Finishing & Screen Printing

Autobond Mini Laminator is Just the Ticket at Swedish Printer

Wednesday 19. January 2011 - Swedish printer Sandén, Scandinavia's largest producer of lottery and bingo tickets, has improved significantly the throughput of work in its finishing department following the installation of an Autobond Mini 74 TPHS. However, the first few weeks of the laminator's operation proved more challenging than expected, as service manager Mendo Damevski explains.

“The installation and demonstration went well but the Autobond engineer had only been gone for a few days when the person he had trained was involved in an accident. This was nothing to do with the laminator but it meant we had no operator! One other person in the factory had received a little training, and so together we went through Autobond’s manual for the Mini and between us we were able to run it – a good indication of how straightforward the Mini is to use.
“In addition to lottery and bingo tickets we produce an extensive range of cards incorporating variable security information, such as telephone cards, as well as promotional game cards, calendars and advertising material. Jobs are printed on our multi colour Heidelberg and Komori presses and much of the work is varnished. However, varnishing both sides requires a double pass through equipment, whereas the Autobond Mini 74 TPHS allows us to laminate both sides of a sheet in one pass. This represents a huge increase in productivity.”
The Autobond Mini is Sandén’s first move into laminating and Mr Damevski’s initial experience of Autobond’s models came from watching one running on YouTube. He was so impressed that he contacted the UK manufacturer to arrange a visit to the Derbyshire factory.
“Autobond incorporates within its laminators the best components from around the world, such as Heidelberg Speedmaster feed heads and Siemens electronics. You cannot fail to be impressed by how well made these laminators are, while Autobond’s manufacturing facilities are also extensive,” says Mr Damevski.
The Mini 74 TPHS purchased by Sandén is a thermal perfector with a rising pile, back separation, Heidelberg Speedmaster 74 feed head and a stacker. Autobond has recently redesigned its Mini laminators and these now have an even smaller footprint, making them extremely suitable where space is limited. The Mini will handle print from 90 gsm – 650 gsm and run at speeds of up to 60 metres per minute. The build construction enables a nip pressure of up to six metric tonnes, allowing successful lamination of print from litho and digital presses.
Sandén was formed in 1921 and employs 75 people at its printing plant in Eslöv. Around 65 per cent of its products are exported, with many of the bingo tickets, break-open tickets and scratch cards going to clubs and associations around Europe. Along with its sister company, E-Bingo, Sandén is part of the Lobi Holding Group.