Horizon BQ280PUR perfect binder

Digital print specialist Rapidity Communications says it has invested in smooth, efficient and effective production with the purchase of a Horizon BQ280PUR perfect binder and Foliant Gemini laminator.

The two units were bought from IFS to ensure operation is as lean as possible inline with the company ethos. 

Ben Manning, director, said, ‘We had a Horizon BQ470 four clamp binder and a Horizon StichLiner book production line. ‘They are strong reliable workhorses and our staff are very comfortable operating them. Being part of the family the BQ280 PUR has a similar touch screen interface and so we were confident it would easily fit into the workflow.’

The 500 bph BQ280 features automatic nipper height control, smoother PUR book delivery, on screen adjustment height control for glue rollers and spinner, and adjustable pressure above both scores. 

The single clamp binder was chosen to add PUR binding to the company’s service offering without the need to change glue tanks on the BQ470. ‘There is a lot of interest in PUR bound work and we wanted to offer it as an inhouse service rather than sending it out,’ commented Mr Manning. ‘We have a policy of not turning work away and so wanted to be able to deliver this in house so we no longer had the overheads in outsourcing or the time constraints. Now work can be door to door in a much shorter time-frame. We like to get the job out of the door as quickly as possible and the BQ280 will enable us to do that.

As for the reason behind the choice of a single clamp binder to join the four clamp binder Mr Manning stated, ‘We didn’t want to be interchanging glue tanks because of the time that can take. We wanted to be able to have two dedicated lines which would help keep production times tight.’

After installing its first laminator the volume of throughput had grown to such a point that the company required another system to handle the increased demand. Mr Manning also took the opportunity to enable two types of lamination finishes to be completed at the same time, again removing set up times.

He added, ‘We are always looking for ways to produce work quicker. With the second laminator we can have one running matt stock and the other gloss. That way there is no need to keep changing over.’