Approaches to Gathering and Palletizing the Folded Signatures of a Web Press

A web press executes the printing work on a roll of paper before it's cut. Envision the images from classic movies where newspapers glide along gigantic metal cylinders that's a web press.

A web press is a kind of printing press using a continuous roll of paper. This printing method is usually for creating magazine and newspaper publications. Web press printing is designed to meet high-volume and high-speed printing demands.

Web presses are utilized for extensive production runs of printed materials. Typically, magazines and newspapers are printed with web presses. Books, manuals, and calendars are also printed on them when the quantities are sufficient to make the production cost-effective.

In comparison to a sheet-fed press where single sheets of paper are fed into the press one by one, a web press is fed by a continuous roll of paper that flows through it.

Following the printing, the pages are separated, sized appropriately, and combined into the final product, like mass-market books, magazines, newspapers, catalogs, and brochures. Those desiring print runs exceeding 10,000 or 20,000 impressions usually choose the web press option.

Unlike sheet-fed printing which requires offline finishing equipment such as folding and cutting machines for the next steps, the web press often has in-line finishing capabilities like perforating, cutting, and folding. This allows for the production of finished products in one go, so the product is complete as it comes off the press.

So how to collect the folding signatures from web press, normally have two different ways for choosing:

Web Press Signatures Collecting, Stacking and Palletizing System

The Web Press Signatures Collecting, Stacking and Palletizing System, which incorporates a conveyor equipped with flat pressing and flapping capabilities, along with stacking sets and a palletizing robot.

The web press furnished with folding components is then linked to the web press stacker. The unceasing stream of folded signatures is gathered by the stacker. After that, the stacks of signatures are dispatched to the Web Press Signatures Collecting, Stacking and Palletizing System. Within this system, the signature stacks will be subject to flat pressing and flapping to guarantee alignment on both edges. The neatly arranged stack is then seized by the robot arm with a clamp and placed onto a pallet.

This system can reduce the need for at least 4 operators to complete this process. Moreover, the entire system is capable of handling the high speed of the web press, reaching up to 40,000 pieces per hour.

Web Press Signatures Collecting, Bundling and Palletizing System

For the folded signatures from the web press, in order to enhance the subsequent processes such as gathering, sewing, and binding, it is necessary for the signatures to be completely flat pressed. Therefore, the Web Press Signatures Collecting, Bundling and Palletizing System, which comprises an Automatic Vertical Pressing Delivery with Bundling Machine and a palletizing robot, is connected to the web press. The stream of signatures will be stacked and bundled. The signature bundles will then be grasped by the robot arm with a clamp and palletized onto a pallet.

This Automatic Vertical Pressing Delivery with Bundling Machine is made for gathering folded signatures. It vertically accumulates the folding signatures, flattens and flaps the stack systematically, and then feeds them into the bundling station. It automatically inserts partition plates at both ends and ties the stack with a 3000N force. It's a fully automatic delivery system for mass-producing folding signatures, removing the necessity for human labor and realizing a wholly intelligent and automated folding process. Its speed suits all web press brands and can hit up to 40,000 pieces per hour.

Consequently, there are two distinct methods available for collecting and palletizing the web press printed and folded signatures.