The Foliant Mercury 400 SF laminator
Since its launch at drupa last year, the Foliant Mercury 400 SF laminator has been the Czech Republic manufacturer’s best-selling machine.
Intelligent Finishing Systems (IFS) reports that it has installed five in the UK following its first showing at Print Efficiently in the autumn of 2012; in all IFS has installed morethan 40 Foliant laminators since taking the UK agency two years ago.
There are a number of reasons why the automated Mercury 400 SF is proving popular, according to IFS technical sales and product specialist Lee Fowler. This is a compact but heavy-duty laminator suitable for both digital and litho (B3+) printed output. Its running speed is impressive at 20 metres per minute, allowing 2,400 B3 or 2600 SRA3 sheets to be laminated per hour.
While customers have enjoyed this performance, what they have really liked is the Mercury 400 SF’s sturdiness and ease of use: ‘The comment that comes up a lot from customers is the build quality. This really is a very strong machine that will last for a longtime,’ said Mr Fowler.
‘It is aimed at companies that want a really good, professional finish, and a very heavy-duty machine. Any digital printer that is producing large volumes of print wants something that can cope with longer run lengths, and this can do that. The other thing is that customers can just load sheets and leave it running.’
The Mercury 400 SF has an integrated Heidelberg Speedmaster 52 sheet feeding head, the kind that many operators with litho experience will already be very familiar with. The feeder is fitted with a lifting plate and has a capacity of a 54 cm pile of paper.
A Heidelberg Speedmaster 52 feeder head is integrated
A centralelectronic Programmable Logic Controller, which controls all machine functions, ensures accurate underlap, with an accuracy of +/- 2 mm. There is also a high speed bump separator, and an adjustable twin decurl unit, with a decurl blade for offset printed sheets, and a decurl roller for digital prints, which prevents scratches on duplex printed sheets.
The standard model, which includes a delivery jogger and an intelligent colour touchscreen panel with an icon-based menu, can be augmented with a number of options.
These include a double sided laminating unit, an embossing station for textured output, and an inline pallet stacking system for high volume runs. The Foliant Mercury range is competitively priced and, being modular, the user only pays for what he needs at the time of the initial purchase, knowing his investment is futureproofed by optional future upgrades.
In a digital print market where some print systems, such as the Xerox iGen4 and the Kodak NexPress, are now capable of longer sheet formats, the Mercury 400 SF is also well set to meet requirements.
It has a maximum sheet size of 400 x 700 mm, so can laminate the longer formats that printers can now produce with these engines. Minimum sheet size is 300 x 200 mm, and paper stocks from 115 to 500 gsm can be laminated. Warming up time is eight minutes, using a dry electric system. Film rolls are mounted on a quickchange shaft with a tension control breaker.
The adjustable dual die-curl unit for offset and digital sheets
Capacity on the shaft is 3000 metres of 24 to 31 micron film. BOPP and nylon films can be used as standard, while there is an optional PET film module. The first company to install the Foliant Mercury 400 SF was Vizability in Fulham. It also invested in a Xerox 800 press and an Uchida Aerocut at the same time.
The company was using a laminator that was less automated and did not have the Heidelberg feeder, meaning that operators would have to stand at the machine and feed sheets for lengthy periods on many jobs. The overtime bill was consequently quite steep.
‘With the 400 SF, we press a few buttons and it laminates , and my operator can get on with something else,’ said managing director Tahir Chowdry. ‘We are doing more and more lamination, so it makes sense to invest in equipment, rather than invest in an extra half a body per day.
The Foliant Mercury can be augmented witha pallet stacker
