During drupa 2012, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) is exhibiting a new and improved version of its Eurobind 1300/1300 PUR (polyurethane) adhesive binder that offers even greater flexibility and cost-efficiency thanks to new automatic functions and solutions. The machine incorporates a host of innovations, the most important of which are a new, user-friendly 15-inch touchscreen, a new PUR glue application nozzle with new side gluing unit, a new, fully automated cover feeder and special functions for digital printing applications such as the automatic block thickness measuring device for single-copy production and bar code recognition and -printing to ensure cover and contents are compiled correctly. Other features include the high-quality spine preparation unit and the lift-type delivery that gently and carefully guides the book block after binding to ensure optimum spine quality. Both are tried-and-tested functions that have helped the Eurobind 1300 earn its well-established reputation for producing short and very short runs to exceptional quality standards. As a result, the adhesive binder is a true all-rounder that delivers high-quality end products - regardless of whether materials have been printed using offset or digital technology or whether the run is medium, short or very short. The Eurobind 1300/1300 PUR processes runs from 1 to 5,000 copies and does so efficiently and productively. Print shops and bookbinders can use the machine to cost-effectively manufacture everything from simple catalogs and quality brochures to digitally printed personalized photo books in the shortest of runs.
The new Eurobind 1300/1300 PUR will be available from fall 2012 and the PUR option will be on show in the Commercial Print area in Hall 1, as a response to the HEI Flexibility market trend.
CEWE Color, which is based in Eschbach (Germany), is the leading European producer of photo books and has been using Eurobind 1300 PUR adhesive binders from Heidelberg since 2008. According to Michael Bühl, technology manager at CEWE Color, it is not uncommon for 150 to 200 changeovers to be completed on a single machine in the course of just one day. "Changing the block thickness takes less than a minute when there are no changes to the format," explains Bühl. "Because, when producing photo books, there's no scope to print extra copies in case of errors, every copy that goes wrong has to be redone. That means the quality demands on both man and machine are very high. The ratio of makeready time to pure production time is a key criterion when choosing new machinery. The user-friendliness of the system and the consistent binding quality are constant reminders that we made the right decision by installing another Eurobind 1300 PUR - in fact we now have four of the machines at our German sites alone," says Bühl.
PUR variant with unique production reliability
Heidelberg has further enhanced the PUR glue application nozzle in the new generation of the Eurobind 1300 PUR, particularly with regard to block guide correction. The PUR nozzle system from Heidelberg is unique in its class, since both the front and rear block guides and the position of the nozzle relative to the book block can be adjusted. Put simply, that means that the machine adapts to the book block, not the other way around. That is the crucial factor in ensuring top-quality results when applying adhesive to the book spine and striving for optimum binding durability. "The new PUR nozzle features absolute dimensional accuracy when it comes to adjusting the block thickness and boasts a tolerance of 0.1 mm. As a result, it can achieve accurate and reproducible sheet edge gluing and effectively prevent any potential glue penetration," confirms Bühl.
The Eurobind 1300 PUR adhesive binder processes PUR adhesive in an extremely user-friendly, highly precise, and reproducible manner. The premelter and the nozzle applying the adhesive are controlled centrally from the adhesive binder's control console. Thanks to this unique, fully integrated premelter and adhesive binder control system, operators can be sure of optimum reliability in production. The PUR nozzle application system also operates on a volumetric basis. That means the volume of glue applied to each book block is precisely controlled by a gear pump. As a result, it is unaffected by viscosity, temperature, and pressure and supplies exactly the same volume of glue to each and every block, thereby ensuring adhesive is used as cost-effectively as possible.
"The small footprint and short makeready times were what persuaded us to invest in the new Eurobind 1300 PUR adhesive binder. The binding results are extremely good compared with large industrial systems," explains Bühl. And that is no accident. Numerous components in the Eurobind family - including the PUR nozzle - come from the Eurobind Pro adhesive binder system and have been transferred to the smaller Eurobind 600 and 1300 adhesive binders. This ensures that the adhesive binders from Heidelberg always deliver end products that satisfy the ultimate in quality standards - regardless of the production speed.
The Eurobind 1300/1300 PUR is a professional four-clamp adhesive binder that achieves machine speeds of up to 1,300 cycles per hour. It processes a broad range of block formats up to a block height of 360 mm (14.17 in) and thickness of 45 mm (1.77 in), as well as cover formats up to a total width of 680 mm (26.77 in). Inside the high-quality spine preparation station, a high-performance combination tool exposes the individual fibers of the paper on the spine of the block to ensure optimum gluing results and outstanding durability. Regardless of the thickness or type of cover, the book block is also processed with exceptional precision. A correction system on the spine gluing nozzle that is unrivaled in this class of machine ensures optimum glue application.
Overall, this integrated system delivers outstanding quality and reliable processes, both of which are essential when manufacturing high-quality products in very short runs. A bar code reading system is also available as an option. It continuously compares bar codes for covers and content to ensure that all the individual parts fit together perfectly.
In conjunction with a cooling section and the Eurotrim 1000 three-knife trimmer, the Eurobind 1300/1300 PUR can also be extended to form an integrated line and ensure adhesive-bound brochures can be produced cost-effectively, including three-edge trimming, and even when processing very short runs.