Automatic gathering and sewing lines are the most efficient solution for producing thread-sewn books, minimizing production costs.
The outlook for the printing industry’s future shows promising data thanks to a reader’s positive attitude towards print and physical books. Over the next years, there will be significant opportunities for book manufacturers but also some challenges, mainly related to management issues such as the lack of skilled personnel and the increasingly high production costs.
The integration of the finishing processes brought by the Uniplex and Multiplex lines addresses these challenges increasing productivity, reducing the workforce, and lowering the unitary cost of the book. These automatic gathering and sewing lines provide the most efficient way of producing books, eliminating intermediate handling and non-productive processes such as storage and transport of pre-gathered signatures.
Uniplex combines 4-station gathering modules connected to one automatic book sewing machine such as asterPRO, asterPRO52, or asterTOP, while Multiplex allows to connect up to three automatic book sewing machines.
The format change-over on the gathering line is easy and quick. The width of the hoppers is set simultaneously according to the signature spine length. At the same time, the transport channel, the stacker at the delivery of the gathering machine, the feeding station, and the gripper require no manual set-up.