Two decades later and the firm still produces between 40 and 50 models each year and is close to installing the 1,000th unit worldwide. The original stitch/fold/trim unit was exactly that, with little option to do anything else. However, the machine has evolved over the years and now comes with hole and forme punching, and optional extras including loop stitches and larger wire reels for higher-volume production.

Col-Tec sells the machines in the UK and, according to managing director Paul Bailey, the main strength of the Theisen & Bonitz is accuracy. “Most bookletmakers, particularly those with vertical collators, have a problem maintaining the accuracy of the stitch on the fold line,” Bailey explains. “However, in the case of the newest QSM 303 stitching, folding and trimming model, the stitch moves along the line of the fold and, therefore, not off the fold line.”

Quick and easy
The stitch/fold/trim line is equipped with Quick Set Motors, which enable quick and easy size changes for brochures up to 120pp thick (using 80gsm stock). The registration provided by the automatic knock-up belts on the collator means the two machines can work in tandem. The variable speed exit rollers on the collator also aid a smooth transfer of stock to the infeed rollers.

Up to eight stitching heads can be fitted as and when required. Wire stitch detectors will automatically stop the machine if stitches are missing. “Printers and finishers already using automatic bookletmakers will recognise this is an important feature,” says Bailey. Industry standard Hohner stitching heads are also fitted as standard.

“The cloth folding system provides a friction-free, no marking action,” Bailey explains. “This is particularly important when working with print-sensitive surfaces.” Book thickness is set automatically, without the need for an operator to make individual adjustments from job to job.

The trimming part of the machine can cut down books to as small as 40mm from the spine and a consistent trimming action is achieved with repeat accuracy of less than 0.1mm. The top and bottom adjustable knives are designed for continual use up to one million cuts. For small booklets, an air pressure waste removal system is fitted.

Optional heavy-duty three-knife trimming can be added to cut between 3mm and 20mm at both the head and tail of the booklet. A controlled shingled pay-off conveyor delivers finished booklets neatly and can be cleared down to a delivery tray at the touch of a button.

Special register
A new QSM 303 is available from £29,000, while an additional unit for three-knife trimming is another £14,900. Smaller booklets can be more accurately finished with the addition of a special register device, and the maximum speed of the machine can be increased from the standard 3,100 cuts per hour (cph) to 4,200cph.

“Another powerful addition to the newer models is the die-punching capability, which enables output at up to 12,000 books per hour,” says Bailey. “Fibre optics ensure the exact alignment of punched products, with the highest degree of accuracy.”

Col-Tec is willing to take machines in part-exchange and used machines are sold directly to customers. “It is our policy that any client wishing to upgrade a used machine within 12 months of purchase, can trade that model in, at the full price paid, against a new machine,” assures Bailey. “Secondhand prices vary depending on age and condition, but as a general rule, where the machine has been refurbished and comes with a warranty, the end-user price will be around half the cost of the equivalent new model.”

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SPECIFICATIONS
Speed
• Standard: 3,100cph
• Optional: 4,200cph
Max format
• 350x500mm
Min format
• 65x155mm (brochure min 65x40mm)
Max number of stitching heads
• Six
Price
• New: QSM 303 from £29,000
• Used: approx £14,500 depending on age and specification
What to look for
• Condition of main motor
• Fold accuracy
• All stitching heads intact