.”

Equipment Suppliers Offer Expert Advice

Equipment suppliers, Peterson said, can be a great resource for advice. “They take a consultative approach in applying solutions and often prove to be the best source of advice on upgrading cutting operations.”

At Colter & Peterson, giving advice is a cornerstone of its business. About a year ago, Peterson said the idea for the “Cutter Doctor” came up. “It was a marketing idea – a way to get people to ask questions and get answers to the problems they may have.” Through a new website, www.cutterdoctor.com, Peterson and a variety of individuals with expertise in specific areas of paper cutting, paper handling and the printing industry offer tips about improving operations.

Some manufacturers require payment to ask questions, he said. “One of the first things they say when you call is ‘What’s your name and credit card number?’. We’re trying as best as we can to answer questions about paper cutters. We’re comfortable talking about any kind of paper cutter that a customer may have. It’s what we know. We try to help.”

Since 1932, Colter & Peterson has serviced, repaired and rebuilt all types of paper cutters from 20″ to 112″ in size, including Harris-Seybold, Dexter-Lawson, Polar, Wohlenberg, Challenge, Schneider, Prism and Saber. The company, known as Hagman & Peterson in its early days, operates out of multiple facilities in three states. In addition to selling its own Prism and Saber paper cutters, Colter & Peterson also supplies paper handling equipment, parts, service, retrofit computers and safety upgrades for most makes and models of paper cutters. For more information, visit www.cutterdoctor.com.

Metallic Finishes and Bindery Challenges

August 21, 2012

by: Jeff Peterson

Although metallized finishes have been an eye-catching advantage for packaging and direct mail for many years, there has been a surge on the demand for foil in recent months. “Bling,” as many refer to it, is in. You can see it in clothing, point-of-purchase displays and much more.

Metallic Finishes

Creating a metallic finish on printed products now can be accomplished in several ways, becoming more easily accessible for designers and printers wanting to add shine and shimmer to a variety of printed materials. The application, finished size, coverage and quantity all are important factors to consider in determining the best method to use.

Laminated Paper or Board
For high-volume applications with large-coverage areas of a metallic finish, utilizing a metallic film-laminated paper or board may be the best choice. This allows the least amount of passes through the press by overprinting opaque white in the areas where the metallic is unwanted. Although the cost of the laminated board is relatively expensive compared to standard paper stock or board, it can be offset and controlled through the high quantity of the run and the decrease in press time. Laminated board also provides an extreme “mirror- like” finish across the entire sheet. This may not be a good choice if the metallic effect is designed only for specific areas on the printed sheet. Additionally, laminated board may not be a good cost-effective choice for lower volume applications.

Hot Foil
Hot foil stamping is an excellent choice for enhancing a printed piece when specific areas, such as a logo or title, are designed to be augmented with foil. Although this typically means an additional press run to apply the foil, the cost savings realized by using a standard paper or board stock versus laminated board can be significant. Hot foil stamping also provides more flexibility with metallic colors and holographic patterns. As with film-laminated board, hot foil stamping provides a high “mirror-like” finish. In addition, hot foil stamping is considered a more sustainable option than other metallic enhancements because the foil is applied to the paper and the plastic carrier is stripped away, rather than being left behind on the paper stock. A foil-laminated board, in most cases, is laminated with both the metallic layer and plastic film, creating more challenges in the recycling process.

Cold Foil
Cold foil has become more prevalent in recent years and is an excellent option for certain applications. Although it has been very popular in the narrow-web flexographic market for label applications, it also has seen recent growth with the application of cold foil inline with large format sheet-fed offset printing presses. This technology utilizes a tacky adhesive that is applied typically in the first station of a sheet-fed printing press. The foil is nipped to the adhesive and the foil carrier is stripped away, thereby applying the foil only where the clear adhesive is laid down. Press manufacturers are offering this technology on new presses, and there are retrofit units available for existing presses as well. Cold foil can be an excellent alternative to overprinting film-laminated board.

The advantage of cold foil is the potential cost savings realized by utilizing a less expensive paper or board versus a pre-laminated product. In addition, cold foil can be applied in specific areas on the sheet, eliminating the use of white opaque ink that can sometimes pose an added challenge in the production process. The foil can be applied and then printed inline in one pass, saving the cost of multiple press set-ups. Utilizing the cold foil process also is considered a sustainable option when applying a metalized finish because it only utilizes the film as a carrier (similar to hot foil stamping), and the plastic film is not applied to the substrate.

