Wohlenberg showcase "flexibility in finishing" with three new launches

Germany-based finishing equipment manufacturer Wohlenberg (Hall 06 / Stand A43) persisted with its theme “Switch to Innovation. Switch to Success” by launching three perfect binding systems at Drupa.

09 May 2012 | By Samir Lukka

With a motto of “flexibility in finishing,” the new binding systems – Phoenix, Quickmax and Vento are differentiated according to a particular customer group in mind.

“Wohlenberg’s strategy at Drupa is to showcase strength in technology for established markets by manufacturing products with unique selling features that add value to the products with pricing affordable to the end consumer,” said Michael Euler, managing director of Wohlenberg.

The company’s flagship 30-clamp Phoenix binding system features 9,000 cycles per hour operations and is capable of handling jobs with the spine length ranging from 105mm to 510mm and block thickness from 2mm to 80 mm.

“Phoenix is the only machine that can perfect bind a product of size 340m x 510 mm,” added Euler.

With three years in the making, Phoenix can be available with a unique feature of the perfect binding section configured with the gatherer at 90 degrees for better utilisation of the footprint on the shopfloor and “enabling the operator to have a complete overview of the job running on the machine.”

Among its other unique features, the Phoenix is equipped with an inline fore-edge trimming capability for gatefold applications.

Considered to be a hybrid system ideal for both offset printers with small runs and digital printers, the Quickmax system automatically adjusts to the variable thickness of the book blocks in a single operation without stoppage of the machine.

“The machine is addressed to the small offset printers who are migrating towards digital. It handles the fancy requirements of book block to cover matching in digital jobs through barcodes,” said Euler.

To encompass the variable thickness, the unique feature on the Quickmax includes registration from the centre of the spine for the digital jobs along with fixed edge registration for conventional offset jobs.

Meanwhile Vento, an 18-clamp perfect binding systems with a speed of 7,000 cycles per hour is targeted at the printers with medium-sized volumes and features a similar technology as Phoenix’s for gatefold applications.

All three products endow JDF interface and are integrated to handle both PUR as well as conventional hotmelt adhesives with equal efficiency.

Along with the binding systems, Wohlenberg has also launched two new three-knife trimmers – trim-tec 60e with 60 cycles per hour designed in combination with the Vento system and trim-tec 90e with 90 cylces per hour designed in combination with the Phoenix.