Folding machine - a machine that is used in almost all printing enterprises. This machine allows you to fully mechanize a process such as folding.
Folding Units
Currently, there are two fundamentally different types of folding machines. The first type is knife machines, and the second type is cassette devices. However, there is also a third type of units, however, it does not differ in anything fundamentally new - it is just a combination of the two previous types of machines.
The most important difference between these two types is that bending occurs according to fundamentally different schemes. The knife fold machine forms a bend of the sheet with the help of two rollers rotating towards each other, as well as a blunt knife. The principle of operation of this device is quite simple. A dull knife hits the sheet in the right place, thereby forming the place of the future fold. This operation also simplifies the further capture of the sheet by rollers. After the fold passes through the rollers, the bend site becomes very tight.
Cassette and combination machines
If we talk about folding machines of the cassette type, the formation of the fold is carried out using two rollers and a cartridge instead of a blunt knife. The principle of operation of this unit is also very simple. The feed rollers bring the sheet all the way to the cassette. Immediately after the leaf reaches this point, it stops moving forward. However, the rollers still continue to push through a sheet of paper. As a result of this operation, a deflection of the sheet is formed in the place where the fold will be. The process of ironing and sealing the seam in this type of machine is carried out in the same way as in the knife.
Combined folding machines work in such a way that one of their sections is a copy of the knife machine, and the second section is a copy of the cassette unit.
Role machines
It is worth noting that there is another type of folding machines - these are rotary machines. However, the principle of their work differs significantly from the two previous ones. The biggest difference is the folding quality. Notebooks issued by such an aggregate are usually of inferior quality. This drawback is explained by the fact that the rotary folding machines operate at too high speeds, which does not allow to achieve the coincidence of the bands in the notebook on adjacent pages.
However, it must be understood that both cassette and knife assemblies also have their drawbacks and advantages. The advantages of knife types of machines include the fact that they always provide high accuracy of the finished product, which allows you to comply with all the technical requirements that apply to folded products. In addition, the accuracy of the operation does not depend on the density of the paper.
The advantage of the cassette machine is that the location of the folds in the notebook will also have high accuracy. This indicator also guarantees high accuracy and minimal deviations that can be tolerated. However, everything relates only to the process in which certain types of paper will be used.
Brands of units
The separation of all units by their brands is carried out into large-format and small-format. Large-format units include brands such as single-tetra knife machines F-1 or BFA-2. To small-format units, such a brand as the FC-30 cassette machine can be attributed. It is also worth noting that each of these machines is intended for a separate type of work. FK-30, for example, is intended only for folding sheets for bookends or covers. But the large-sized F-1 and BFA-2 can perform up to four bends.
Some brands of combined machines, for example, FKN-60, also stand out. This unit is intended for perpendicular folding with four folds. Since this type of machine is combined, the first perpendicular bend is carried out according to the principle of operation of the knife machine, but the next three bends are carried out according to the principle of a cassette machine.
Folding machines
There are many different configurations of folding machines, which can also vary in size, performance, etc. However, there are structural details that are present in absolutely all units. These parts include feeder, folding sections, receiving modules.
Currently, in the best folding machines only two types of feeder are used - it is flat-stacked, round-stacked.
The first type of feeder feeds sheets from a flat pile that is installed on any plane. To feed sheets into a machine of this type, there is a system that includes three mandatory elements: a stacking table, a sheet separation system, and a sheet feeding system.
It can also be noted that there is a variety of such feeders, which is called a pallet. A pallet feeder allows you to load a stack of paper into the machine on a small pallet that fits into the unit's receiver.
Guk machines
One of the companies that manufactures these machines is the HP Indigo Digital Press. They produce professional folding equipment with the name GUK Falzmaschinen. Folding machines Guk are characterized by certain parameters:
- The first thing that can be distinguished is the easy docking of such parts as a feeder, a fold, additional devices. In addition to the fact that these parts are easily interconnected, they are also easily synchronized with the control system.
- There is an automatic adjustment to the sheet format. This feature is present on most feeders.
- The productivity of these devices is very high - about 40,000 work cycles are carried out within an hour.
- The production and processing of folding rollers is carried out according to a special technology, which uses high-strength steel, as well as polyurethane rings.
- The implementation of the perforation process in the cassette station, as well as in front of the second and third knife.
- The knife control in these machines is fully electronic.
Folding and gluing machine
Currently, there is a company called BOBST, which has been manufacturing this type of machine since the distant 1942. The first unit of this company is PCR 382. Starting from this machine and to this day, the company has a large research headquarters, as well as development work. All of these units are aimed at improving existing folder-gluing machines.
It is worth noting that the folding process is one of the necessary and most important processes in the printing industry, which is referred to as post-printing processing. However, if mechanized aggregates are used now, manual folding machines were previously used. But it is worthwhile to understand that human productivity is many times lower than machines. In addition, a person is not able to carry out the necessary number of operations in a certain period of time. Therefore, manual versions of these machines are used only for specific purposes and for a very limited edition of a publication.
Additional features
The development of technology has led folding machines to acquire additional capabilities. There was the possibility of bonding with ordinary glue, glue for temporary fixation, punching, creasing, etc. However, it should be understood that the more the device can, the more expensive it will cost. The price of a folding machine starts at about 4,000 rubles and can reach 2-3 million. The cost of the unit depends on a set of functionality and performance.