Horizon’s BQ-470JDF was shown originally as a prototype at Drupa 2004, and the production model was unveiled a year ago at Ipex. So far, 15 have been sold into Germany, and two orders have been taken here in the UK. It’s the flagship in Horizon’s perfect binder family, and is based on Horizon’s former top-of-the-range model, the BQ-460 Book Express. It retains the 460’s four clamps, 1,350bph running speed and touchscreen makeready facility, but departs from there to offer full JDF compatibility and an option for PUR binding as well as standard EVA hotmelt.
The BQ-470 uses a single spine prep head to mill the spine of a book block down to a depth of 4mm, and to cut notches in the spine for deeper glue penetration. Cut-sheets can be handled by setting the prep head to notch, and the binder can handle a decent maximum thickness of 65mm.
Aimed at smaller printers, or on-demand environments, in which space is likely to be tight, the BQ-470 is tall, rather than wide. Consequently, the binding track follows an elliptical shape in the vertical plane, and its footprint is only a fraction larger than its baby brother, the single-clamp BQ-270.
The BQ-470JDF has the option for PUR spine and side-glue tanks, although these are hardly quick-change devices. An optional lifting device is available so that the new glue system can be wheeled up and plugged in, but the whole system still has to be cleaned down and re-primed before the new glue can be used. “The likelihood is that customers will use either all PUR or all EVA,” Fletcher says. The PUR tank and drums are coated with Teflon, so the remaining glue can be peeled off after it cools. Both EVA and PUR systems have the option of a pre-melter. It’s worth remembering that PUR glue is slower to use than EVA – where the BQ-470JDF’s top rated speed for EVA-bound books is 1,350 books per hour, that drops dramatically with PUR, to 1,000 books per hour.
The BQ-470JDF is impressively automated: not a single parameter (other than the switch from one glue to another) is controlled by hand. Set-up functions controlled include clamp width, side-glue roller, glue length, spine glue thickness, nipping width, scoring width and the positions of all lays for accepting the book block as it’s passed between the different work areas of the machine. It has a 200-slot memory on board – jobs can be recalled in a matter of seconds, and the machine made ready in a couple of minutes.
As its suffix implies, the BQ-470 is JDF-compatible via the optional Horizon i2i workstation. A factory-wide MIS then holds job details as a JDF file, which are fed to the BQ-470 automatically. Alternatively, because the i2i workstation can control more than one Horizon JDF-enabled machine, job tickets can be programmed into the i2i workstation, generating a barcode for the job that is read on the binder and automatically sets the operating parameters. Even at the print-on-demand level, the take-up of JDF in the bindery has been sparse. While it’s easy to imagine that many short-run or digital printers might have need for its hands-off makereadies, it remains to be seen how many will invest in the i2i workstation to network the BQ-470 to their MIS.
The cover feeder (which is suction-fed) will score covers with up to eight score lines, allowing hinged covers to be handled. Covers are registered to the book block via a series of JDF or automatically-set lays and guides, which are micro-adjusted if necessary on the touchscreen. And at the delivery end, Horizon has redesigned its usual perfect binder delivery mechanism to allow for the as-yet soft-cured state of PUR books. Rather than dropping into the delivery from on high, a catcher takes the book, lays it down and turns it to present the spine first at the delivery section.
There isn’t yet a trimmer designed specifically for the BQ-470, but Horizon does offer various options: the HT-70 can go inline to it, but while it will keep up with the binder’s speed, it has manual madeready, so it isn’t the recommended option.
The HT-101 is fully automated, and will go inline to the BQ-470 but is much faster, so it’s a slight case of overkill. Graphic Arts Equipment’s currently recommended option is the HT-30JDF trimmer; a single-knife, three-side trimmer that won’t go inline to the BQ-470, but sits nearline instead. The single knife trims a clamped book block, rotating it and angling the knife to cut from front to spine edge without damage. It’s handfed, although it will feed from a stack. As its name implies, it too is fully JDF-compatible. None of the options have the capacity to handle two-up work via a fourth or fifth knife. Horizon plans to release a trimmer specifically to go inline to the BQ-470 by the end of this year, although GAE can’t say whether this will have a fourth or fifth knife.
Perhaps a more surprising omission is the absence of a gatherer or collator at the front-end: the BQ-470 can only be hand-fed. “This is a print-on-demand system,” Fletcher says, “and it’s not designed for the type of long runs that you’d typically get coming out of a collator. There’s no need for it to be online to a gatherer.” But while GAE is aiming for the short-run market, it is keen to stress that the BQ-470 is capable of producing longer runs, where a link to a gatherer, or at least a conveyor feed of some kind, would be useful.
The lack of gatherer connectivity is also the reason why the BQ-470 sports no quality controls. As Fletcher points out: “It’s working with pre-gathered book blocks, so you don’t need them – they’re more use at the gathering stage.” However, he does say that barcode scanning can be built in to ensure the right cover is matched to the book block.
As well as smaller printers needing to step up from single-clamp binders, GAE is also anticipating demand from bigger printers needing a fill-in machine for short runs. “To date, bigger printers have really tried to ignore the digital short-run sector,” says Fletcher. “But if they’re going to survive, they have to start thinking about it.”
SPECIFICATIONS
Max speed
• 1,350 books p/h
Max book format
• 320x320mm
Spine thickness range
• 1-65mm
Price
• from £58,500 for
• basic model with
• single glue system
Trimmer options
• HT-30JDF: £23,000
• HT-70: £45,000
• HT-101JDF: £80,000
Contact
• Graphic Arts Equipment 020 8997 8053 www.gae.co.uk
THE ALTERNATIVES
Duplo Quadrimax
A four-clamp binder with a larger book block size than the Horizon, but a bit slower. Like the Horizon, it handles spine milling and notching, but no other process, and no inline gatherer. There’s an option for PUR gluing, and the cover feed is automatic and carries out scoring. Only book thickness, glue length and cover nip pressure are automatic.
Max speed 1,200 books per hour
Max book format 311x381mm
Spine thickness range 1–45mm
Price from £55,000
Contact Duplo International 0800 387799 www.duplointernational.com
Heidelberg Eurobind 1200
Slower than the Horizon despite its four clamps, this manually set-up binder can produce a bigger book. Milling, notching and roughening from the single spine prep head, together with an option for PUR. No gatherer, but the optional Eurotrim (inline or offline) 1000 reaches speeds of up to 900 books per hour.
Max speed 1,200 books per hour
Max book format 420x300mm
Spine thickness range 1–45mm
Price from £45,000
Contact Heidelberg UK 020 8490 3500 www.heidelberg.com
Muller Martini Amigo Plus
Manually set-up four-clamp model, including a manual cover feed that doesn’t score. Hotmelt only, with no option for PUR. A full set of spine prep processes, courtesy of the standard Muller head, but no gatherer. Optional inline post-bind trimming with fully automated Esprit trimmer.
Max speed 1,500 books per hour
Max book format 270x400mm
Spine thickness range 3–40mm
Price not available
Contact Muller Martini 01753 657700 www.mullermartini.com/gb
Wohlenberg Quickbinder
A step up in terms of speed and book thickness, but not in automation. The five-clamp Quickbinder has options for a gatherer, and is fully automated, but with no JDF option. Automatic cover feed scores and registers to the book block and two spine prep heads give a full range of processes. PUR and PVA are options, plus a range of trimmer choices.
Max speed 2,000 books per hour
Max book format 320x430mm
Spine thickness range 3–70mm
Price not available
Contact MAN Roland GB 020 8648 7090 www.man-roland-gb.com
