The 30,000sph Horizon AF-408F builds on the capabilities of the Horizon AF-406F folder. It can be configured inline, parallel or at 90 degrees with a Horizon T-406F/S 6-buckle second station folder to provide a total of 14 buckle plates.
The machine, which is distributed in the UK by Intelligent Finishing Systems (IFS), has been designed to respond to market pressures such as demand for shorter and more variable runs, increased labour and material costs, price competition, and difficulty in finding skilled operators.
Its combination of automation and ease of use supports multi-skilled operations, which have become increasingly prevalent as firms adhere to social distancing guidelines.
The AF-408F can support highly variable jobs and a wide variety of work in one pass, fold from A3 to A4 for brochures, complete an increased number of jobs with eight buckles for parallel folding, and complete 96-page outserts for the pharmaceutical market.
Other features include the ability to automatically set fold roller gap settings and scoring navigator guide positions for fast and accurate perforating, and scoring and slitting.
A 12.1-inch colour touchscreen panel provides simple and fast access to a wide range of pre-programmed folding template patterns and 200 job memories.
The AF-408F is fully compatible with Horizon’s cloud-based iCE LiNK workflow software, which provides access to a dashboard that reports real-time production analysis for improved efficiency and profitability, remote update capabilities and scheduled maintenance, resulting in less downtime.
The information is accessible via smartphone, tablet or desktop PC and the software is designed for integration with third-party MIS systems.
“The highly automated Horizon AF-408F small-format folder has been developed to manage the broadest range of applications from pharmaceutical leaflets to general commercial small-format print,” said IFS managing director Eric Keane.
“The fully automatic solution ensures easy job completion no matter the skill level of the operator. It makes short run variable jobs easy and reduces the number of touchpoints required for fast, safe operation.”
The AF-408F is commercially available with immediate effect and pricing starts from £75,000, subject to specification.