However, as with any process, there are drawbacks to using cold foil. First, there may be a decrease in the run speeds of the press when adding cold foil, which is not desirable when producing long runs. In addition, the cold foil process does not provide the “mirror-like” finish that can be obtained through hot foil stamping or a pre-laminated paper or board. The application and expectations of the customer will determine if it is a feasible option.

Challenges in the Bindery

With any type of metallic decorating on paper, challenges can arise once it reaches the bindery. “The number one challenge with a metallic decorated sheet is keeping it from scratching as it goes through a folder, diecutter or other piece of bindery equipment,” stated Matt Seidl, sales manager at Seidl’s Bindery. “We recommend coating the sheet after the foil is applied, whenever possible, to help prevent this.” Seidl also recommends having employees use white cloth gloves when handling metallic decorated stocks to limit scratches and finger prints. He also suggests shrink wrapping the final product if possible.

Gary Markovits, president of E&M Bindery & Finishing, also understands the precautions that need to be taken to decrease the chances of scratch or rub marks. “Careful preparation and handling is of upmost importance on our end when we know that the product includes foil,” stated Markovits. He specifically recommends using rubber folder rollers to minimize surface abrasions on foil stamped and embossed applications.

When cutting printed material decorated with foil, caution is necessary from the very beginning. “Wet trapping the inks on a laminated sheet can be one of the biggest challenges when cutting,” stated Bob Windler, president of Diecrafters, Inc. “Coating or laminating a stock that may have foil and ink is always a good idea to protect the sheet, but it is very important to make sure the inks are properly dried first. Trapping wet ink will cause all types of problems with scoring or cutting the sheet.”

When Guillotine cutting a foil-decorated sheet is necessary, Seidl recommends that the operator checks to be sure the cutting knives are sharpened and not dull. “We also use magnetic pads for the cutter press to prevent applying excessive pressure to sensitive stocks,” Seidl explained.

Markovits also pointed out that when working with book covers, it is best to avoid applying foil that bleeds into the book’s trim areas. “Guillotine cutting can cause foil stamping to flake along the trimmed edges,” explains Markovits. Similarly, diecutting a metallic decorated sheet usually is preferred over Guillotine cutting to eliminate the possibility of a jagged, marked edge. Markovits mentioned another hazard associated with cutting. “It also breaks the seal of the foil stamped area, which can allow moisture to get between the foil and the cover surface,” he said. “This can lead to bubbling, lifting and other problems.”

“There are a vast number of variables that can cause challenges when working with metallic decorated products,” stated Windler. “This is an area where an outside bindery or finisher may have an advantage over an in-plant operation, because there are often operators with specific specialties and experience who can share ideas to ensure a quality finished product is achieved.”

Best Practices for Paper Cutter Knives

August 21, 2009

by: Woody Powers II, Jorson & Carlson

A knife supplier or servicing company with expertise in knife quality, knife handling and product application, as well as the know-how to install cutting knives properly, can provide useful best practices to improve cut quality and increase knife life. In most cases, implementing new procedures will increase quality and production time by eliminating costly knife change time.

Fundamental Questions for Cutting Jobs

When cutting products such as books, labels, and letterhead, it is paramount that operators abide by strict fundamentals to achieve optimum cuts and production. Questions to ask before making the first cut include the following:

Has the job been coordinated with prepress, press, and bindery to supply the most efficient layout for all involved? Are the right paper weight and paper size being used for the job? Too much trim can cause excess waste and deflection problems, like back bone chipping on a perfect bound book.
Is the correct equipment being used for the job? Is proper maintenance provided for the equipment per OEM recommendations?
Will the cutter, folder, stitcher, or perfect binder produce a product quality that is acceptable to your customer?
Does the operator have the knowledge needed (and the ability to engage that knowledge) for the job given to him?

Good housekeeping, proper job layout, good machinery, the right paper, and the correct cutting knives, ground by a professional knife grinding service, will provide a quality finished product.

