The finishing options can make or break a project combining automation and inkjet. Consequently finishing is out in force at the Hunkeler Innovation Days even if head to head competitors to the host are excluded from participation.
Details of Hunkeler’s own presentation have not as yet been published. Visitors, however, can expect to see the Starbook lines, with an automatic reel changer and splicer that appeared as a prototype tow years ago and the cutsheet version of book line as cut sheet digital becomes increasingly important. Two years ago Hunkeler was an independent family owned company. It still is, though the family has changed from Hunkeler to Muller as Muller Martini acquired its neighbour at the end of 2023.
Like Hunkeler, Muller Martini will be part of a number of lines around the exhibition. On its own stand it will be producing soft cover books, switching between formats and thicknesses. Heidelberg’s Jetfire 50 will print the pages feeding into a Hunkeler Starbook sheet folder then to a Vareo binder and Infinitrim robot trimmer.
Muller Martini will have the same Vareo binder connected to a Starbook plowfolder which in turn is linked to an HP Advantage 2200 inkjet press. This too will be producing softcover notebooks. Production can be deflected from the Brookline to rewind reel stands for non book products or if the line has a problem.
Saddle stitching for magazines and brochures is catered for by a Prinova Digital as standalone line.
The great rival to Muller Martini at the event will be Horizon. It will have a StitchLiner MkV saddle stitcher inline to a Canon iX3200 (the same machines as the Heidelberg Jetfire 50) for magazine and booklet production. Another StitchLiner MkV will be fed from a Hunkeler unwind unit producing fully variable booklet, with a separate cover and printed by a number of the exhibition’s participants. This will be led by Screen, but will also include Ricoh, HP, Kodak and Fujifilm.
In perfect bound books, there will be a BQ300 single-clamp perfect binder fed by a robot arm that will also lift the books to a conveyor for trimming on a HT300. This is also connected to a BQ500 four-clamp binder, also featuring robot loading.
These are static robot arms: there is also an AMR mobile robot to move work from Canon to a Smart Slitter. Horizon’s AFV566 folder will be part of a line demonstrating production of direct mail pieces on Hunkeler’s own area where it sits with a Hunkeler plowfolder.
In all here are 41 exhibitors under the finishing banner. Not all will be in live action with the key production print companies. Many will have static displays or with limited operation to show different facets of digital production. This is part of the reason for the expansion of floor space needed to include Hall 3 for catering and hospitality.
These will include photobook products, lightweight paper folding, inserting and mailing, and further book production represented by CP Bourg and Meccanotecnica showing how sewn sections can be part of the automated book line on its Universe Web and sheetfed machines.
Embellishment is covered by Harris & Bruno for coating and Scodix for what it does best.
British company Ibis intends to debut a version of its SmartBinder for handling pharmaceutical leaflets or labels. These will be printed by screen on 45gsm paper then cut and trimmed on a Hunkeler before reaching the Smart Label Binder. These are the extended content leaflets which are applied to drugs cartons and developed says Ibis after consultation with major label producers. As regulations increase, the expectation is that demand will grow by 11% a year.”
