MIDRANGE SADDLESTITCHERS GET SOPHISTICATED

Jul 1, 2001 12:00 PM, BY CHERYL A. ADAMS Contributing editor | APeditor@intertec.com

Today's midrange saddlestitchers reflect two key industry trends: a severe shortage of skilled operators, and declining print runs. Features previously found only on high-speed stitchers — automatic setup, signature recognition and tool-less automation — have migrated to midrange models. Selective stitching and inkjetting are also moving beyond high-volume operations to midsize and smaller printers' stitching lines.

Stitcher manufacturers are stepping up their operator-training efforts, too. Heidelberg offers courses at its Print Media Academy (Kennesaw, GA), while Müller Martini provides computer-based training, hands-on courses and classroom sessions at its recently expanded facility in Long Island, NY.

Expect a few surprises at Print 01, but in the meantime, here's the inside scoop from stitcher manufacturer representatives Bob Morton, president, Best Graphics (Menomonee Falls, WI); Steven Calov, product manager, saddlestiching and perfect binding equipment, Heidelberg Finishing (Kennesaw, GA); Felix Stirnimann, manager, print finishing division, Müller Martini (Hauppauge, NY); and Mark Agresta, bindery consultant/product manager, Vijuk Equipment (Elmhurst, IL).

In previous bindery articles, we've discussed how postpress equipment manufacturers are responding to the industry's lack of skilled labor as well as tighter turnaround times. How are midrange stitchers changing?

BOB MORTON, BEST GRAPHICS: Unlike other bindery equipment, the stitcher market remains strong. Merger and acquisition activity has resulted in larger firms upgrading their equipment. They want to be low-cost leaders, and they can do this through volume and efficient equipment. Some smaller firms also are moving from entry-level to midrange stitchers to take advantage of the equipment's automation and flexibility.

With short-run, print-on-demand products on the rise, printers need fast setup as well as fast changeover. The Best Osako 368 AS, first shown at Graph Expo 2000, automatically sets the stitch-head positioning and chain timing in just 15 seconds — a feat that would normally take a skilled operator, tool-in-hand, 15 minutes to accomplish.

STEVEN CALOV, HEIDELBERG FINISHING: Automation is the No. 1 trend. With the advent of tool-less technology, makeready has become shorter. A lot more customers are asking for tool-less makeready — it's easier to set up the pockets. Automation also reduces makeready times, and decreased makeready brings costs down.

There's a move in all bindery equipment to take operator error out of the loop. There are servo motors in the equipment, and sensors in the machines monitor job status. As operator skill level decreases, manufacturers have incorporated features that enable saddlestitchers to accept CIP4 files and program themselves.

FELIX STIRNIMANN, MÜLLER MARTINI: The most significant trend we see is for faster turnaround times. Run lengths are getting shorter, so makeready is a big issue. Our Prima AMRYS (Automated MakeReadY System) can drastically reduce makeready. The different settings are motorized and guided by central control on the PC. You can preprogram an incoming job while one is running on the stitcher. You tell the machine the signature size, opening method, trim size, etc. You set the parameters and change the job in eight to 10 minutes. The system is very fast. Also, for repeat jobs, you just retrieve the data and run it again. Even CIP4 data can be integrated.

MARK AGRESTA, VIJUK EQUIPMENT: Ease of setup — that's where the midrange saddlestitcher is going. It's getting increasingly difficult to find people to run complex machines. Manufacturers are starting to realize this and are developing add-ons — features incorporated with midrange technology, such as signature recognition and optical jam-detection systems.

Basically, these systems are infrared sensors that are placed within the machine where the product is moving through the process. If something is amiss, such as incorrect jogging or a missing signature, the machine signals the operator and rejects the bad product. This eliminates the production of incorrectly assembled books, etc., and takes some of the onus off the operator. It gives the machine a bit of artificial intelligence.

What other trends should we anticipate?

