Finishing Up Drupa Previews

Technifold says its Turbo-Creaser is set become the world's fastest creasing and folding solution for digital printers. It is being launched at the big drupa print show running in Dusseldorf, Germany, through June 11.

The Turbo-Creaser, on view in Hall 10 (of drupa's 18 halls), is equipped with the latest rotary Tri-Creaser technology that claims to solve the problem of toner cracking on digitally printed stock—and allows it to be finished at the higher speeds typical of presses and folding machines. (Last issue, Abhay Sharma reported on a study for IPA that questioned the prevalence of toner cracking in some digital applications. See May GAM p.64.) This means that crease and fold formats can now reach 18,000 copies per hour, double its fastest competitor, says Graham Harris, managing director of Technifold and inventor of the technology. Harris says he had been encouraged by many customers to develop a faster solution. Two finishing manufacturers who have agreed to mass produce the machine and add a folding unit are being announced as drupa opens.

Technifold says it has also developed ground-breaking micro-perf and cutting accessories to complement the speedy creasing and folding system. Harris says this is his firm's largest drupa exhibit ever. For those not at the show, you can reach Technifold USA at its own Website or see them at Graph Expo in late October. Technifold sells certain of its offerings online, where you can view videos of the systems in action, including new and patented products that deal with the cracking problem in the areas of binding, stitching and folding.

Scheffer, the Merrillville, IN firm that invented the inline web prefolder in 1978, is launching a web finisher at drupa: an all new QCC (Quick Change Cassette) offline finishing system (Hall 13).

The new QCC line is designed to allow efficient changeover to finish pre-printed rolls from various press lines with different web and cut-off sizes. Rather than a prefolder dedicated to a single line, it's a versatile application for print-to-roll finishing. The system can also be customized from simple systems with entry level components to sophisticated multi-web systems that can perforate, apply remoistenable pattern glue, spot and flood coat, diecut, stack multiple ribbons, plow fold, apply wetflap pattern gluer, personalize, insert and handle full-bleed trim.

Along with the QCC, a high-speed inline inserter, designed specifically for producing closed-end mailers, is being demonstrated. Scheffer says it also plans to announce an upcoming debut of its ICF cross folder. Based on traditional web press folder technology, the system allows inline and offline web finishers to cross-fold products after they pass through a finishing system's variable rotary cutter.

Unlike the fixed assemblies used with traditional press folders, Scheffer says the ICF cross folder will be adjustable to accommodate a variety of product lengths and trim sizes.

Standard Finishing Systems is well known for its offerings sourced from Japan's Horizon and Hunkeler in Switzerland. At drupa, visitors to these two firms are seeing the next generation of products that Standard Finishing is offering, some to be presented at the next Graph Expo (in Chicago Oct. 26-29).

Hunkeler's systems are on view at stands of 14 different digital print and mail production exhibitors, with its merging, stacking and web-finishing solutions integrated to their offerings. The new Standard Hunkeler Gen6 series unwinders, rewinders, fanfolders, cutters, double-cutters and stackers take center stage at drupa. Designed to work with high-speed digital printers at up to 720 fpm, on a range of paper weights, systems feature cross-web chip-outs allowing the digital presses to produce full-color bleeds inline. Hunkeler is linked to systems from HP (Hall 8); InfoPrint Solutions (Hall 9); Kodak (Hall 5); Nipson (Hall 4); Océ (Hall 6); and Xeikon, Screen and Xerox (Hall 8).

Hunkeler is also demonstrating high- speed mail inserting with Pitney Bowes (Hall 4), Matthias Bäuerle (Hall 13) and Buhrs (Hall 14).

Around a “Huncolor-ready” theme, Hunkeler finishing offerings integrate to the new generation of continuous-feed inkjet and toner web presses, specifically designed for full-bleed trimming and extra-sensitive paper handling to avoid any propensity for marking.

As continuous-feed digital color printers ramp up to even higher throughput, Hunkeler says its Huncolor-ready paper handling apparatus will be ready to deliver the expected-to-burgeon transpromotional and direct mail finishing needs.