Increasing Cut Quality

A full-time bindery with multiple shifts should be using inlaid knives manufactured with 18 percent tungsten alloy or – the ultimate in wear resistance – carbide. Both of these out-produce carbon steel cutting knives. Many people are confused by the term “18 percent tungsten” – it is not carbide, but rather an alloy steel with 18 percent tungsten mixture. The term “carbide” also is misrepresented and misunderstood. There are different grades of carbide. One of the best, most wear-resistant grades is MG28, an ultra-fine grain.

Using upgraded metallurgy maintains the desired cut quality for a longer production time. Never upgrade knife quality to improve cut quality. There are companies that sell coatings or offer to rebuild old knives; however, there are no substitutes for upgrading the metallurgy to improve longevity.

Proper Installation

Proper installation of cutting knives is very important in achieving longer lasting cut quality. Changing knives quickly will not improve quality. A job done right will improve quality and longevity, while also allowing distortion-free cuts.

When changing knives, never place a new knife on the cutter bed. This will ensure a knick-free knife is installed. Instead, always place the knife on a piece of chipboard or on a changing table with the cutting edge facing away. Using Kevlar gloves, clean the knives with a solvent to remove any oil, dirt, etc. Visually check the knife edge for imperfections. The same cleaning procedures must be applied to the cutting machine where the knives are mounted. With 3-knife trimmers, clean the holders where the knife is mounted. Remember that any surface upon which the knife is mounted becomes an extension of the cutting knife. Any paper, dust, or grease trapped between the knife and the machine can cause problems.

When installing guillotine knives as per OEM instructions, always back off the knife setting adjustments so the knife will not cut through the last sheet of paper. When tightening mounting bolts on larger knives, always start tightening from the middle out to the sides; smaller knives tighten from one side to the other side. Using this procedure nearly ensures that a bow will not be trapped in the knife, causing deflection in the cut and making it hard to seat the knife. Make the final knife adjustment in the cutter as needed – just enough to cut through the last sheet of paper.

When using cutting sticks, make sure the stick is properly seated in the stick channel. Cleaning this channel is very important in getting an even setting of the knife. If the channel is not clean, the blade will be damaged on the first penetration. Once the blade has been seated to the cutting stick, do not cycle the knife lower into the stick to get a cleaner cut. If needed, change the stick. If this needs to be addressed often, a blade change is needed.

Knife Grinding

When the knives are dull, send them to a qualified knife grinding service. Just as bindery equipment has evolved, so has grinding equipment and the techniques used to sharpen knives and remove burrs.

A grinding service that grinds the knives first, and then hones the knives by hand is using an older, outdated procedure. With this process, the degree of sharpness depends on the pressure exerted by and the steadiness of the person honing the knives. This will leave scratches, marks, and back bevels on the face of the knife, which can lead to knife deflection problems and product marking.

The new knife grinding technology incorporates state-of-the-art grinding equipment to grind and mechanically hone knives on the same machine. This guarantees burr removal and precise blade sharpness, ensuring consistent repetition from knife to knife.

With the help of the right vendors, implementing new procedures will increase quality and production time by eliminating costly knife change time. A few simple changes can help bindery owners improve quality without spending a lot of money by using the equipment on hand.

Woody Powers II has served as the president and owner of Jorson & Carlson since 1992, after beginning employment with the company in 1964. Jorson & Carlson is a third generation company, which began in 1917. It is a full service company specializing in precision grinding, with six locations in the United States. For more information, call (800) 656-7766 or email sales@jorsonandcarlson.com.

Pay It Forward with Needed Training and Preventive Maintenance

August 21, 2009

by: Steven Calov, Heidelberg USA

Difficult economic conditions and depressed sales of new bindery equipment have imbued issues relating to maintenance and training with fresh urgency. Although binderies will always be production oriented, they also should understand that their ability to improve production efficiency and reduce their total cost of ownership is tied to decisions they make about preventive maintenance and the care they take to ensure their operators elicit nothing less than peak performance from their equipment.

Faulty Assumptions Can Rue the Day

Regrettably, many customers tend to regard employee training as a form of overhead instead of a mission-critical investment. It’s a logical misconception: because the equipment is under warranty already, problems must always be the fault of the machine. While this is often true, it is not necessarily the case.

