Finishing on Demand

Integrated finishing systems are delivering solutions for books, directory production and mail pieces rendered digitally. Among the highlights at this year's On Demand show were Muller Martini and Océ, which partnered to demonstrate the productivity and flexibility of inline digital book manufacturing.

Muller Martini featured the next generation of its SigmaLine technology with the Océ VarioStream continuous-feed printers, showing a complete inline book printing/finishing system. The 7000 series duplex printers ran into an Ibis Smartbinder saddlestitcher as one delivery option, and also ran into a Muller Martini SigmaBinder perfect binder via a Shuttleworth conveyor. SigmaBinder produces perfect-bound books at up to 1,000 fully variable-sized copies per hour, with hotmelt for spine and side gluing.

Part of the line included the compact SigmaTower cooling tower, which ensures optimal curing of adhesives, and the newly designed SigmaTrimmer, which utilizes a patented swing-cut principle with three independently driven knife elements, automatically trimming books of varying sizes and thicknesses. The three components constitute the modular and scalable SigmaLine OnDemand book manufacturing solution, which, in addition to perfect binding and trimming, offers the capability for continuous-feed printing, folding and collating. The system can also be run near-line.

Duplo's digital DC-615 Slitter/Cutter/Creaser (SCC) made its official U.S. debut in Boston. The device produces professional-quality, full-bleed documents by slitting, cutting and creasing digitally printed documents in a single pass. It has the ability to read printed images and automatically adjust and compensate for image shift.

As a successor to the DC-545HCEX, the Duplo DC-615 is offered at a lower base-model price, but can be customized to include new options such as air-knife assist, ultrasonic double detection, Job Creator software and business card stacker. The DC-615 can manage heavier substrates (up to 300 gsm) and a variety of sheet sizes, accommodating business cards, postcards or photographs.

In the Canon USA booth, the heavier-duty, JDF-enabled DC-645 was shown running personalized self-mailers in conjunction with the new imagePRESS C7000VP and Objective Advantage OASymbio production workflow software.

Hewlett-Packard also demonstrated the JDF-enabled DC-645 with OASymbio software finishing live runs from a digital Indigo press. HP exhibited the Duplo SCC-equipped DSF-2000 near-line booklet system, which incorporates a DSF-2000 sheet feeder, SCC unit and DBM-500/T booklet maker and trimmer. Designed principally for the production color digital market, this system provides full-bleed trimming, creasing and booklet-making in one operation.

Partners for almost two years now, NexPress and the inline/off-line Watkiss integrated booklet-maker make a good finishing team. Even when running glossy covers, the device runs at rated speeds of 2,100 and 2,500 sph, depending on the digital press model. Basic configuration includes two feed bins, scalable up to eight; two stitch heads are standard with an option for two more. The basic folder can be enhanced with a square-spine module, making for a professional-looking finish.

MBO America showed the Digi-Finisher, its folder with Hohner HSB-7000 stitcher/heads. An integrated three-side trimmer features automatic thickness adjustment (up to 5/16´´). MBO says it is ideal for short-run, saddlestitched, variable-data products. The TT 530 model uses the stitcher to feed and fold flat, digitally printed sheets into four- or eight-page signatures. These are then plow-folded and placed onto the saddle of the Hohner unit.

This section of the Digi-Finisher has a number of vertical pockets so that offset-printed material can be combined with digital. Barcode scanners control sheet and signature integrity. Options include barcode reading, accumulating and wire stitching. (Digi-Finisher also was at Mailcom in May.)

Technifold USA showcased its TCM Tabletop Creasing Machine and the Tri-Creaser folding device that eliminates both paper fiber and toner cracking. Tri-Creaser attaches to popular makes of folding machines—Stahl, MBO, Baumfolder, Herzog & Heymann, Shoei, Vijuk/G&K, Horizon AFC, GUK and Morgana, as well as Rollem, Rosback and Pierce scoring machines—and creases as fast as the given machine runs.

Rollem International demonstrated the Advantage model as a digitally printed 11×17´´ direct mail card was scored, trimmed and perforated in one step. The Champion ETR model also showed inline postcard finishing. Production is greatly increased as the multiple-imaged sheet is trimmed and cut in two directions during one process, eliminating the need for added cutting equipment and labor.

Rollem's PB-16D paper drilling model also premiered. This modular drilling machine handles up to 13 drilling heads and offers far more standard features than most competitive drills. The computerized programmable sliding table handles longer runs, larger paper formats and complex, multiple-stroke patterns. Drill positions are programmed using a touch screen for automated drilling control and a variety of jobs. It is ideal for multiple-up products including tags, tickets and labels, as well as Wire-o and Spiral-o binding.

Rollem says its new JetStream is the most cost-effective method for cutting high volumes of business cards. Sheets with multiple images are trimmed and cut in two directions to produce stacks of highly accurate, finished business cards. It's also ideal for other types of card products such as game cards, telephone cards and tags.

Baum showed how easily its 20 AutoSet floor-model folder sets up and operates. AutoSet combines the information of the ifold with automation to provide an affordable and informative solution. It features a tutorial with on-screen “how-to” videos.

Despite its name, On Demand Machinery wasn't at the show, but its automatic Super Sewer stitching machine fits the category. Designed for on-demand photo books, yearbooks, journals, children's books and books under 0.5´´ thick, it is operated with a touch-screen control panel and executes reverse stitching on head and foot of book block—ensuring a strong side sew that will not come apart. Super Sewer handles books ranging in size from 6×8´´ to 11×14´´ and can sew up to 10 books per minute.

PAT Technology Systems showed its web-fed, 80-fpm Rotoworx digital UV coating system, and its plateless Varstar won a Best of Show award. Honorable mention went to the ExactBind PBS-6000 perfect book binder, www.exactbind.com.

While other coating suppliers didn't officially exhibit at On Demand, UV/aqueous coating and curing systems from Kompac Technologies and Olec/Dorn were in HP and Canon's booths. (Olec acquired Dorn in January). Kompac's Kwik Finish offline system offers patented metering controls for on-the-fly film thickness adjustment, and there's an infrared drying option for aqueous.

Since the show, HP has introduced its first branded finishing device, the 4,000-sph HP Indigo UV Coater, based on Dorn's near-line technology. It's scheduled to ship in late summer or early fall.

Next winter, the On Demand Conference & Expo returns to the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center: March 3-6, 2008.

ONLINE: www.mullermartini.com, duplousa.com, mboamerica.com, rollem.co.uk, technifoldusa.com, baumfolder.com, odmachinery.com and pattechnology.com