MORTON: On-the-fly adjustments: Cover and rotary feeder changes can be made while the machine is still running. Signature-size changes can also be made on-the-fly, as well as adjustments in vacuum-release timing. Since most controls are adjustable while the machine is running, there's tremendous productivity gain.

Other significant improvements include signature recognition and barcode scanning systems. Sensors read ink density as material goes into pocket, and if it discerns changes in the ink pattern, it notes the change, indicating to the operator that the wrong signature is going in that pocket, or if it's upside-down or backwards. Advancements in this area include barcode scanning in the gutter or trim, where material — generally text — is scanned for density, and if density is not identical, the device notes the change. In essence, the scanner reads the text, ensuring that its density doesn't deviate. This is a growing option for high-end printers and publishers.

Today's niche requirements include inkjet personalization, which Osako is developing and incorporating into its next-generation saddlestitching machines.

CALOV: Accessories are hot. Heidelberg's ST 270 and ST 300 can perform three-up production. We had a customer who was running CD booklets two-up at 6,000 an hour, with a net of 12,000 books an hour on an existing machine. The 270 allowed the client to do three-up at 9,000 per hour, which netted 27,000 (vs. 12,000) per hour. Sometimes it's the versatility of a machine that's most important.

Delivery is another saddlestitching process that's continually improving. More printers want to finish products themselves before they're shipping. They want to run material through the compensating stackers, such as Heidelberg's Rima, which enables more shrinkwrapping and other inline finishing.

Rima allows the operator to preprogram and set batches. It then takes the programmed amount of books, spins the table on the bottom and maximizes the height of the pile to fit the box. This helps the person boxing at the end of the line. If you don't have a stacker at the end of the stitcher, and the product is coming out too quickly, you ultimately have to slow down the machine.

STIRNIMANN: For a long time, personalization was done only in the high-end catalog and magazine businesses, but more midrange customers are buying saddlestitchers with this capability. They want to inkjet inside and out for selective-bound products. With the Prima SB (Selective Binding), midrange printers can enter growing markets, such as personalization, by offering new solutions to their customers.

We're getting more requests for CD-ROMs, product samples, response cards, etc., to be glued into the printed material. More medium-size printers are asking for inline gluing capabilities, so we've developed card-gluing devices on our midrange machines. These can be positioned along the line and material added/glued inline at full speed. Also, for advertisements that feature a response card, the card must be placed next to the ad — this can only be done inline on saddlestitching machines.

Automated inline finishing — including inkjet, gluing and inline wrapping — is generating a lot of interest among our customers. The idea is not to touch the book twice. You want to do it all in one shot.

Sometimes, there's a need for books to be mailed in a film wrapper. Usually, this is done offline. But, with the Onyx-Rubin inserter/polybagger, you can insert or onsert additional material and bag the entire product inline. Instead of two steps, there's only one, which saves time and money. Inline finishing adds value to the product, and this is driving the market growth of midrange saddlestitchers.

Also at the midrange level, we see a lot of sheetfed operations printing flat, then folding and hand-feeding the material to the saddlestitcher. This is the predominant way to feed midrange saddlestitchers. Our streamfeeder model 3738 makes it easier to load sections due to its ergonomic loading height. First the sections are placed vertically into a big buffer zone, where the signatures are shingled and transported into a flat-pile feeder. We think that the combination streamfeeder and flat-pile feeder is the most efficient way to hand-load signatures into the saddlestitcher. We've seen a lot of these features in the high-end stitchers, and they're now migrating to midrange equipment.

AGRESTA: More time-saving devices are being incorporated into midrange machines, making them more akin to the high-end machines that print millions of copies. Midrange machines now have the same automated features, such as counter/stacker/joggers, streamfeeders/auto pocket feeders, and waste removal systems. All save time and money. Inline hole punching and the ability to run two-up are other features now also found on midrange machines.

Are there any new maintenance developments?

