According to Duplo UK product specialist Peter Dyson, the various upgrades to the new iSaddle 5.0 make it ideally suited to both short-run digital and longer run litho projects.

It can handle booklets up to 6mm thick and formats from 120x75mm to 356 to 610mm oversize A4 landscape.

While Dyson said the individual enhancements were too numerous to mention, essentially the improvements centred on four key areas.

It offers faster makereadies thanks to more automation and faster motors, which halve set ups from 60 seconds to 30.

The new machine can also tackle a broader product mix and more creative projects such as stepped booklets “at a commercially realistic production speed far exceeding what would be possible making by hand” and the ability to apply four stitches for two-up production in standard two head configuration, although he added that it can also be configured with four heads as an option for users that regularly require high-speed two-up production.

He also highlighted that there had been a number of improvements that boost uptime “mostly internal, but most notably totally new Fore Edge [DBMS-T5 Trimmer Front Knives] and Trimmer [DKTS-200 Head and Foot Knives] providing five knife trimming.”

The new DKTS-200 features "heavier build", higher pressure air for trim removal and more automation

The final pillar was productivity, which has been boosted from the iSaddle 2/X’s 9,000bph two-up to 10,100bph “with software and hardware features to enable consistent operation reducing paper stoppages,” added Dyson.

“The new iSaddle 5.0 is also Industry 4.0 compatible able to report back through XML. This is being further developed and will be launched when ready in the coming months.”

The iSaddle 5.0 will ultimately replace the iSaddle 2 and is available with immediate effect. The first two models were installed at undisclosed UK printers in August.

While production of the iSaddle 2, which was originally launched in 2014 and latterly known as the iSaddle X in the UK, is being wound down – it will remain available for a short time and is available for demonstrations at Duplo’s Addlestone HQ along with the new iSaddle 5.0, although Dyson said the demo room is currently undergoing a major refurbishment.

Duplo said that pricing for the new machine was only available on request due to its modular nature, however its predecessor has a list price of £105,000.