Peter Randall, owner of The Digital Press
Twelve months on from installing a DigiBook 150 PUR perfect binding machine, The Digital Press, has upgraded the unit to a DigiBook 300 from Morgana Systems Ltd.
The enhancement will enable the business to potentially double its throughput of bound books.
Peter Randall, owner, said, ‘The DigiBook 150 was the ideal starting point for us with PUR. We had been using hot-melt prior to that purchase, and it really was not suitable for short-run perfect binding of digital work. Now, just one year on, we have out-grown the DigiBook 150. Typical runs for us have now grown to 400 or 500 copies: that is perhaps just a bit too much for the 150 due to the amount of handling in the process. The DigiBook 300 is a lot more automated, making it ideal for that size of order.
‘The DigiBook 300 speeds up the whole set-up process, is easier to use with less manual intervention, and the adjustable milling capability provides a much better solution for section work: we can mill up to 2.5 mm which provides for significantly better adhesion.’
Typical work for perfect binding at the company includes pre-runs and preview copies of paperback books for publishers, or final proof copies of publications, short-run manuals and property booklets.
‘The additional capacity provided to us by the new machine will allow us to offer binding as a service to other digital print companies in the area,’ added Mr Randall. ‘We had anticipated doing this with the first PUR machine, but we never really found the time.’
The DigiBook 300 is capable of producing up to 300 books per hour with spine thicknesses from 2 mm through to 50 mm, and binding length from 100 mm up to 450 mm. The angled work surface keeps books in a vertical position.
PUR is the strongest, most flexible binding adhesive available, offering several additional advantages over other hot-melt adhesives. When inks, coatings or digital print toners are present in the spine area these can often compromise the strength of a typical hot-melt perfect binding. PUR is resistant to this and will form a super-strong bond with all weights and finishes of paper stocks. In addition PUR works well with synthetic and recycled content stocks.
