The Eurobind Pro model is the follow up to the 600, but it is around 50% faster than its predecessor thanks to its longer build, which accelerates the paper through the in-feeder.
Its price point is around the £700,000 mark, depending on specifications – as is usual with these machines, the cost of the Eurobind Pro can be stripped back to something more affordable if you're working on a reduced budget.
For your money, you get a gatherer, the binder itself, a cooling tower and a three-knife trimmer at the end, although the binder can be sold as a separate entity if you already have the requisite pre- and post-processing kit.
Heidelberg's gatherer runs at 6,000cph, allowing it to keep up with the binder, and it features one to eight gathering modules, with four feeders per module. It also has self-learning missing and double-sheet detection fitted as standard and can be upgraded to include barcode reading or image recognition technology.
Reduced marking
The three-knife trim supplied as part of the system is a Eurotrim 4000. It can perform 600-4,000 cuts per hour, with maximum book block widths of 320mm and a maximum height of 450mm. An infeed gripper lifts the product to ensure the material is not marked or damaged when it is fed into the cutting cell.
However, the most important bit of the machine is, of course, the binder itself, which Heidelberg is lauding as
the last word in automation that boasts agenda-setting makeready performance.
"We can go good sheet to good sheet in three to four minutes," explains Heidelberg UK marketing manager for post-press Mark Hogan. "Nowadays, you simply can't have a perfect binder sat around for 45 minutes during the makeready."
Makeready set-up can be done from one point on the entire system, with each machine featuring a touchscreen control panel. This means that the operator can make changes to the entire system from one place. Aside from slight changes on the trimmer, which may have to be made by hand, the entire system is automated.
Downtime decrease
The machine also uses separate servo-drives for each individual module, up to a maximum of eight, with four feeders each. This means that modules can be prepared for the next job while the current job is still running, further reducing downtime between set-ups.
Automation also runs into the adhesive application, where a laser system is used to ensure that no more than the optimum amount of glue is used. Operators can see in real time the level of glue applied, book-to-book, through a readout. If the glue level falls below or exceeds a set level, the machine will stop.
While this is not a system that is particularly important for hot-melt gluing, for PUR binding – where the adhesive is a lot more costly – it can be crucial.
It uses a two-roller application system for hotmelt or PUR adhesive. It also offers a third option, closed PUR nozzle application, for precise application.
There is also a side hotmelt gluing system, equipped with two oblique gluing disks, controlled doctor blades and a thread melting device.
Further assistance to ensure that the level of glue being applied is appropriate comes from the spine preparation system – another factor that Hogan believes makes the machine stand out from the crowd.
"Just because PUR glue is a better quality doesn't mean you can just slap it on and get a better quality book," he explains. "The strength of the clamp and the quality of the spine preparation is crucial in producing a really good bind."
Any company that invests in the machine will need at least two operators to run it, owing to its speed. A bindery/trimmer operator and someone working the feeder is imperative, while a third "helper" to muck in at either end, depending on what stage the printing is at, would also be wise, according to Hogan.
Had the Eurobind Pro been launched a few years ago, its appeal would almost certainly have been restricted to high-volume offset houses or trade finishers.
However, with run lengths coming down further and the short makeready time that this particular machine offers addressing the demands of the modern printing industry for an ever-faster turnaround of work, Heidelberg believes that the world is its oyster.
All-market option
"Because of the makeready it is possible to run jobs of 100 books and below," says Hogan. "It has been looked at by companies specifically as a digital finishing solution."
There are around 30 Eurobind Pro machines installed worldwide at the moment and the model is currently available in the UK, although it has yet to be given its official 'launch', which will take place in September.
Thanks to the trying market conditions, binders of this size are not exactly flying off the shelf at the moment – indeed it's highly unlikely that more than five or six 5,000-7,000cph binders will be sold every year in the UK across all manufacturer ranges.
However, with the Eurobind Pro, Heidelberg has positioned itself aggressively into this market and Hogan for one is confident that the machine will prove to be a resounding success.
"We would certainly be aiming to clean up 50% of the market in this size," he concludes.
It will be interesting to see how the machine is received in the UK, as an alternative to long-established models. The Eurobind can be easily fitted to a Heidelberg press, so companies looking to jump on the short-run book band wagon can now go to Heidelberg for a complete solution.
Frustratingly, for Heidelberg, as it is with all manufacturers in the current climate, the success of the machine will depend on companies being brave enough to spend big and lenders being brave enough to back them. If both of these things happen, there is no reason why the machine can not be a success. Indeed, if these companies are ready to push the button on investment, Heidelberg's launch date could be perfect.
SPECIFICATIONS
Speed 6,000cph
Clamps 19 or 24
Max block width 320mm
Max block height 450mm
Max block thickness 60mm
Signature grammage 60–170gsm
Price £700,000
Contact Heidelberg UK, 020 8490 3500, www.uk.heidelberg.com
ALTERNATIVES
Muller Martini Acoro
Two different Acoro models are available, the A5 and the A7, running at 5,000 and 7,000 cycles per hour respectively.
The A5 has 16-20 clamps, while the A7 comes with 22-28. Both are available with PUR glue and hot-melt.
Speed 5,000-7,000cph
Clamps 20-28
Max block width 320mm
Max block height 430mm
Max block thickness 60mm
Signature grammage n/s
Price £700,000-£900,000
Contact Muller Martini UK, 0844 875 4590, www.mullermartini.co.uk
Kolbus KM600 Ratiobinder
The KM600 Ratiobinder has some pedigree. It is a development on a design that dates back more than 20 years. Similarly to Heidelberg, Kolbus is keen to push the machine's makeready, which the company says can be completed in around 30 seconds.
Speed 7,000cph
Clamps 21
Max block width 320mm
Max block height 460mm
Max block thickness 60mm
Signature grammage n/s
Price £700,000
Contact Kolbus UK 01908 317878, www.kolbus.co.uk
Wohlenberg City E/Master E
Wohlenberg has two machines that would be relevant to this size of the machine, the City E and Master E. The City E has 15 clamps and will run at 4,000-6,000cph, while the Master E has 18 clamps and runs at 6,000-8,000 cph.
Speed 4,000–8,000cph
Clamps 15-18
Max block width 320
Max block height 435
Max block thickness 62mm
Signature grammage 70gsm
Price from £650,000
Contact Friedheim 0845 026 2001, www.friedheim.co.uk
