The 12th edition of Hunkeler Innovationdays, to be held at Messe Lucerne from 20 to 23 February 2017, will see Domino Digital Printing Solutions partner with Hunkeler and IBIS to showcase a modular solution. The solution, comprising Domino’s K630i highspeed compact single-engine duplex inkjet press, can produce both book blocks and multi-page booklets.
“The book market represents a high growth opportunity for Domino, which means Hunkeler Innovationdays is the ideal platform to demonstrate the added value we bring to this sector,” explains Bryan Palphreyman, product manager at Domino Digital Printing Solutions. “There is huge demand for flexible technologies that not only facilitate high production output and are geared for rapid job change, but also minimize manning requirements and material waste. The modular solutions that Domino is putting forward answer these requirements.”
Highlighting its production efficiency, the web-fed Domino K630i monochrome printing press combined with Hunkeler’s double plow folder and high-performance cutting module will be converting paper rolls into two different-sized book blocks at Hunkeler Innovationdays.
When required, paper can be diverted from the cutter into an IBIS Smart Binder to produce variable multi-page, saddle-stitched booklets. This highly efficient production system can produce book blocks or booklets on demand. The compact size and small footprint of the Domino K630i press lends it the required flexibility to be integrated into a modular solution, while its variable production speeds of up to 150 m/min allows the high productivity required for printing in the book sector.
Explaining the benefits that can be achieved by the combination of these two technologies, Palphreyman says, “For a 3-up imposition, 210-mm long page book, in combination with the Hunkeler line, we can produce up to 1.4 billion pages per annum, which for an average 300-page book equates to 4.6 million books a year. It is an exceptional level of productivity that will no doubt appeal to both book printers and publishers.”
Gosport-based Ashford Colour Press Ltd. were so impressed with this solution that they became the first UK-based book printer to place an order for a Domino K630i. Since approximately a third of Ashford’s digital print volume is monochrome, they wanted to invest in a system that would allow them to print this work more cost-effectively. As it turned out, the K630i ticked all the important boxes: quality of output, running speed, ease of operation and compact footprint.
The modular solution’s ‘24/7’ rated production process is also ideal for booklet printing. With the printed web diverted to the IBIS binder, it can produce saddle-stitched booklets of up to 200 pages, at speeds up to 7,000 booklets an hour. “We are delighted that this solution has become part of the Domino product offering and have high expectations for the reception it will get at Hunkeler Innovationdays,” concludes Palphreyman.
