Edge chipping on perfect bound books

[tomatron]

We print this small coupon book every year and always get edge chipping on the spine of the covers C1S 10pt. The job is run as double digest and the covers are printed on our HP Indigo. The knives on the binder were changed out before starting the job so they were nice and sharp. 2 years ago was the only time that we had virtually no edge chipping on this job and we have no idea why???

 

[Tricerimotor]

Not sure if you've solved this since but we saw a similar issue and discovered that there is usually a small scoring blade the nips the spine before the blades come down. We replaced those and haven't had a spine chip since. Good luck.

 

[Stickman42]

Not sure if you've solved this since but we saw a similar issue and discovered that there is usually a small scoring blade the nips the spine before the blades come down. We replaced those and haven't had a spine chip since. Good luck.

What type of equipment are you using to trim?

 

[dabob]

do the covers pass the 'tape test" - We had indigos for 12 years and the adhesion was always a concern and their technology would lend itself to chipping.

 

[Tricerimotor]

What type of equipment are you using to trim?

Kolbus Bind with an HD 151 trimmer.

 

[Stickman42]

Kolbus Bind with an HD 151 trimmer.

We are using something different, a hand-fed Horauf trimmer. Would you be able to post a pic of this scoring knife? I'm very interested in how it works. Thanks.

 

[davidspiel]

We had the same problem with one of our customers. Either you have to have a large gutter between the books or bind them one up. If your machine can't handle such a small size, take a look at our Sterling Digibinder:

http://spielassociates.com/perfect-binders.html

David Spiel
Spiel Associates, Inc.
45-01 Northern Blvd.
Long Island City, NY 11101
718-392-7900
[email protected]
www.spielassociates.com

 

[WhatsInaname]

We are using something different, a hand-fed Horauf trimmer. Would you be able to post a pic of this scoring knife? I'm very interested in how it works. Thanks.

Stickman42 - Hi do you still have your Horauf? Can you send me a photo? I know this post is a very long time ago. I have a question regarding our Horauf, and I'd like to know if they are similar. - Monique

 

[Stickman42]

I no longer have the Horauf trimmer. I replaced it with an Accutrim from Colter & Petersen and wound up getting a second one to have as a backup. Good machine, basically the same operating principle.

Here's an internet photo of the Horauf model I did have:

 

[SmithFinisher]

I've done extensive testing on this issue. We are usually using 80lb cover and tested several different things. The main variable we found to produce a change in this issue is the paper itself. We tried pre-slitter knives, different presses, new blades, etc. For example, when we switched from Pacesetter to Topkote using the exact same machine settings, it went away. I will say that paper has also changed in recent years and it's been harder to find high quality paper. Making sure the spine glue is fully cured before trimming, sharp blades and pre-slitter knives can reduce the severity of the issue but the only way I've found to eliminate it is to change the cover paper.