Especially when – as now – the trend is to hold off replacing equipment until economic conditions improve, lack of attention to training and maintenance can have serious consequences. Say a seasoned bindery operator leaves or moves on to another position within the plant after passing on his operational knowledge to his successor in the job. Say it happens again. And again. The net effect of this progressive degradation in the expert knowledge needed to keep that piece of equipment running efficiently can show up in slower speeds and dramatically lower productivity. In fact, as well-intentioned employees pass along training from one to another, it is not uncommon for the quality of the information to degrade until it is dangerously far removed from the manufacturer’s recommendations.

Save the Live Jobs for Later

To get the full benefit of manufacturer-provided training, it’s best to hold off running live jobs until a machine is fully up and into production. While it may seem desirable and efficient to combine post-installation training with live jobs, the decision to do so could well force additional training down the line at additional cost to the customer. Training is intended to give the crew an opportunity to gain experience and achieve a reasonable comfort level with the equipment. Activities that distract operators from that goal can be counter-productive. Otherwise, the crew may run into difficulties and start pointing fingers, complicating an otherwise easy transition from training to production.

Best Trained Employees Do the Best Job

Everybody says it – “Owners must invest in their employees” – but what does it really mean? Today’s bindery employee must possess an increasingly sophisticated skillset, including knowledge of how paper moves, the principles of lean manufacturing, and the efficient use of bindery personnel. Given the range of available training opportunities, there is no reason for a bindery’s productivity and profitability to suffer for want of an appropriately skilled operator. Heidelberg, for example, provides a variety of intermediate skill and refresher training courses at its Print Media Demonstration Center in Kennesaw, Ga., as well as through its Print Media Academy. After all, a warm body can make a machine run, but it takes a well-trained professional to make it sing. These days, it is a business imperative for production equipment throughout the plant to be warbling arias.

Preventive Maintenance: Whose Job Is It?

The phrase “unplanned downtime” generally denotes a business liability to be avoided at all costs. The default position for many binderies, unfortunately, is to keep machinery running, then limping, if necessary, toward the finish line. Machine maintenance is presumed to be the manufacturer’s job when, in fact, the reverse is true. Regular preventive maintenance, performed during periods of “planned downtime,” will ensure consistent high-quality production, optimized equipment settings, and higher throughput, thereby protecting the investment and increasing its resale value.

While the largest binderies may have dedicated maintenance departments, smaller companies have the same needs, although their resources may be more limited. Busy plants of all sizes, in fact, should give serious attention to establishing a dependable rhythm of preventive maintenance.

It likely will cost more to troubleshoot than to invest in a program of regular preventive machine care. Lack of regular preventive maintenance causes machines to run at slower speeds, sacrificing efficiency and productivity for “one more day of operation” before the inevitable breakdown. In the end, neglecting preventive maintenance hurts customers because it’s more costly to fix things when they finally break. Heidelberg Systemservice currently performs about 80 percent repairs, 10 percent preventive maintenance, and 10 percent rebuilds of existing equipment. Given these percentages, it’s common sense to conclude that customers can and should do much more to prevent problems in the first place.

A Change of Focus

Over the years, Heidelberg’s service organization has sought to shift its emphasis from reactive repair to proactive preventive maintenance. Uptime can be maximized and breakdowns minimized by following a regular schedule of inspections with a detailed checklist.

The sale of any piece of equipment inaugurates a long-term partnership with the customer. Likewise, the printer who owns that piece of equipment also inaugurates a long-term relationship with that machine, which means maintaining it on schedule, servicing it when service is needed, and supporting it with manufacturer-branded parts and consumable supplies that have the same reputation for quality as the hardware itself.

Be Prepared

Maintenance and operation are both part of the training process. Customers need to invest the money in maintenance to reduce unplanned downtime and in ongoing training to guarantee optimum performance of both machine and employee. Printers and binderies should work hand-in-hand with their equipment suppliers on issues such as maintenance, training, and fine-tuning of equipment in order to optimize production speeds and capabilities and avoid problems down the road. No one knows when an economic turnaround will come, but savvy customers should position themselves now to be first out of the gate for the recovery by making sure their employees have the skills they need to take advantage of the upturn. Viewed in this way, maintenance and training can be seen as windows of opportunity to prepare for success when the economy rebounds.

