Horizon’s StitchLiner 5500 automated saddle stitching line is a world first.
At Printex 2003 The Currie Group will introduce The Horizon StitchLiner 5500, a saddle-stitching book production line with fast automated set-ups. It accepts flat sheets from the Horizon VAC-Turbo series of PowerCollators to produce true saddlestitched booklets with full bleed trimming. The StitchLiner will appeal to the many B3 and B2 commercial printers already producing ‘saddlestitch’- type booklets in-house via lower volume stitch/fold/trim lines.
“Just do the maths,” says Bernie Robins, Sales Director for the Currie Group. (pictured) “A 10,000 run of a 40 page A4 book represents 100,000 sheets on a B3 press. They can go straight onto the StitchLiner and be books on the floor within two hours – including make-ready. Traditional methods would involve more than twice that time in folding alone, let alone multiple handling, complex set-ups and specialist operators.
“The new Horizon is the ideal complement to the higher volume lines as well as the natural inhouse selection for commercial printers. The StitchLiner is so economic it will sell itself.”
Productivity further benefits from the unparalleled speed and reliability of the VAC-Turbo’s advanced rotating suction drum feed mechanism, its superior error detection systems and computerised non-stop operation modes... and the finished books produced on the StitchLiner are fully comparable with books completed via traditional saddlestitching machines.
The line is designed to produce the books in an unbroken integrated sequence that includes collating, plough folding, sub-set registration and accumulation, saddle-stitching, spine pressing and three-knife trimming of books of up to 200+ pages. The VAC-Turbo PowerCollators can be programmed for non-stop continuous operation and bins can be selected and twinned for coverfeeding as required. Maximum production cycle speed is 5,500 books per hour rising to 11,000 bph in 2-up production mode.
The line is set-up and controlled at the interactive icon-based touch screen on the SPF-30 saddlestitching machine. From the input job information the control computer calculates and sets the positions of the front and back stops and joggers on the ACF-30 sub-set gatherer; the incoming set stopper, stitching position stopper & jogger, drive finger position, stitcher heads & clincher, stitch stroke (wire length), the stopper for advancing books and the gap of the steel spine-pressing rollers within the SPF-30 saddlestitcher; the top and bottom guides at the infeed section of the HTS-30 3-knife trimmer, the back stop for the fore-edge knife the top and bottom trim knives and the delivery belt speed of the HTS- 30... all in a process that is completed within two minutes.
Where the line is integrated into Horizon’s i2i Net>Work>Flow Bindery this is all achieved remotely. The VAC-Turbo PowerCollator sets itself automatically on the passage of the first ‘test’ set. The operator may need to adjust the blower, scoring pressure and guide bar in the ACF-30 and the gap in the belt guides at the HTS-30 in-feed according to the stock type and job in question. The touch screen is used for fine tuning.
The build quality is of the usual high Horizon standard; construction is robust for heavy-duty operation and the sophisticated control computer and automated setting systems are in advance of any other bindery manufacturer. The versatility, speed and automation of the VAC-Turbo PowerCollating system acts as a flexible feeding platform with tolerance of a wide range of differing stocks and excellent error control. The horseshoe layout is floor space efficient and very convenient for the operator. Control systems provide for fully automatic set-up and jobs can be stored in memory at the touch screen operating panel of the SPF-30. Full size change between A4 and A5 finished books is completed in less than two minutes.
The new Horizon StitchLiner will be launched at Printex on the Currie Group stand 47.
For more information contact Bernie Robinson 1800 338 131
bernierobinson@currico.com.au
“Just do the maths,” says Bernie Robins, Sales Director for the Currie Group. (pictured) “A 10,000 run of a 40 page A4 book represents 100,000 sheets on a B3 press. They can go straight onto the StitchLiner and be books on the floor within two hours – including make-ready. Traditional methods would involve more than twice that time in folding alone, let alone multiple handling, complex set-ups and specialist operators.
The line is designed to produce the books in an unbroken integrated sequence that includes collating, plough folding, sub-set registration and accumulation, saddle-stitching, spine pressing and three-knife trimming of books of up to 200+ pages. The VAC-Turbo PowerCollators can be programmed for non-stop continuous operation and bins can be selected and twinned for coverfeeding as required. Maximum production cycle speed is 5,500 books per hour rising to 11,000 bph in 2-up production mode.