In a straight like-for-like replacement Precision Printing has invested in a Horizon StitchLiner 5500 with two VAC-600H 12 station high-pile tower collators supplied by Intelligent Finishing Systems. The system also includes a HOF-400 High-speed Sheet Feeder and CF-400 Suction Cover Feeder.
“It was a direct replacement for the old Horizon system,” says Andy Skarpellis, Group Chief Operating Officer of the Barking operation that handles an average of 90 jobs in any 24-hour period. “We bought our previous StitchLiner 11 years ago and it has probably been the most stable machine that we have ever owned. So why change something brilliant?”
Skarpellis did look at the other solutions on the market before choosing the Horizon. He explains: “Other systems manufacturers are catching up but they are not like the Horizon StitchLiner. For short run automation it is phenomenal. It is a stable system and a solid piece of kit that we can’t live without.”
The fully-automated 11,000bph Horizon StitchLiner 5500 includes a high definition icon-based colour touchscreen for set-ups in less than two minutes. The key to the StitchLiner’s enduring popularity is its ability to work from flat four-page sections, eliminating the need for separate bindery stages to be undertaken such as signature folding and guillotining. Its integral ACF-30 Accumulator with scoring, plow-folding and heavy-duty HTS-30S Three-Knife Trimmer means there is no need to pre-fold into signatures or pre-cut sections top and tail – resulting in significant time, waste and energy savings.
Adds Skarpellis: “One thing we have added is the HOF-400 High-speed Sheet Feeder to take pre-collated sets/books. For runs above 48 pages it can feed with or without the barcode reader or optical mark reader for variable page booklets. It will help us step things up. We can automatically feed pre-collated stacks of printed sheets rather than manually filling each collating bin hopper.”
The software developments on the latest StitchLiner will also support Precision’s production vision: “We are going to be looking at automating data through OneFlow Systems because we have seen an increase in trade booked via the website www.wherethetradebuys.co.uk which we support for short run, digital, and medium run, Litho, work with same day SLA’s.”
Precision also invested in a Horizon APC-610 Hydraulic Paper Cutter. It features a maximum cutting width of 61cm and a maximum lift height of 10cm. The APC-610 includes advanced set-up automation through a user-friendly 10-inch icon-based colour touch-screen that displays all settings necessary for automated setup.
