Additional cover or Insert sheet feeder CIF-101

The CIF-101 Sheet Feeder is designed to feed an extra cover or insert sheet as part of a booklet assembled by the IBIS Smart-binder. The feeder is mounted on slide rails on top of a sheet transport conveyor (the assembly includes both items supplied as one unit).

The CIF-101 is used in conjunction with the standard Smart-binder cover feeder CIF-102. Both are identical feeders, but the assembly CIF-101 includes a second sheet transport conveyor below. CIF-102 cover feeder option does not include a sheet conveyor because this is part of the standard Smart-binder.

Insert or cover sheet pile
Sheet feeder CIF-101
Side register table
Sheet conveyor below
Start of CIF-102
cover feeder
assembly
Smart-binder stitcher
Smart-binder trimmer
Additional cover/insert
feeder CIF-101
Cover/insert feeder CIF-102
Smart-binder fitted with additional feeder CIF-101

The CIF-101 feeds sheets from the bottom of the pile using a rotating vacuum wheel. Air-blow nozzles mounted at the sides and rear of the feeder help separate covers from each other in the pile. Inserts may be reloaded on-the-run without stopping the Smart-binder.

The insert or cover sheet is independently side-registered so that the width does not have to be the same as the ‘content’ sheets. However the insert/cover sheets must be the same length as the sheets on to which they are fed (same spine length). Insert sheets that are longer or shorter than the other sheets in the book will cause some loss of print registration between sheets.

After side register, then the insert/cover sheets join the stream of other ‘content’ sheets, pass below the CIF-102 cover feeder and enter the Smart-binder scoring and folding module. Scoring pressure may be adjusted to minimise color-toner cracking. However, the optimum way to eliminate cracking of colour toner is to pre-crease the inserts.

The CIF-101 insert sheet feeder is controlled by a bar code digit on the content sheets coming from upstream. This allows the CIF-101 to automatically feed the insert or cover at the correct position required inside or outside the book.

A bar-code reader (or 2D code reader) is available for the CIF-101 feeder if feeding personalised inserts or covers. The CIF-101 feeder will then compare the unique ID number in the insert/cover sheet barcode to the ID number in the barcode on the incoming text content sheets. The Smart-binder can be programmed to either stop on a mismatch, or reject the booklet (without stopping) via the trimmer reject gate.

The insert feeder CIF-101 is capable of feeding sheets in the range 90 – 230 gsm (61 – 154 lbs offset or 24 – 61 lbs bond). Sheet weights outside this weight range should be tested before use to check feeding performance.

If feeding sheets from the CIF-101 insert feeder and making ISG cold-glued books, or if feeding an insert sheet into the center of a book (center spread), then there must be sufficient space between sheets coming from upstream into which to feed the insert sheet. If running in-line with a high-speed digitally-printed web, then this may mean that the web cutter must be programmed to pause momentarily, in order to create this gap. If feeding from a pile feeder, then the gap in sheet feeding can be created automatically by the Smart-binder feeder control system.

Refer to IBIS if needed to feed more than one insert or more than one extra cover in each book.

Inserts or covers with tear-off perforations may be run depending on the type and position of the perforations. Check with IBIS first if wishing to run perforated covers. Note that an optional ‘dynamic’ micro-perforation system (option DMP-100) is available for installation just before the Smart-binder folder. This may be used to automatically perforate insert sheets (and any other sheets) if not already pre-perforated.

Feeding a center-insert: the standard cover feeder CIF-102 may be used to feed an insert sheet inside the booklet in any position except in the center of the booklet. The CIF-101 insert feeder must be used if the insert is required in the center of the booklet.