Educated Folders

Free-standing, dedicated bindery operations have declined in numbers but proliferate as integrated units of print facilities. This has accentuated another problem: the scarcity of seasoned “old hands” with craft skills for operating folding machines. There are dizzying numbers of parallel, right-angle, and combination folds that operators deal with in the course of their work. Knowledge (or, perhaps, instincts) about how to adjust settings to account for the impact of paper weight, caliper, grain direction, even indoor humidity—these skills may well surpasseth all understanding. Folding machine manufacturers, taking notice, have tried to build the intelligence into the machines. They've even gone a step further, in some cases, making folders that train operators.

Analysis found that a lot of folding work requires a short list of standard fold impositions, which can be pre-programmed on a folder with the appropriate computer technology. Fortunately, the evolution of motor technology has enabled folders to replace manual settings with computer-controlled ones.

The shfiting character of jobs—more runs per day, but with shorter page counts—has a big impact. It is estimated that manual folders, changed over many times a day, will spend up to four hours in set-up mode. With manual machines having no repeatability in makeready, all settings must be changed by hand when the jobs switch over.

Manufacturers have designed pre-programmed floor model machines to fit these new realities. Among elements common to all:

• ability to store common folding patterns to enable rapid job changeover;
• guidance for the operator from a graphical user interface (GUI);
• modularization, rather than locking complex folders to built-in formats, so quick-swap modules can be purchased separately and added as needed based on the job.

Baumfolder created its iFold system by picking the brains of its most experienced people and distilling this knowledge into a PC-based system, available with specific floor folders or bundled with the Baum 20 AutoSet.

iFold contains 30 pre-programmed folds with room for up to 100 operator-defined custom jobs. At its basic level, it instructs the operator in how to set the folder for a particular job once the fold type is selected. Screens show color coding and page numbered instructions on fold impositions.

An accompanying task list keeps operators on track as they work through the folder set-up. Makeready instructions cover not only the first folding station, but second and third stations also. A live video can be called up, showing a Baumfolder trainer making the settings for the job. What could be clearer than that! iFold will conduct a video tutorial on just about any topic about the machine, including maintenance.

When combined with the AutoSet, iFold does pretty much all the set-up work, automatically initiating fold plate, guide and delivery settings. Baumfolder's 20´´ is the core floor model, but the company builds up to 30´´ floor models. Mark Pellman, sales and marketing director for Baumfolder, sees something of a trend developing in digital printing.

“Digital shops have purchased a lot of tabletop folders in the past, but as their volume is growing rapidly, they're moving to floor models,” he says. Baumfolder recently introduced Flexifold, a small, quickset floor model with special urethane fold rollers designed specially for toner-printed stocks.

Heidelberg Stahl always pushes automation across it's postpress product line, but nowhere more so than in the award-winning TH/KH folders. These have been steadily refined to make functions and makeready as clear as possible for the operator. Heidelberg (in its usually thorough manner) analyzed every aspect of the folder's operation, mechanism, and settings. The result is a combination of re-designed components and software, with a GUI that underwent several evolutions to make it as clear and direct as possible. Mechanically, the folder knife shafts can be raised to make them easier to set; fold plates are more accessible across the entire width; and a completely new Airstreamtable system uses air (not a vacuum) to both push the incoming sheets to the side register, and to push them down without marbles.

Sheet thickness is measured right at the pile feeder, which can be used to make all subsequent settings. A “teach-in” single sheet can be fed to make these settings. The TH/KH uses a motor-driven version of Heidelberg's Festa system to auto-set the folder roller gaps without paper strips. Buckle fold plate assemblies are equally automated. Fold plates are equipped with swing deflector plates. Two servomotors will adjust both the position and angle of the spindles, simultaneously changing the length of the sheet stop to match.

Ralph Pasquariello, VP postpress product development at Heidelberg, says automated floor folders account for almost 80% of the comapny's folder sales. “It's not that folder automation is replacing experienced operators,” says Pasquariello. “It's that the automation enables operators to produce more complex work with a shorter learning curve.” It also reduces labor costs. With manual folders, a highly skilled operator might be able to tend to the set-up of two folders. With automated folders, experienced hands can make ready five or six machines.

Heidelberg offers full JDF/JMF compatibility and file-based makeready in its automated line. A special concentration has been modular deliveries, further automate its folder.

MBO America, an industry stalwart that has continued to build “heavy iron” production folders over the years, entered the field of “educated” folders with its B-26 and B-30 Perfection series. It introduced the Navigator control for the Perfection series a few years ago. The PC-based automation module will both store common fold impositions and memorize job set-ups that are made for later recall. Navigator will step an operator through the makeready process, or initiate the set-up of suction feeders, registers, stops, fold plates and roller gaps on the fully automated Perfection models. MBO touts many unique features, including automatic suction pile feed optimization based upon the sheet size entered into Navigator. MBO also claims its roller gap adjustments that move in .001´´ increments are the industry's smallest steps.

Dwayne Johnson, MBO senior sales executive based in Minneapolis reports that automated systems are selling very well despite being more costly than manual folders. “It all boils down to the payback,” says Johnson. “Customers can use a less experienced operator, while increasing the number of makereadies done in a day by up to 50%.”

