42 January / February 2024 - Issue 346 covers, with Morgana providing a growth path for users requiring higher capacity PUR binding with the DigiBook 300XL and DigiBook 450. Finally, for mechanical twin-loop wire binding, Morgana has the DocuBind Pro VFX, with its key elements including a high-speed Morgana VFX vacuum feeder, running at up to 140 pages per minute, the StreamPunch VFX heavy duty punching and creasing module, and the eWire VFX twin-wire automatic binding solution, which is engineered by GBC. Do Your Research Elsewhere and Renz also specialises in finishing technology, with a strong focus on binding. Sales manager Dermot Callaghan says in-house binding helps PSPs to keep control of the quality of the job, as well as meet production deadlines for your customer. As such, he says investment in quality kit is crucial. “Before making a purchase, you should first consult the market and speak with other users to establish what sort of support and back up is provided by the manufacturer,” Callaghan says, continuing: “Ideally for a major investment, go to the machine manufacturing plant to see what is behind the manufacturing process and talk to the technicians involved with the design and manufacturing process. “The importance of investment cannot be understated. It allows you to keep up to date with new technology, especially involving automation. It is also worth noting how important exhibitions are in allowing the customer to meet manufacturers and see the machines in operation.” Taking a look at what Renz has on offer, the manufacturer showcased a number of machines on its stand at The Print Show back in September. Among its offering are complete in-line punching and binding systems, which Callaghan says help product handling by saving labour and allow for automated make ready. One solution of note is the Inline 500, an industrial, high-speed, fully automatic punching and Renz Ring Wire binding line for books, calendars, and skip binding. Key features include touch screen assisted setup process, on-screen machine setup, quick size adjustment for flexibility of different paper formats and integrated cover page lifting device. Optional extras comprise job memory with storage capacity of up to 50 jobs, as well as KAS calendar hanger systems. Evolution of Technology Another diversified supplier is Intelligent Finishing Systems (IFS), which works with a host of manufacturers. Managing director Eric Keane says automation should be a key factor when purchasing binding kit. “Every evolution of a system delivers increased automation that enables time and costs savings, which is increasingly important with today’s pressures on margins and operational budgets that include energy, paper, and ink price rises,” Keane says. “Automation can have a significant impact. It can help improve planning, increase capacity, speed up production and throughput and eliminate errors. It can help manage a broader range of applications too. With remote reporting and diagnostics any downtime can be minimised, and maintenance planned when necessary. Before making a purchase, you should first consult the market and speak with other users to establish what sort of support and back up is provided by the manufacturer addition, with regard to binder quality, pick up that product produced in the demo: are all pages held securely by the bind? Has the final trimming of the product impacted on the integrity of the publication in any way? How do the various stages of binding effect the overall production time?” A Wide Range of Solutions Morgana’s binding offering stretches across book and bookletmakers, PUR binding products, and twin-loop spiral binding, with solutions available in all of these areas. Starting with bookletmakers, the latest binder was introduced at The Print Show 2022 in the form of the Morgana BM4000 Series of bookletmakers. These can produce A4 landscape and 297 x 297mm booklets, and offers either corner or edge stapling as standard, plus the option of the unique SquareBack finish. For larger solutions, the BM5050 and BM3050 can staple and fold up to 50 sheets of 80gsm, to create booklets of up to 200 pages. Meanwhile, the BM5035S and BM5050S feature the latest stitching head from Morgana, which Hillhouse says gives operators the ability to easily adjust the length of the stitch for thicker books without using tools. In addition, the Morgana PowerSquare 224VF and 160VF are complete book-making systems for the production of offline books of up to 224 pages and 160 pages, respectively. Turning to PUR binding, this is led by the Morgana DigiBook range, with Hillhouse saying this collection offers a variety of production speeds to suit almost all print businesses. Solutions include the DigiBook 200, an entry-level product suited to both litho and digital printers that require short to medium runs of PUR perfect bound books. An interface to a Morgana AutoCreaser Pro is available for pre-creasing of book www.printmonthly.co.uk ▲ Wire binding has become a popular choice for many print applications BINDING TECHNOLOGY
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