PRESS RELEASE

23rd February 2007

WATKISS INCREASES STAND SPACE AT Northprint 2007

Watkiss Automation is exhibiting at Northprint ’07 on stand M435. The company has increased their stand space by a third, in order to demonstrate a complete range of booklet making and collating equipment for offset and digital print applications.

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Highlight of the stand is Watkiss’ innovative complete book making system, the Watkiss PowerSquare™ 200. Watkiss will be exhibiting two PowerSquare™ machines. One will be online to the high production Océ Varioprint 6250 printer – a production line which will span the adjoining Océ and Watkiss exhibition stands. The other PowerSquare™ will be operating offline.

The PowerSquare™ produces stitched SquareBack™ books up to 200 pages thick. It is designed for high volume digital print applications. The maximum book thickness of 10mm is double that of alternative conventional booklet making machines, making it ideally suited to higher paginations or to thicker stocks. This makes the PowerSquare™ 200 a fast and cost effective alternative to perfect binding or tape binding.

Watkiss are also showcasing the Watkiss DigiVAC collating and finishing system. The DigiVAC is the world’s only top-loading, bottom feeding, continuous-running vertical tower collator.

The DigiVAC operates non-stop, with no downtime for reloading. Running constantly at a steady pace gives higher productivity than running at high speeds in short bursts. Non-stop running also means that the paper stack is constantly aerated and so the feed is more reliable. And, when the feed bins need reloading, the operator can easily see which stock should be loaded in which bin, and so loading errors are eliminated. With other collators, constant running can only be obtained by linking bins or programming towers in ‘blocks’ to switch over when bins run empty. As a result, twice the number of bins or towers is required - with the DigiVAC it is not necessary to purchase extra bins or towers to obtain constant running.

Other exhibits include the Hydrocut 520 guillotine and the Lamibind 420 perfect binder. The Hydrocut 520 is a programmable guillotine which features a 52cm cutting width, hydraulic operation, adjustable clamp pressure and full electronic light guarding. The Hydrocut 520 offers a professional specification for only £7,250.

The Lamibind range of free-standing single-clamp hot-melt perfect binders operate on spine lengths up to 420mm, they feature vacuum extraction, automatic clamping, and produce up to 260 books per hour. A book notching wheel is standard, with the option to upgrade to milling if required.

Regular visitors to Northprint, who are accustomed to finding the Watkiss stand in Hall C, should note that the company’s new stand location (M-435) is just inside the main entrance doors for Hall M.

Northprint takes place at the Harrogate International Centre, April 24-26th 2007. It is the perfect venue for anyone with an interest in mainstream graphic arts and digital print to see the very latest technologies and developments in their industry.

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Press Contact
Jo Watkiss
Watkiss Automation Sales Limited,
Watkiss House, Blaydon Road,
Sandy, Beds. SG19 1RZ England
Tel.: +44 (0)1767 685710
Fax.: +44 (0)1767 689901
Email: jowatkiss@watkiss.com

Notes for editors
Watkiss Automation Ltd. is a wholly family owned and managed company which has been designing and manufacturing innovative collating equipment since 1974. Design and manufacturing facilities are located in Sandy, Bedfordshire (UK). The company has been the recipient of two British Design Awards and the Queen’s Award for Export Achievement. The principal product ranges, the Watkiss Vario and Watkiss DigiVAC Collating and Finishing Systems, the Watkiss BookMaster and Watkiss SpineMaster are exported to over 60 countries worldwide.