Japanese post-press manufacturer Horizon has introduced the BQ-500, a four-clamp perfect binder that features a number of design and operational enhancements as well as support for the company’s IceLink automation and workflow software.

The new binder builds on its predecessors the BQ-470 and 480 to enable socially distanced operation and reduced touchpoints while supporting a broader range of run lengths, according to UK distributor IFS. Set-up is said to be faster and smoother, with 21 automated sections, from cycle and milling speed to roller height and guide positioning with a 999-job memory. Providing that book thickness does not vary by more than 5mm from one book to the next, the BQ-500 can bind 800 books per hour, dropping to 550bph if the difference is 64mm and 660bph with a 30mm variation.

Jason Seaber, technical sale director at IFS notes, ‘The above binding speeds, for variable thickness binding, are significantly higher than the binding speeds (for variable thickness) on the BQ-470 and when you combine these higher levels of binding productivity with an in-line HT-1000V variable three-knife trimmer, the BQ-500 & HT-1000V is the most productive binder and trimmer for book-of-one production in its class.’

To simplify operation, there is a light for at-a-glance machine status indication, plus a design that keeps all operator actions on one side of the machine. The BQ500 is pre-installed with Horizon’s Cloud-based IceLink workflow. This provides a web-accessible dashboard for production analysis, remote update and pre-emptive maintenance.

‘This latest evolution of Horizon’s highly successful series of four-clamp binders elevates automation and ease of use to new levels supporting greater productivity and efficiency,’ said IFS managing director Eric Keane. ‘Horizon’s team of engineers has reviewed and enhanced every element of the system from job input to delivery. Among the improvements are deeper scoring for a thicker cover, a new gluing mechanism, glue overflow detection, a faster nipping changeover and a switchable exit mechanism for thick book or PUR book production. The powerful combination offers any bindery a future-proof system for high quality and versatile service delivery.’

The BQ-500 is available immediately.