Steven Calov is postpress product manager for Heidelberg USA, with particular expertise in post press stitching and perfect binding. He is a graduate of New York City Technical College, where he earned a degree in Graphic Arts Production Management. He has worked with Heidelberg for 19 years. Contact him at Steven.Calov@heidelberg.com.

Bindery Layout Advantages and Benefits

February 1, 2007

by Brad Emerson

Creating layout concepts for bindery shop floors is one of the greatest opportunities for improving quality, operator efficiency, changeover time and planning for future machine expansions or upgrades.

Advantages to Efficient Shop Floor Layouts

1. Improving Quality

How many times has a bindery manager brainstormed ways to increase the frequency with which personnel perform quality control checks? New floor layouts are the perfect opportunity to reduce the footsteps/effort required to QC products while keeping key personnel at or near their primary workstations. As an extra benefit, a positive morale windfall can occur when key personnel realize their managers are considering the footsteps/effort required in a given shift to make as many good books as possible.

2. Operator Efficiency

Revising machine-manning requirements by looking at the current product mix also can be factored into new floor layouts. A bindery that does short runs may benefit from having an operator that can change over a three knife trimmer/mailtable while another operator is changing the binder or stitcher over to the next job. A shop that does very long runs, or has been able to schedule similar size work to lines, can bring primary operator work stations to within a few steps of each other to reduce redundant personnel.

3. Changeover Time

Once the personnel who work in a layout are taken into consideration, the next advantage can be found in the number of pallets or carts/modules of material that can be staged for subsequent machine changeovers. It did not take long after the installation and start-up of the first automated servo perfect binder in the USA to know that material handling would still play a major role in quick changeovers. While a non-automated machine’s mechanical makeready can be eliminated if scheduling permits the same or similar format jobs to be scheduled behind one another, the physics of moving loads in and out does not go away, even with servo motors, JDF, CIP4, streamfeeders, or bundle loaders. Many efficient binderies take material staging to another level by planning for enough space to keep material near the machine for 16-24 hours of production. This additional product staging can protect a bindery’s overall production backlog when job problems occur and a subsequent job on the schedule can be moved up and made ready quickly.

4. Planning for Expansion

Planning for future machine expansions and upgrades can pay huge dividends when the time is taken to factor in floor space. A quick survey of the customers’ wish lists, bindery personnel input, sales reps, and CSRs for future services such as drilling, inkjet addressing, poly wrapping, semi or fully automatic cartoning, and palletizing also can help bring the bindery’s future into focus.

Considering Layout Concepts

In each layout, it must be determined where the unfinished product enters the bindery and where finished products leave. Machine configuration comes next. Typically, the greatest layout opportunity/variable is the conveyor transfer between the adhesive binder, three-knife trimmer, buffer system, inline hardcover, and poly or cartoning equipment, so careful consideration should be given to this capital expense. The all-inclusive packages from new equipment manufacturers will typically include a conveyor transfer with proprietary components and electrical cabinets that local electricians and mechanics cannot easily troubleshoot. End users considering a domestic conveyor solution with domestic components can benefit with reduced capital expense and gain the ability to service (fix your own bindery) with local mechanics or electricians.

Do your homework when tower conveyors have been placed into a layout concept. While the mesmerizing spiral of books can catch people’s attention, often the initial cost is higher, while tower floorspace savings over waterfall and multi-tier concepts is minimal. In addition, the increased maintenance downtime required for removing stretched chain, the high-end speed limitations, the difficulty with book shingling, and the lack of book access with required OSHA or CE guarding in place can make strong arguments for staying with conventional conveyor components.

Buffer systems technology has evolved quite well in recent years. In the last 50 years, the only technology available to keep a line producing books with feeder faults has been the reject gate (or escape gate) on stitchers, gatherers, and inserters. Now, the buffer system has opened up a whole new profit center, depending on a given plant’s product mix and unit cost. With plc logic, book diversion, stacker, slip torque conveyors, and bookblock feeders, upstream and downstream equipment can continue to run for a few minutes while faults are addressed.

New equipment manufacturers may provide layout assistance with no initial cost. The downside is that these layout concepts can be focused narrowly on the manufacturer’s interest to market complete equipment packages, rather than making end users as competitive as possible with minimal capital expense, and proper consideration for an end user’s product mix.

