Finishing & Screen Printing
Muller Martini at Hunkeler innovationdays in Lucerne (February 14-17)
Thursday 06. January 2011 - New Growth Opportunities in the Graphics Market with the Primera Digital Saddle-Stitching System
Muller Martini will showcase a new and powerful digital printing production solution at the Hunkeler innovationdays event in Lucerne (February 14-17). The Primera Digital saddle-stitching system will be promoted with the slogan “Grow with Digital Solutions.” This industrial manufacturing solution opens up the market for full-color digitally printed magazines, periodicals and brochures.
Larger web widths and higher speeds, greater productivity, full color and a wider range of printable paper varieties – this high-output inkjet digital printing method was until recently used mainly in transaction printing and for printing mailshots. However, following its use for hardcover and softcover publications, it is now offering a wealth of new opportunities for saddle-stitched printed products. Run sizes for magazines, periodicals and brochures are currently falling but, at the same time, product variety is on the increase.
Processing times are also getting shorter and shorter. In addition, personalization of saddle-stitched products will increase dramatically in the future, as personalized products allow publishers (and advertisers!) to reach their target groups more successfully. This shift presents a number of challenges throughout the entire process – for printing, for the finishing process and for the workflow. And the more powerful digital printing systems become, the more challenging the finishing process will be.
Live Presentation of Three Different Demonstration Products
In view of this background, Muller Martini will be using the Hunkeler innovationdays event in Lucerne as a forum to demonstrate the advantages of a compact yet powerful solution for saddle-stitched, digitally printed products. The solution being demonstrated features an unwind unit and a sheeter from Hunkeler and a Primera Digital saddle-stitching system – this system offers a new and innovative processing folder with gathering station, as well as highly automated technology from the Primera modular system with a cover folder feeder, stitching machine and three-knife trimmer. A variety of products will be produced live, non-stop and on the fly. If required, a copy-specific cover can be fed in and applied to the relevant product.
“The configuration on show in Lucerne, with loading from the pre-printed roll, is just one possible application,” says Dragan Volic, Head of Marketing for Saddle-Stitching Systems and Digital Solutions at Muller Martini. “The system really comes into its own when finishing equipment from several printing presses needs to be loaded or when these presses are also used for other processes. Of course, the Primera Digital can also be used as an in-line solution, as it can cope with the high output levels of high-speed digital printing presses.”
The Primera Digital Offers All the Advantages of a Powerful Saddle-Stitching System
The Primera Saddle-Stitching System is ideally suited to digital solutions, as it offers the highest possible levels of automation and process reliability and features the modular system that is already familiar from conventional production methods. This system is already, and will continue to be, indispensable for digital inkjet printing. As well as being used for digital printing, the Primera Digital can also be fitted and loaded with signature feeders for conventional applications. All of the configurations that are possible with the Primera modular system are also possible using the Primera Digital. The system can therefore easily be used for both digital and conventional production. It is even possible to manufacture combined products, using digital and offset printing. To allow further finishing of the products, the line can be enhanced with additional elements such as inserting, film-wrapping and punching machines or a bundle-building system.
“Customers who decide to use a Primera for conventional finishing can count on the fact that this system can subsequently be integrated into a digital printing line at any time,” says Dragan Volic. “The modular design of Muller Martini systems thus supports elegant extension options. It provides customers with a secure investment by fulfilling both their current digital printing requirements and those of the future.”
Benefit from the Full Potential of Digital Printing
The Primera Digital can also be integrated into a Muller Martini SigmaLine complete system. The SigmaLine networks all processes, from the prepress specifications through to digital printing and finishing, in one complete system, enabling fully automated production in a single operation, from the roll to the finished printed product. This consistent linking of all subprocesses is the key to producing short runs extremely quickly and efficiently. Using this digital complete system, customers can reap the full benefit of Muller Martini’s extensive experience and expertise as the global market leader for in-line finishing processes in all areas of print finishing. This is true not only for saddle stitching, but also for softcover and hardcover solutions – powerful perfect binders such as the Pantera and the Acoro or the Diamant MC bookline can also be integrated into the complete system.
This means that, using the SigmaLine, hybrid saddle-stitching/softcover or softcover/hardcover solutions are also possible. “Muller Martini increases the options for traditional finishing,” emphasizes Dragan Volic, “and this means that digital printing can achieve its full potential. We are offering the graphics industry new growth opportunities.”
Complete Digital Networking Using the Connex Workflow System
Whether it’s saddle stitching with the highly automated, powerful and extremely configurable Primera, softcover production with the Acoro and Pantera perfect binder lines or hardcover production with the Diamant MC in-line bookline, the Connex digital workflow system developed by Muller Martini and used company-wide ensures seamless interaction and optimum control of all assemblies in all finishing processes. Connex forms the basis for the seamless integration of saddle-stitching, softcover and hardcover systems into the SigmaLine digital complete system.
Connex communicates with all the machines involved: it ensures high levels of safety and transparency during production, generates job data for all systems and facilitates sorting, grouping and planning of orders. These are indispensable assets, particularly given the trend toward increasingly small runs.
Another major benefit of Connex, upon which all Muller Martini’s new and future developments are based, is the close cooperation between Muller Martini and the world’s leading manufacturers of digital printing systems. This cooperation forms the basis for seamless integration of printing presses into the entire production systems workflow.
The new Muller Martini MMRemote online connection also reduces costs due to idle time, maintenance and servicing and reduces downtime by up to 50 percent. A direct line to the Muller Martini service team ensures good availability and productivity levels and is essential for financial success.