SOS races in with first Wilstead book on demand finishing line

Installation of the first Wilstead digital finishing Fastset 60/700 in Australia to turn Sydney’s SOS Print and Media Group into a print-on-demand powerhouse.

The progressive Sydney printer stepped into the limelight last year when it installed Australasia’s first Prosper 1000 press. In May this year, it adds an automated three-knife trimming and book finishing line to its fleet of technology.

According to director, Michael Schulz, (pictured) the decision came after witnessing the machine at last year’s Ipex show. “I was immediately impressed with the quality of engineering, but even more impressed with the speed of job changes between differing book sizes – as little as five seconds,” he explained.

“The Wilstead Fastset 60/700 enables virtually uninterrupted production from the perfect binder to finished books ready for shipping. It fits very well with our digital book production platform.”

SOS’s Wilstead Fastset 60/700 will feature a Data Matrix Barcode reading system that scans each book as it approaches the trimming station and sends the size and other instructions such as clamp pressure, to the trimmer in preparation for the five-second job change. Books can be automatically transferred from any perfect binder, cooled on the spine to set the PUR or other hot melt glue, dropped singly or in multiples into the 20 feed pockets, which then convey the books into the final trimming station. Sewn book blocks can also be accommodated prior to casing in.

Bill Tunstead, managing director of Wilstead, believes the technology will strengthen SOS’s ability in the book market. “Books-on-demand printed digitally are changing the publishing world and we believe the Fastset 60/700 is the perfect partner to any digital book press and binding line,” he said.