While in the end bindery personnel can always live with the layout constraints and limitations of less imaginative or motivated bindery man-agers, the technology to make proper layouts and “fight the good fight” against foreign competition is more simple than ever. With proper use of today’s web meeting Internet sites, end users can review numerous layout concepts online, and even exchange mouse control to completely interact with layout specialists.

Brad Emerson is the general manager of fixyourownbindery.com, a company specializing in consultation, turnkey used equipment, automation, equipment fabrication, and training. Emerson’s bindery background includes bindery supervision, as well as marketing and consultation with a global bindery equipment leader. For more information, comments, questions, or criticism, please e-mail brad@fixyourownbindery.com.

Dealing with Static Electricity

May 1, 2006

by: Scott Shelton

Static electricity is often the cause of problems encountered in the bindery, hampering production and affecting product quality. By having a basic understanding of static electricity and by utilizing ionization equipment to control or eliminate the static charges, most common problems can be tackled.

What Causes Static Electricity?

Static electricity is an electrical charge on the surface of an insulative material such as film or paper. Static also can occur on a conductor, such as metal, if it is not grounded.

When two or more surfaces are in contact with each other, a transfer of electrons takes place between those surfaces. When the surfaces separate, the surface which has gained the electrons becomes negatively charged. The mating surface giving up the electrons becomes positive. The contact and separation is known as triboelectrification or tribocharging.

There are several factors that effect whether or not a material’s surface will support a static charge and to what degree.

Materials made of natural fibers, such as uncoated paper, typically exhibit high charges at high speeds in environments having low relative humidity. These materials tend to be very hygroscopic, having the ability to absorb moisture from the ambient air. As moisture collects on the surface of these materials, surface resistivity decreases which, in turn, increases its conductivity. This provides a conductive path along the surface for charges to flow to grounded metal rollers or any grounded metal surface in the machinery that the material may be in contact with, thus removing the charge from the print material.

Materials such as plastic films and paper with plastic coatings or high quality clay coatings tend to generate high charges even at slower machine speeds. Their high propensity for charging is due to the inherent high surface resistivity of materials with less tendency to absorb moisture. Some of these surfaces can support static charge potentials of tens of thousands of volts and maintain a charge for minutes, hours, or even several days. For that reason feeding, delivery, and stacking plastic or lightweight coated paper sheets can be a real challenge.

Some plastics may have been treated with an antistatic agent which can reduce the tendency to develop a charge. Plastic webs or sheets may be extruded with an antistat in the formulations. Many times papers are treated in the printing press with an application of fabric softener solution which acts as an antistat on the material. In either case, the antistat functions as a slip agent, reducing friction by attracting ambient moisture to the surface and increasing conductivity.

Other factors affecting charge generation are material speed, contact pressure, temperature, and type of surfaces in contact. Typically, high speeds result in higher static charges. Larger areas of surface contact and greater physical pressure prior to separation also result in higher charges.

Surfaces that are conductive or antistatic can be maintained in an electrically neutral condition by grounding. Materials such as plastics, resin coated and clay coated papers, and very dry uncoated papers are non-conductive. Grounding cannot eliminate static charges on their surface. Static charges on these materials can be controlled, however, by utilizing ionization equipment mounted in the process machinery.

Familiar to most machine operators, static bars are a common type of ionizer used for neutralizing sheets and webs. A typical static bar is electrically powered and is mounted in the production line an inch or two from the sheet or web material’s path. As the charged surface passes the static bar, it becomes neutralized. Placement of the ionizer is critical. It should be placed just ahead of the area in the process where static is causing the problem. It is recommended that a qualified static field specialist be consulted for proper ionizer selection and placement. This can save a lot of time and aggravation.

How Does an Ionizer Work?

Ionizers emit vast quantities of both negatively and positively charged gas molecules called air ions. The ions are made available to the charged surfaces where the electric field attracts the necessary ions of opposite polarity to its surface, thus balancing the charge on the web. The ionizer’s output is virtually unaffected by ambient temperature and relative humidity conditions and is compatible with most materials processed in the bindery.