To complement the Standard Hunkeler Gen6 series, a new WM6-uneven Web Merger has been designed for transactional print runs that need to dynamically bring together sets—either even sets or uneven ones—at very high production speeds. It is running live production on the Hunkeler booth (Hall 14, stand A40). Also on view there is another world premier: the Hunkeler POPP7-series paper handling line will include the 26´´-wide Hunkeler UW7 unwinder, CS7 rotary cutter, the DC7 Drum Collator and an inline folder. The line is finishing rolls from HP's new wide-format continuous-feed color inkjet printer, alternating between newspapers and book block signatures.

In a drupa first, Hunkeler is showing the new Standard Hunkeler FlyFolder, producing books-of-one inline with the VarioStream 8750 on the Océ stand (Hall 6). The FlyFolder features dynamic inline perforation, cut length, and plow folding, allowing customers to produce single edition books of different format from a continuous web, with on-the-fly changeovers and non-stop print productivity.

The new Standard Hunkeler DC7 collator features a unique drum collating technique that can be used in-line or off-line with a folder to produce digital color newspapers in broadsheet or tabloid format, or for direct mail applications. These solutions are being shown on the Océ (Hall 6), Screen (Hall 8) and HP (Hall 8) stands.

A new Standard Hunkeler FM6 Folder Merger also makes its debut, combining a web merger and plow folder into one module, letting direct mail producers perform complex operations inline at high speeds.

Standard's Horizon finishing products are manufactured by Kyoto, Japan-based Horizon (with 550 employees, said to be the largest facility in the world devoted to manufacturing finishing devices).

They are being presented with an “Intelligent Automation” theme to simplify operator set-up. An intuitive, icon-based color touchscreen prompts the operator for sheet size and desired fold pattern. The folder then calculates set-ups and to perform a fully automated changeover in under 30 seconds.

At the network level, the JDF-compliant i2i Bindery Control System allows job parameters to be entered at a central control console and then called up by any Horizon finisher on the network. Every machine on the Horizon stand at drupa is i2i-connected, enabling fully automated set-up, job tracking, productivity and work-in-progress statistics, error reports, etc. i2i can be interfaced with most MIS systems.

New Standard Horizon folders at drupa include the AF-406T6A small-format (maximum sheet size 15.7×25.6´´) six-buckle folder with pile feed and suction head, with an optional six-buckle second unit that can be added straight or cross-wise. It's for insert, outsert and pharmaceutical booklets.

Also new is the AF-566F six-buckle folder for sheets up to 21.9×33.4´´, with an optional four-buckle second unit that can be added straight or cross-wise. This buckle-buckle format is popular in North America.

Horizon has added a large color touchscreen and an ergonomically designed digital caliper for the updated BQ-270C four-clamp perfect binder. Featuring interchangeable EVA/PUR adhesive tanks and unparalleled automation, it now has two new accessories: the SI-470 digital caliper to measure book thickness and the automatic transfer of this data to the binder for automated set-up.

Horizon also is showing technology demonstrations of a next-generation saddlestitcher and a new hardcover book system, expected to be commercially available sometime next year.

Brandtjen & Kluge is showing its EHG series half-sheet, 22×30´´ press for foil stamping, diecutting and embossing; its new Kluge V-10 40´´ press for foil stamping, diecutting and embossing; as well as its OmniFold 30´´ multi-function folding and gluing system, ComFold 30´´ compact multi-function folding and gluing system, BoxFold 39´´ straight-line folding and gluing system; and the TXR Series 43´´ automatic offline blank separating system.

As printers move into larger format sheetfed work, the option of sheeting from parent rolls in house becomes more attractive, eliminating wait times for merchants to do that work. Pemco, the Körber PaperLink Group unit for folio-size sheeting, is showcasing an SHM 1450 DR (dual rotary) sheeter in Hall 11. The 1450 has proved to be particularly popular with printers for “in-house” sheeting of paper and carton board to service presses “on demand” in keeping with JIT production philosophy, says Pemco.

Size or format changes need less than 10 minutes including loading a new roll, the firm adds. Optionally, non-stop operation and automatic pallet change or extended sheet lengths of up to 2.8 meters are available. These options reflect the ever larger format sizes on today's presses.

Though not at drupa, Maxson Automatic says it has found sheetfed plants adopting its MSP roll converter. “It is ideal for the commercial printer who has two or more presses and is running substrates varying from lightweight paper grades up through .020 board grades,” says Brent Burdick, marketing manager. “There are quite a few printers who have this model sheeting press ready piles that go straight to the press.”

ONLINE: go to graphicartsonline.com/drupa