The post-press sector has benefited hugely from advances in digital print. Products pitched at the short-run market were plentiful at Ipex, and one application that's being well catered for is on-demand books. With an increasing number of small digital printers moving finishing in-house, kit manufacturers have capitalised with easy-to-use, highly automated equipment.
Encore Machinery is one finishing supplier that aims to take advantage of this booming market. At Ipex, it unveiled the JUD MR730 PUR bookbinder, which incorporates both PUR and EVA gluing techniques.
Just a week before Ipex, Mike Biggs, managing director at Encore Machinery, was upbeat about the business's prospects. At the show, Encore had 12 machines on its stand, seven of which were launches as, over the past five years, Encore's range of equipment has changed to suit the aspirations of short- to medium-run user. What's changing is not only the requirement for smaller printers to have a full service offering under one roof, but also the drive towards processes that ensure a high level of product quality and a low skill requirement from the operator.
"It's pretty much all new stuff," said Biggs before the show. "Ipex is the showcase for these products and people need this kind of event. The digital market is exploding. Similarly, the market for perfect-bound books is expanding. Historically, binding was carried out by big book production houses. Short-run binding was considered prohibitive. But now digital has come into its own and is growing enormously."
His optimism for the show proved to be right. Not only did the industry as a whole experience a collective uplift, visitors were keen to look at the MR730 and its capabilities.
"We've had plenty of interest in the machine," explains Biggs. "There are a lot of people looking for a low-cost solution for PUR binding."
Advanced design
Encore has been the sole distributor for French manufacturer JUD since 2008. The manufacturer of finishing equipment also has in its range the four-clamp Quadrimax II as well as the MR730's predecessor, the MR720, a fully automated single-clamp binder. The MR730 moves the technology on with both single- and four-clamp designs.
PUR is just one element of a machine that can handle 600 cycles per hour. The MR730 has two gluing tanks containing the PUR and EVA: the EVA side glues the book block to the cover while the PUR is the spine glue.
"The quality of books we are getting off it is fantastic," says Encore sales manager Paul Davidson. "It gives you several advantages. You can handle the books much quicker. Within two hours you can handle the product and take it on to a subsequent process."
Watching the machine in action, it's easy to see why it's likely to appeal to the smaller printer. At one end the user feeds the cover, while at the other the book block is placed into a clamp that automatically registers its thickness. Once it has taken the measurement, the machine automatically adapts the scoring and side-gluing position. The pages then travel across the two glue tanks, covering the spine and the side with the glue. It meets the cover and the book is bound and ready for the next stage in the production process.
The glue is applied by two rotating cylinders, two discs and one spinner. The covers are applied by two pneumatic jaws while the cover feeder and stacker incorporate a suction cover feeder with individual air and vacuum controls.
Easy to use
Other features include a strong mill section. According to the company, the MR730 has a carbide notching blade with six teeth, which enables a grazing of the spine and cracking of fibres. This allows for enhanced glue penetration and up to 4mm to be milled off the spine.
All makeready can be carried out on a touchscreen display while the automatic cycling enables a 20% increase in productivity. Encore claims this is down to the fact that operators have both hands available for loading the clamp, while the machine automatically adjusts the size. No tools are needed for makeready.
The machine can handle a maximum book block size of 380x320mm, while the maximum cover thickness is 400gsm. In addition, Davidson claims that the tanks are easy to clean and the combination of EVA and PUR means that drying time is reduced and the book is pretty much ready the moment it leaves the MR730. "The user can handle the book a lot quicker - it has speeded up the process," adds Biggs.
Another key point is the cost of gluing system. Biggs says that traditionally, PUR adds to the price of a job, sometimes by as much as £30,000. With the MR730, the simplified system means that the cost is around the £13,000 mark. "It is now a more economical product," he adds. "This is because of the double gluing system with the PUR on the spine."
The standard price for the MR730 is £49,800 although there are some additions on offer for customers. "It depends on a customer's output demands," adds Davidson. "We can give users the option of an additional PUR tank as well as a stacker."
Further developments
Now commercially available, Davidson says that while there has been plenty of interest in the machine it is still "very early stages". Many potential customers only really had their first good look at the MR730 at Ipex, although Davidson expects many of these discussions to bear fruit over the next six weeks.
In terms of suitable applications, the machine's predecessor proved to be a hit with on-demand photobook producers, a market that continues to be something of a cash cow for digital. Biggs adds that this machine brings new opportunities for Encore. "It's speeded everything up - people want these levels of automation," he says. "You don't want to muck around on a machine like this."
Market conditions suggest that now is a good time for the MR730 and its rivals (see alternatives). The halls that buzzed the most at Ipex were the ones with digital presses and that had a knock-on effect to the post-press section. It's a burgeoning market with many manufacturers and dealers kept busy with new launches and increasing interest. Encore is hoping that in the coming months the number of MR730s installed will reflect a sector that is hitting its sweet spot.
SPECIFICATIONS
Glue type PUR and EVA
Max book size 380x320mm
Max cover weight 400gsm
Speed 600 cycles per hour
Price£49,900
Contact Encore Machinery 01582 562518 www.encoremachinery.co.uk
THE ALTERNATIVES
CP Bourg BB3002
Since Drupa 2008, users have had the option of either PUR or EVA gluing on the BB3002. The three-cylinder glue tank is equipped with a side-gluing device and the machine automatically self-sets the binder. Like the MR730, it self adjusts to the book thickness and length required. The BB3002 can bind books up to 60mm thick.
Glue type EVA or PUR
Max book size 320x385mm
Max cover weight 300gsm
Speed 600 cycles per hour
Price £39,400
Contact Terry Cooper Services 0115 970 2248 www.terrycooperservices.co.uk
Duplo DuBinder DPB-500 PUR
The DPB-500 PUR is a single-clamp binder. The machine incorporates a fully automatic process, allowing the operator to access any one of 20 stored jobs via the touchscreen monitor. Duplo says all book parameters are accurately positioned within 30 seconds. In addition, the DuBinder has up to six score positions, a closed PUR glue tank operation and can detect incorrect book thicknesses. Typical applications include photo albums, journals, paperbacks and catalogues.
Glue type PUR
Max book size 360x320mm
Max cover weight 302gsm
Speed 525 books per hour
Price £90,495
Contact Duplo UK 0137 246 8131 www.duplointernational.com
Horizon BQ-270
The BQ270 also has interchangable PUR and EVA glue tanks and was shown at Ipex fiitted with a smaller Nordson melt tank. It is a fully-automated perfect binder and features an icon-based intelligent touchscreen control console. Another alternative from Horizon is the BQ-160, which was launched at Ipex.
Glue type EVA or PUR
Max book size 320x320mm
Max cover weight 300gsm
Speed 00 cycles per hour
Price from £28,800
Contact Intelligent Finishing Solutions 020 8997 8053 www.ifsl.uk.com