A typical static bar has a range of about one to two inches. Some static bars are designed to operate up to several inches away from the target surface. Ionizing blowers consist of a fan blowing air over a series of ionizing emitters to extend the operating range even more, up to three to four feet. Ionizing nozzles and air knives use compressed air to provide a higher velocity of focused ionized air. A common application is to assist in sheet separation on pocket feeders.

Dealing with Static Problems During Production

Many of the problems relating to static electricity encountered in the bindery actually result from static charges generated in the print medium in the pressroom. As the web or sheet is transported through the various stages of the printing press, static charges accumulate on the surfaces. If static neutralizers are not used at the delivery of the press, a highly charged stack of printed materials is sent to the bindery. If the print media in a quality clay or resin coated material has large areas of ink coverage or is highly calendered, the static charges may be retained for several hours or even days if ambient conditions permit. The resulting problems encountered in the bindery are usually personnel shocks, jams in the press, or double-sheet pick-ups when trying to feed a subsequent operation such as a folder, collator, saddle stitcher, or perfect bound line.

The simple and most cost effective solution to these problems is to convince the pressroom to install a static neutralizing bar at the delivery of the press. Trying to deal with the problems of double-sheet pick-ups and jams at all the pocket feeders on a large side saddle stitcher or perfect binder can be complicated due to limited space and moving mechanisms at the pocket. A static-free stack of printed materials from the pressroom, however, doesnt solve all the bindery problems. For example, with a typical sheet folder, once the sheet leaves the feed pile, the tribocharging process starts all over again as the sheet contacts and separates from belt, rollers, and any other surfaces with which it comes into contact. Since tribocharging is a cumulative process, the charge on the sheet continues to rise to a level where the charged sheet is attracted to components of the machine and a jam or skewing of the sheet occurs. When making multiple folds, this can happen at several locations in the folder. A solution is to mount a static neutralizing bar over the paper path, just ahead of the point where the problem is occurring. Due to guides and rails which may interfere with placing a standard static bar an inch or two from the sheet, an extended range type static bar may be appropriate. For best results, the bar should be positioned where the sheet is floating with a little air space between it and the sheet machine bed. One ideal location, although not always possible, is to position the bar over the sheet at a transition point or break in the conveyor.

Folded materials obviously need to be delivered onto a stack. This is usually where the next problem is manifested. The folded pieces may repel each other, causing a mess at the delivery, or they may stick to each other, resulting in sloppy, uneven, impossible-to-jog stacks. In either case, two static bars properly placed at the delivery to neutralize both outer surfaces of the folded piece will render neat, trouble-free deliveries.

Personnel Shock

Uncomfortable electrical shocks to personnel in the bindery are not uncommon. When high static charges exist, especially in rolls or stacks of materials, the electric fields can induce a charge into nearby personnel. Since the human body is a conductor and usually insolated from ground due to rubber or synthetic soled shoes, a sizable charge can build up and will be stored in the body. When the charged person touches something conductive, such as a machine component or control panel, the discharge will be felt as an electrical shock. Using a static fieldmeter, or with the help of a qualified static control specialist, the cause of the electrical field can be located and the problem solved by neutralizing the source of the problem.

Shrink Wrap Packaging Problems

As a roll of film unwinds and passes through nip rolls, over idler rolls, turning bars, and the forming plows, static charges on the film can cause operator shock, press jams due to film clinging to itself or machine components, and breakage of the film. The attraction forces of the charged film may even lift non-adhesive labels off the item being wrapped. A couple of carefully placed static bars usually solve all these problems and result in trouble-free packaging operations.

Summary

Electrostatic charges develop on the print substrate during virtually all phases of printing and finishing. The resulting problems can slow production and affect the quality of the end product, both impacting the bottom line.

With the help of an experienced static control field representative and the proper placement of an appropriate static control device, static charges can be controlled in production machinery, enhancing product quality and increasing throughput in the finishing department.

Scott Shelton is the North American Sales Manager for SIMCO Industrial Static Control, an international manufacturer of static control products. During his 28 years at SIMCO, he has authored and coauthored several published technical articles and has presented technical sessions to the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, Society of Plastics Engineers, Screen Printing Association, U.S. Department of Energy, OSU Web Handling Research Center, Pressure Sensitive Tape Council, TAPPI, IML CON, and various electronics industry and industrial manufacturing groups.

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