SpineCoat and SideBead

At the beginning of November 2013, Robatech launched two new products on the market: SpineCoat and SideBead system solutions. The advanced, powerful PUR hotmelt adhesive application systems have set new standards for extremely precise glue application in the bookbinding industry. These guarantee the highest quality for perfect bookbindings every time.

With SpineCoat and SideBead application solutions, Robatech AG has developed two gluing systems specifically suited for retrofitting bookbinding machines and designed for the clean gluing of book spines. The modular structure – jets, adjustable holder and mounting plate – enable Robatech to customize the unit required specifically to the customer's needs for every retrofit.

The units designed for the PUR hotmelt adhesive are closed systems for precise glue application. The application heads are designed for books with a length of 100 to 500 mm. The level of performance depends on the book width, the book length, the thickness of the glue application and the speed of the application in books per hour. The maximum production speed is about 5,000 books per hour.

SpineCoat

The SpineCoat application head was developed especially for tissue-thin, repeatable glue application. The width of the coating can be set from 2 to 60 mm. An even coating across the entire book spine is ensured by the geometry of the slot applicator jet. The side guide guarantees clean gluing for the first and last pages and thus prevents these from tearing out. A negatively closing valve also assures a precise glue margin.

Illustration 1: SpineCoat application head

The technology of the PUR 35 MOD SpineCoat hotmelt unit is based on a highly dynamic servo drive combined with the volumetric material handling. The hotmelt unit is the optimal addition to the SpineCoat application head. The targeted system solution guarantees clean melting and volumetric pumping of the glue with intermittent application. The mounting plate for the SpineCoat application unit serves as a mechanical interface with the host machine. If a complete integration into the bookbinding machine is desired, it needs to be executed by a third party.

SideBead

The SideBead applicator head was designed for a fine bead application of PUR hotmelt adhesive on both sides of the book spine. The system unit is designed for book widths of 2 to 60 mm. The fine bead application takes place for each side of the book spine. A precisely applied bead of 1 mm diameter is guaranteed because of the precise jet technology combined with the PUR hotmelt unit RobaPUR 4 MOD. This and the adjustable holder assure a very precise and clean glue application.

Illustration 2: SideBead application head

The outstanding SideBead technology has no contact when gluing, which also prevents dirt on the perfect binding and the downstream triple-cut equipment and leaves no visible glue stripes. The mounting plate of the SideBead application unit also functions as the mechanical interface with the host machine. Completely integrating the existing bookbinding machine on a wagon or trolley needs to be executed by a third party.

Advantages

The new Robatech system solutions are compelling because of their reduced energy and glue use, which protects the environment and lowers operational costs. The thinner, even PUR hotmelt adhesive application also guarantees an overall resilience, very good lay-flat properties and high resistance to heat and aging, which assure long-lasting and high quality books.

The self-contained SpineCoat and SideBead application systems also help increase productivity. Cleaning and maintenance times are significantly reduced because there is less contamination. The shorter set-up times as well as the quick format change assure, in addition, that the systems are easy to use and user-friendly.

Furthermore, the adjustable holder guarantees optimal positioning of the application heads for the book backs and supports a simple integration in a large number of existing bookbinding machines.

With the SpineCoat and the SideBead system solutions, Robatech has succeeded in developing two powerful products for a complete bookbinding system designed for your production needs that guarantee the best results.