MBO has added many mechanical features that impact set-up and paper flow, for example its cassette slitter shaft system uses a slide-out shaft module instead of a fixed mount assembly. The entire shaft collection will slide out on the operator's side so that any slitter, trimmer knife, or scoring wheel adjustments can be made quickly. MBO also eliminated traditional roller marbles in sheet registers and transfers. Instead, the VIVAS (vacuum infeed and vacuum alignment system) uses a vacuum belt to transport the sheet, assuring better control, and eliminating marking .

VIVAS is especially effective in maintaining control of oblong sheets at high speeds. Available on the Perfection series, it is now fitted on the B21 series, too. MBO has also concentrated heavily on sheet tracking technology. Sheet detection and tracking sensors monitor sheet registration, squareness, and double sheets. MBO has placed some pretty serious systems in the past year. These have been combination machines with a servo-driven knife folder as the last unit. These folders are used for 24/7 signature work, chewing through up to 13,000 26×40´´ sph.

At last year's Graph Expo, MBO teamed with Xeikon to show an inline digital print and mail solution. The Xeikon 6000 color digital press fed directly into two MBO fold units and MBO's press stacker. A special substrate was used that contained an encapsulated pressure-activated adhesive. The press stacker activated the adhesive and the result was a direct mail piece, folded and sealed.

Morgana Systems has benefited greatly from the growth of digital printing, earning its reputation with the DigiFold, especially designed for digital print. It has a patented rotary flying knife mechanism that pushes the sheet between extra-large folding rollers. It incorporates the AutoCreaser, a channel creasing system consisting of a rule and matrix. In operation, the sheet is creased first, then folded, solving toner cracking issues.

DigiFold looks much like an office machine that fits nicely into the digital print environment. And it's pretty smart. All settings are made from a central panel. Once the sheet length and fold type are selected, the creasing and folding positions set automatically. The machine can crease only, or fold and add extra creases for special folds.

The company also builds the UFO, a 17¾×25´´ machine for heavier production. Rated at 30,000 sph on A4 stock, it can be continuously loaded. A central panel controls speed, sheet gap, suction on the feeder and more. The panel swivels so the operator can work from either side. While fold plate settings are not made from this display, each fold plate has its own digital display showing plate position relative to rollers. This can be adjusted on the fold plate to .001´´ accuracy.

Standard Finishing distributes Horizon finishing systems in the U.S., including perfect binders, saddlestitchers and folders. Horizon has taken a holistic view of the bindery in general, implementing a high degree of connectivity between all of its finishing equipment. Horizon's AFC series of floor model folders incorporate well-thought-out features to make the operator's life easier and more productive. Mark Hunt, director of marketing, says user interfaces across its line are uniform, so operators are comfortable at any work station.

Standard Horizon's AFC series of 21´´ floor models feature an easy-to-follow operator interface that embeds from 13 to 17 job presets, depending on the model. In order to minimize the footprint, Standard has incorporated a servo-driven knife folder for cross folding, rather than another fold plate module. This makes the machines quite compact, and delivers excellent cross-fold quality. The fact that the knife is servo-driven permits fine adjustments by the operator, and allows cross folding at speeds up to 24,000 sph. Operators can quickly pick from a graphical representation of the desired fold.

Once a fold-type is chosen, dimensions and imposition data are also entered, and the side-lay register and fold plates move to the appropriate positions. Folding roller gaps are set automatically on the AFC-566FKT. On the 544 and 546 models, the panel will tell the operator how many sheets of paper to insert into the roller gap setting mechanism. There is also a test mode where sheets can be run to adjustment points and slitting, trimming, and scoring blades can be moved and set.

Standard has paid close attention to the developing digital market, making improvements to the AFC line, which enables them to function within the commercial and digital environments. Beginning with the pile feeder, sheets are separated by vacuum and a targeted rear air blow system, which separates the sheet to be fed a good ¼´´ to ½´´ from the rest of the pile. This lessens any sheet marking that may occur on digitally printed sheets. In addition, most contact parts have an anti-static coating, and folding rollers are manufactured from a softer polyurethane material to further reduce any marking. Standard has also introduced a “punch-perf” system for folded signatures to be perfect bound. The punch-perf literally punches a 1/16´´ slot on the fold, which totally evacuates air from the signature and makes for a “flat” folded piece. Mark Hunt of Standard claims that when this is used for folding signatures, there is no need to mill the book block spine on the binder.

B&R Moll, which offers a wide range of folder/gluers, says it also offers competitive pricing and experienced service for parts and accessories for MOLL, MBO, Baumfolder, ITW Dynatec, and other industry leading brands of folding and gluing equipment.

Tech-ni-Fold doesn't make folders, but its technology has changed the world of folding. Founded in 1999 by a real-world finishing guy, Graham Harris, the U.K. based firm manufactures the Tri-Creaser system, which uses a patented O-ring design mounted on a cylinder. This mates against another cylinder with an open channel to produce a score on the digital stock as it passes through both. This channel score virtually eliminates toner cracking along the fold, or spine, on these sheets. The system had become accepted on production floor model folders as the solution when running digital color sheets.

www.baumfolder.com, us.heidelberg.com, mboamerica.com, mollbrothers.com, morganausa.com, sdmc.com, technifoldusa.com