Product Reviews

With the Eurobind Pro, Heidelberg has entered into a new arena where it will find itself facing off against some unfamiliar foes. The 6,000 cycles per hour (cph) Eurobind fits into a niche that has historically been dominated by the likes of Muller Martini and Kolbus. From the outside, it would seem like a brave departure but it's one that the manufacturer is confident will pay off.

The Eurobind Pro model is the follow up to the 600, but it is around 50% faster than its predecessor thanks to its longer build, which accelerates the paper through the in-feeder.

For your money, you get a gatherer, the binder itself, a cooling tower and a three-knife trimmer at the end, although the binder can be sold as a separate entity if you already have the requisite pre- and post-processing kit.

Heidelberg's gatherer runs at 6,000cph, allowing it to keep up with the binder, and it features one to eight gathering modules, with four feeders per module. It also has self-learning missing and double-sheet detection fitted as standard and can be upgraded to include barcode reading or image recognition technology.

Reduced marking

The three-knife trim supplied as part of the system is a Eurotrim 4000. It can perform 600-4,000 cuts per hour, with maximum book block widths of 320mm and a maximum height of 450mm. An infeed gripper lifts the product to ensure the material is not marked or damaged when it is fed into the cutting cell.

However, the most important bit of the machine is, of course, the binder itself, which Heidelberg is lauding as the last word in automation that boasts agenda-setting makeready performance.

"We can go good sheet to good sheet in three to five minutes," explains Heidelberg Gulf product manager, finishing and web, Nasser Moghrabi. "It is reduced to the minimum possible time due to the high automation level. Nowadays, you simply can't have a perfect binder sat around for 45 minutes during the makeready."

Makeready set-up can be done from one point on the entire system, with each machine featuring a touchscreen control panel. This means that the operator can make changes to the entire system from one place. Aside from slight changes on the trimmer, which may have to be made by hand, the entire system is automated.

Downtime decrease

The machine also uses separate servo-drives for each individual module, up to a maximum of eight, with four feeders each. This means that modules can be prepared for the next job while the current job is still running, further reducing downtime between set-ups.

Automation also runs into the adhesive application, where a laser system is used to ensure that no more than the optimum amount of glue is used. Operators can see in real time the level of glue applied, book-to-book, through a readout. If the glue level falls below or exceeds a set level, the machine will stop.

While this is not a system that is particularly important for hot-melt gluing, for PUR binding - where the adhesive is a lot more costly - it can be crucial.

It uses a two-roller application system for hotmelt or PUR adhesive. It also offers a third option, closed PUR nozzle application, for precise application.

There is also a side hotmelt gluing system, equipped with two oblique gluing disks, controlled doctor blades and a thread melting device.

Further assistance to ensure that the level of glue being applied is appropriate comes from the spine preparation system - another factor that Heidelberg believes makes the machine stand out from the crowd.

"Crucial factors in producing a really good bind are fiber direction should be parallel to the spine, a good spine preparation, the way of glue application for the spine and side and the right glue type. All the above factors should result a square book spine and strong binding," Moghrabi said.

Any company that invests in the machine will need at least two operators to run it, owing to its speed. A bindery/trimmer operator and someone working the feeder is imperative, while a third "helper" to muck in at either end, depending on what stage the printing is at, would also be wise, according to Heidelberg.

Had the Eurobind Pro been launched a few years ago, its appeal would almost certainly have been restricted to high-volume offset houses or trade finishers.

However, with run lengths coming down further and the short makeready time that this particular machine offers addressing the demands of the modern printing industry for an ever-faster turnaround of work, Heidelberg believes that the world is its oyster.

All-market option

"Due to the very short make-ready time the minimum run length can start from 50 copies, says Moghrabi. "The advantage is clear the more jobs the machine can do in a day the more profit."

There are around 30 Eurobind Pro machines installed worldwide at the moment and the model is currently installed in 5 companies. The companies are King Fahd University in Dammam, Galadari Printing and Publishing in Dubai, Khuzam Printing Press in Riyadh, National Guards in Riyadh and Ministry Of Interior in Riyadh

However, with the Eurobind Pro, Heidelberg has positioned itself aggressively into this market and Hogan for one is confident that the machine will prove to be a resounding success.

The Eurobind can be easily fitted to a Heidelberg press, so companies looking to jump on the short-run book band wagon can now go to Heidelberg for a complete solution. Frustra�tingly for Heidelberg, as it is with all manufacturers in the current climate, the success of the machine will depend on companies being brave enough to spend big and lenders being brave enough to back them. If both of these things happen, there is no reason why the machine cannot be a success. "We are forecasting 4 machines for FY 2012," Moghrabi concludes. Indeed, if these companies are ready to push the button on investment, Heidelberg's strategy could be perfect.

specifications Speed 6,000cph
Clamps 19 or 24
Max block width 320mm
Max block height 450mm
Max block thickness 60mm
Signature grammage 60-170gsm
Contact Heidelberg Gulf
+971 4 347 7720
www.ae.heidelberg.com