MORTON: Larger printers are asking for maintenance training schools, where Best Graphics teaches their operators how to tear down and service a machine the same way our service technicians would. Maintenance training helps make printers self-sufficient and reduces outside service expenditures.

CALOV: Ease of maintenance is important. Heidelberg Stitchmasters have been engineered with central lubrication of the stitching area, so some of the maintenance has been taken out of the loop. Also, our machines will notify the user when it's time to lubricate, based on operating hours. A preprogrammed maintenance schedule is built into the PLC.

STIRNIMANN: Proactive, interactive maintenance training is an area that's commanding attention. Beginning this year, Müller Martini is offering operator and maintenance courses on all of its machines. After installation, we send a technician to provide hands-on training in the printing facility itself. Training can also be customized.

AGRESTA: Proper setup and maintenance of the machine saves time and money. I can't say enough about maintenance, having been a bindery operator myself. At Vijuk, we've taken extra steps in our product manuals, and our technical people work with printers to train their operators.

There is a single best way to set up a machine. There are a lot of people involved in the design, manufacture and setup of the machine, who are the experts behind the scenes. They know the right way to set up the equipment, and this must be clearly taught to each new machine operator. Otherwise, the operator will find his or her own way to set up the system, and that might not be the best way.

What's next for midrange stitchers?

CALOV: Next-generation machines will automatically set up about 90 percent of all functions. We'll be able to take information from prepress and send it to the stitcher, folder or cutter via CIP4. With operations closed-loop, you will be able to turn on a PC and see job status, and you'll have more control over the final product, including costs. Estimating will be easier because you'll know how much things will cost, from prepress to finished product.

AGRESTA: The bindery is a funny business. It's basically old technology, and we're trying to dress it up. We're trying to incorporate artificial intelligence, a tool-less approach, as well as ease of setup. Controllers and PLC modules afford midsize shops the finishing opportunities that were too cost-prohibitive in the past.

We must, however, proceed with caution. There is a fine line between what will push you over the line and out of the midrange market. You can make a machine with all the features and automation in the world, but will midrange printers be able to afford it?

Everyone's pushing for more speed, lower cost; more features, lower cost; more dependability and lower cost. A printer must determine what its needs are and figure out what features offer the best ROI. As manufacturers, it's our job to build better, smarter, more affordable machines that will satisfy these needs.

STIRNIMANN: With today's economics, midrange printers have to get more out of their binderies. There's more focus on post-production. Currently, binderies are operating with higher head counts than may be economically feasible. If a bindery is using older equipment, it's probably operating at half capacity compared to if it ran new machines. These firms should seriously consider investing in new technologies to bring their head counts down while increasing productivity and profitability.

Looks can be deceiving

Want a saddlestitched book that looks like a perfect-bound book? Best Graphics' (Menomonee Falls, WI) Osako 612 UB reverse stitcher is one option. It stitches from the inside out, and is a popular choice for children's books. A cover is glued over the stitch, creating a strong bind while eliminating the possibility of a young reader pricking a finger on a metal stitch.

Watkiss Automation's Spinemaster, distributed in the U.S. by AB Dick (Niles, IL), transforms traditional stitch-fold books into squareback booklets. These booklets, which give the appearance of perfect binding, are flat and easy to pack, stack and handle. Up to 30 sheets can be made into a 120-page booklet or the equivalent.

Meet the products

While price varies depending configuration and desired accessories, most midrange stitchers range from $200,000 to $400,000.

VIJUK>

The Purlux 321-T saddlestitching system, rated at 10,000 cph, features top-loading bottom feeders for continuous production. The speed of each feeder can be individually selected at ratios of 1:1 or 1:2. A programmable quality-control system offers consistent operation. An over/under caliper and photocells monitor the feeders to detect faults. Irregular sets with double, missing or incorrectly aligned signatures or pages are diverted to a reject tray without pause.

Hand-wheel adjustments on the three-knife trimmer reportedly provide quick makeready. An optional timed air blast for trim removal and compensating counter stacker are available.