Multigraf Eurofold Touchline CF375

Once upon a time, the cost of a piece of bindery kit, say, a laminator, was  too much for many printers to consider bringing in-house. But as prices have fallen, all sorts of bindery processes have moved within the grasp of the typical commercial print house. More and more printers have been taking a do-it-yourself approach to post-press processes that had traditionally been outsourced to a specialist trade finisher.

The phenomenon has been largely driven by shorter lead times from clients and the desire to retain more margin from individual print jobs. Other factors behind the trend have been ease of use, affordability and the smaller footprint offered by the latest generation of post-press kit. Historically, the high capital outlay would be compounded by the cost to employ and train a staff member on the equipment. It was an equation that just didn’t stack up for most printers.

How times have changed. Post-press kit can now be bought for a fraction of the relative cost of machines a decade ago. They’ve become much more flexible and are capable of handling jobs regardless of the printing method used. More importantly, they’ve become incredibly easy to use – plug and play, if you like. This combination of factors has helped attract printers, now willing to consider offering ever more complex post-press functions in-house. It has generated additional revenue streams for printers and equipment manufacturers who historically relied solely on trade finishers for their income.

The Touchline CF375 creaser-folder sums up the current trend. Made by Swiss manufacturer Multigraf, it was developed over a 10-month period in response to customer feedback and introduced it to the Australian market at PrintEx11, following its global debut at the Digi:Media show in Düsseldorf a month earlier. The Touchline is targeted at digital print operations that require creasing and folding of stocks up to 400gsm. It is being sold in Australia by GBC, which has been a Multigraf distributor for the past five years. It looks to have hit the gap in the market, with GBC selling the first unit to an Australian printer in June and completing the sale for another shortly afterwards.

According to Raj Dang, GBC’s director of business development for Asia-Pacific, one of the machine’s main attractions is its ease of use (in fact, it was christened ‘Touchline’ to reflect this). The machine has a “self-explaining” touchscreen controller offering direct and easy access to all available operations.

“You simply push the button and off you go,” says Dang. “Just enter the sheet length and fold type through the touchscreen and the machine creates all required settings automatically. No manual adjustments are needed.”

Multi-purpose kit

The machine can be used as an integrated creaser-folder, performing both functions in one pass, or as a standalone creaser when folding is not needed, or as a perforator if neither of these is required. This combination of single-touch automation and multiple application flexibility should make for a mouth-watering proposition, according to Dang.

Another key feature is Multigraf’s Swing-Bar system for creasing without cracking, explains Dang. 

“This new technology allows for the speeding up of the creasing process with an accuracy of 0.1mm, as the sheets take a continuous path during creasing. Both crease depth and crease width can be adjusted to cater for different stock weight and type. The top air suction feed is also unique compared with other machines as it allows a more reliable feeding and scratch-free on both uncoated and coated stock.”

The folding section of the Touchline uses Multigraf’s Pro-Knife system, which helps avoid marking and scratching. The knives, which are controlled electronically, are used as deflector bars that contact the leading edge only. According to the manufacturer, the machine’s extra-large diameter fold rollers ensure there is no deformation on the folded products whatsoever.

Targeted at short-run jobs, the Touchline can get through 6,000 A4 sheets per hour, running at top speed regardless of the number of creases and folds being applied. Its top-sheet feeding mechanism gives it improved handling on heavier stocks and it can tackle a maximum sheet size of 375x650mm. Other factors that will undoubtedly widen the Touchline’s appeal is the machine’s modest footprint of 1,850x600mm and its quiet operation, as it doesn’t require a separate air pump (it even comes on wheels so that owners can easily move it around the factory floor as desired).

At the delivery end, there are two different output levels. When users are creasing and folding, the finished product is delivered to the upper level onto an electric shingling delivery belt with auto settings. For creasing and perforating only, sheets are directed away from the fold rollers to a lower level delivery tray.

Customer response to the Touchline has been incredibly positive, says Dang. It attracted a lot of attention at PrintEx and the company fielded a number of visits in advance of the product’s official launch at GBC’s Sydney head office in August.

The competitive price point should have helped. The Touchline is available for $36,900+GST and comes with a 12-month warranty as standard. GBC offers comprehensive service contracts of up to five years with spare parts readily available from its Sydney office.

Closing the gap

The machine is also an ideal fit for GBC, says Dang.

“The Multigraf products fit well into our product portfolio closing the gap for commercial folding, creasing and perforation,” he says.

“We have done well with the product and endeavoured to promote this product on an ongoing basis.”

GBC has high hopes for the machine. Dang says the company is looking to sell at least 12 units by the end of 2011 and he’s confident that this target can be achieved, if not exceeded.

“We’ve sold two units already, with installation happening at the end of July as we are still waiting for stocks. Multigraf is ramping up production to keep up with demand.”

And this is just the start. Dang says the Touchline is the beginning of a new line of products from Multigraf that “leverages the company’s 30-year history of manufacturing folding and creasing machines“.

There’s little doubt that many of the new innovations in Multigraf’s R&D pipeline will be targeted at a similar audience as the Touchline. With few signs that the trend toward in-house finishing will abate soon, the manufacturer’s strategy seems sensible and potentially very lucrative.  

“I think the trend to finish in-house will continue, particularly in the digital market,” says Dang.

“Finishing equipment manufacturers have generally lagged in coming out with digital products and shifting from just mechanical machines to smart digital devices. But finishing firms are catching up and automated green button machines are slowly coming of age even though they are still in very nascent stage.”

 


 

Specifications

Max speed: 6,000 A4/7,200 A5 sheets per hour

Max sheet size:375x650mm

Feeder capacity: 100mm

Paper stock: 100-400gsm

Number of creases: 20

Min crease distance: 30mm

Number of folds: 2

Min fold length: 30mm

Max fold length: 500mm

Machine footprint: 1,850x600mm

Price: $36,900+GST

Contact: GBC Australia 1800 422 349, www.gbcaustralia.com.au

 


 

The Alternative

Morgana DigiFold Pro

Launched shortly after the turn of the millennium, the DigiFold marked a significant breakthrough. It was the first finishing machine capable of creasing and folding in one operation – you could (and still can) buy a creaser and link it to a folder but if you want a single piece of kit to perform both functions, there are only two machines available. Both have a similar spec, as is the price, although the DigiFold is more of a commercial proposition, according to Morgana managing director Quen Baum, thanks to its “heavy duty side frames, big motors and pumps”.

Global installations rank in the thousands – Baum says there are nearly 200 in Australia alone. Morgana recently ramped up activity in the region after former international export manager Andy Cooper joined local distributor Ferrostaal. Baum says sales of Morgana kit in Australia are now two to three times higher than before Cooper came onboard. The DigiFold has an easy-to-use SmartScreen panel that allows an unlimited number of jobs to be stored, making job recall easier. It employs Morgana’s patented DynaCrease technology, which eliminates tearing and cracking, says Baum.

Its flying knife technology also allows delicate digital stocks, cross-grained materials and heavy weight stocks to be folded without any of the scratching and marking caused with conventional folders, says Baum.     

Max speed: 6,000 A4 sheets per hour

Max sheet size: 700x385mm

Paper stock: 80-400gsm

Min crease distance: 40mm

Number of folds: 2

Min fold length: 70mm

Machine footprint: 2,020x680mm

Price: $40,690+GST

Contact: Ferrostaal 02 9338 3900 www.ferrostaal.com.au

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