Automation in setup and changeover make today's folding machines easier to use than ever. Learn how your in-plant can benefit.
NICHOLAS MONELLO has been in printing for 40 years. He knows what to look for in a folder.
"A state-of-the-art folder, with computerized and electronic input controls," he says. "Also, very important is having quick changeover capabilities to different sizes or features."
As print shop director for the New York City Department of Health Graphic Services, it's Monello's job to know the industry.
His supervisor, Graphic Services Director Bruce Krueger, says the in-plant uses an MBO B-18, an MBO T-49 and a Baum Ultrafold 714 tabletop to produce nearly nine million folded images per year.
Monello deals with these jobs regularly, so he knows what other features he would want in a new folder:
"One that is modular, that has several add-on capabilities, such as additional folds, perforating, scoring, electronic gluing, etc. Obviously, speed is also an important consideration."
Going Automated
The rise of on-demand printing and an industry-wide shortage of skilled labor have sparked the push towards folders with computerized and electronic input controls.
At the same time, the growth in on-demand printing means in-plants no longer have the luxury of sending finishing work out-of-house. Customers expect jobs to be done tomorrow—or this afternoon. But this brings a new set of challenges.
"Schedules don't allow for running all jobs of the same size at the same time," says Tony Cockerham, vice-president of sales for Buhrs America.
Cockerham observes that because of on-demand printing, in-plants must constantly recalibrate their folders from one paper size to another for each job instead of doing all jobs of one paper size together.
"There is no room for human error," adds Paul Steinke, marketing director for the finishing systems division of Duplo. "Overage is limited to almost nothing and the mistakes that are made today are more costly than they have ever been."
Personalized Problems
Steinke notes that when these jobs become personalized, such as form letters, other problems develop. If a mistake is made in the folding process, the proper document must be located in the database and run through the entire print process all over again.
"The cost to reprint is ridiculous," agrees Mark Hunt, director of marketing for Standard Finishing Systems. "First-product-off quality has to be professional quality."
It takes a very skilled craftsman to produce accurate results like that manually. But skilled craftsmen are increasingly hard to find.
"The entire industry is moving away from a craft-based industry...to more of a science," points out Hunt.
To combat the work force shortage, machines have changed.
"There has been a movement towards making the machines more operator-friendly because there is a shortage of skilled workers in this industry," says Sam Troiano, sales and marketing representative for MBO America.
Duplo's Steinke agrees. "It's probably even more of a restriction in the folding environment because it's an area in the printing process that isn't as desirable."
It is not uncommon for a shop to have to train two or three operators in a year. To help, Baumfolder, MBO and other companies offer fold schools, where new operators can learn how to use the machinery.
"The training process is much shorter in an automated system," Steinke says. Folds, he adds, are now stored in memory. "When a job is saved, it's the same every time."
MBO's Troiano calls this a "totally computerized makeready system" that sets fold plates and displays operator instructions. The Rapidset computer makeready system, available in MBO's Perfection series of folders, is an example.
"The Rapidset is preprogrammed with 65 impositions, the most common types of folds," he reports. The Rapidset can also store 250 customized folds.
The Rapidset stores these folds in an imposition catalog. Each fold is assigned a number. Push the number and the sheet stop automatically goes to the folding position. Suction length and sheet gap adjust automatically. This can be very useful if a job is interrupted and must be reset.
Additionally, at Drupa MBO demonstrated a new touch screen Navigator Control system on its B26-S and B32-S Perfection buckle folding machines. It integrates the folder into the digital workflow, controls sheets from feeder to delivery and includes an integrated instruction manual, spare parts list and wiring diagram, as well as folding tips.
Customer Input
When shopping for a new folder, don't forget to consult your customers.
"Make sure the customer gets a chance to let you know what they want to do," says Mark Pellman, sales engineer for Baumfolder. "The best thing you can do is not talk, but listen."
He says matching the customer with the right machine is a priority. A high-speed floor model with many special features can work for a high-production environment. However, it might not be right for everyone.
"A low-production environment doesn't need all the bells and whistles," he advises.
Still, managers may want to add features such as scoring, perforating and gluing to their folders.
"A lot of people are looking for a machine that can be used for everything," Pellman says. Today's folders can be customized to do just that.
Still, be careful, warns Buhrs' Cockerham.
"It is attractive to make it modular, but you have sacrifices in other areas," he says. Managers often have to choose between versatility and speed.
Speed And Jamming
Today's machines are faster than ever. Pellman says the fastest Baumfolder floor models can produce 35,000 folds per hour.
This speed makes jam detection vital. Today's jam detection devices can stop the machine and locate the problem. Nevertheless, the occasional jam is unavoidable. Sometimes it has nothing to do with the machine itself.
"Jamming is based on the quality of stock and the expertise in setting up," Pellman says. According to him, poor paper stock can cost a company in time what it saved in price.
Monello, of the NYC Department of Health, agrees. Even though systems are more automated, he says, the operator still needs to know a thing or two about proper setup.
"The skill the employee brings to the job...more than saves the money lost from paper destroyed and printing to be redone from an ill-paid amateur," he says.
Future Folds
As the folding industry pushes more towards automation, what innovations are yet to come?
• Cockerham believes that eventually the folder, and other finishing equipment, will be networked to the press. One simple push of a button will configure everything automatically. Then the job can run in-line from press to completion with almost no human setup.
• Troiano says the MBO Perfection series is the first folder without marbles to move the paper. In the future, he envisions stealth-driven machines that will run more quietly.
• Pellman sees expanded use of the Internet for client assistance as a major innovation. He also indicates that exit count sensing—counting the sheets as they come out of a folder—is a great new tool.
• Hunt points to end-to-end document integrity. He says that machines will be able to track each individual sheet through the finishing process. This will be a major innovation in dealing with personalized documents.
Hunt says finishing is following in the footsteps of prepress. Innovations are slowly replacing the methods of the past, and the craftsperson is being phased out as the necessity for those skills diminish.
"Without question you no longer have a need for experts...in order to perform the function," Hunt says. "It's an evolution."
by Joe Ranoia