MBO’s Rapidset provides automation for buckle plates, fold rollers, and slitter shafts. It is available with a pile feeder or continuous feeder, and can be equipped with six buckle plates, gatefold plate, double stream device, noise hoods, and various trimming devices.

Other Postpress Advances

In February, MBM Corp. introduced programmable creasers and folders. The Creasematic 150 and Auto 50 creasers, and the Creasefold on-line folder, add capability and versatility to any bindery operation. Documents printed on heavy or coated stock can now be creased prior to folding, creating a crisper, more accurate fold, and digitally printed jobs with heavy coverage can be folded without cracking.

The Creasematic 150 is a manual feed, entry-level machine that can accommodate sheet sizes up to 39 inches and operates at speeds up to 2,000 sheets per hour. The Creasematic Auto 50 uses an automatic, bottom feed suction system designed for continuous high volume operation. It has 99 memory settings and can crease up to 5,500 sheets per hour. Both come with two creasing tools that allow the setting of four widths and an in-line perforating system.

Rollem introduced Advantage, a new suction-feeding scoring, slitting, trimming and perforating system. Ideal for both short to mid-run digital and offset work, Advantage allows a printer to perform multiple processes with a single operator, greatly reducing labor expenses and increasing profits. It offers the ability to run inline with eight-page folders, inkjets, and gluing systems.

Heidelberg is launching in the United States its Polar Autojog XT, a jogging system the company says will provide a significantly higher efficiency for cutting reams. The Autojog can be combined with a Transomat unloading unit to form an off-line jogging station that prepares cutting material in stacks or it can be used inline in a Polar P.A.C.E. cutting system.

At Graphics of the Americas in February, Duplo USA Corp. introduced a number of new bindery products. The company added a knife folding option to the DC-645 Slitter/Cutter/Creaser, extending the on-line capability of the production color finisher. By incorporating folding into the single system operation, printers can now fully finish different applications such as greeting cards, folded ‘tent’ business cards, brochures and more. The knife folder incorporates two folds, making it ideal for parallel fold applications such as letter folds. With a speed of up to 50 sheets per minute, the folder fully matches the capabilities of the DC-645, and can be by-passed for no-fold applications from the DC-645.

The mid-range System 3500 bookletmaking system from Duplo incorporates up to two DC-10/60 collators with the DBM-350/T bookletmaker and trimmer. The fully-automatic DBM-350 fits between Duplo’s established low-end DBM-120/T and its high-end counterpart the DBM-500/T. It offers stitching heads, speeds of up to 3,000 books an hour and fully automated set-up.

The flexible bookletmaker accommodates a range from on-demand applications such as CD and DVD covers, through to 5.5x8.5-inch to 8.5x11-inch finished booklets of up to 80 pages.

The ability of the DBM-350/T to handle set-by-set and sheet-by-sheet output means it can be connected to Duplo’s collating systems or sheet feeders, making it ideal for printers making the transition from offset to digital, allowing them to incorporate color content and variable data into their finishing solutions.

Debora Toth is a freelance writer who has been writing about the graphic arts industry for more than 25 years. She also is a public relations specialist and operates Coastline Public Relations. She can be reached at coastlinepr@aol.com.