If a book does not require sewing,
it can be glued. We call this process perfect binding. In July
1996 we upgraded our binding line with a new Kolbus Perfect
Binder. It is the latest in state of the art binding equipment,
with on board computers and a servo motor setup. This allows for quick
make-ready when changing from one size to another.
Three components make up the binder: the Gatherer or Collating Pockets; the Binder; and the Three Knife Trimmer.
We have twenty Collating pockets on our binder and a End paper attachment, which allows us to run up to twenty-two pieces in one pass, depending on the configuration of the book. This machine makes soft cover books and runs up to 6000 per hour.
The Collator is set up with the folded signatures in each pocket. These signatures have been slot perfed on the spine to allow glue to penetrate the inside of the folded section. The Collator is equipped with electronic readers that ensure the correct signature is fed into the pockets. The book block that emerges from the Collator is the correct sequence and is carried to the Binder.
In the Binder the spine of the book block is leveled, glued and a Soft cover is applied. After entering the binder and leveling, the book block passes over a bath of Hot Melt glue. The glue pot has two rollers in it that come in contact with the spine on the book. The operator will adjust the amount of glue on the roller to ensure proper adhesion of all the pages in the book.
After application of glue to the spine, there is a small bead of glue applied to the side of the book, just above the spine. The book block continues around the machine to the cover nipping station where the soft cover is pressed onto the spine. The sides are nipped so the cover will stick to the beads of side glue. On exiting the Binder the book has a cover and all the pages are in the correct sequence.
The books travel along a conveyor system to allow them to dry before trimming to finished size. The conveyor system is a spiral or tower conveyor manufactured by Ethos. It is quite unique in that it takes up little space yet adds considerable time to the drying of the spine glue
The bound book is now still in book block size and requires trimming on three sides. After the trip through the conveyors the book block, with the cover firmly attached to the spine, is fed into the Three Knife Trimmer.
Also a Kolbus machine...the trimmer it is a marvel to behold! A computer monitor and keyboard are used to set the exact trim size. Three knives inside the trimmer cut off the top, bottom and foredge. The books come out the back trimmed to finished size and ready for sale. A Rima Compensating Stacker handles the books to allow the operator to box the product.
The majority of all books we produce are shipped in cartons that we stock as standard or can be special ordered for unique sizes.
