In 1997, Mekatronics installed the first of three machines that will totally automate the process of case construction in the library bindery. The first machine called Mek-A-Case, installed at Acme Bookbinding in April 1997 manufactures randomly sized covers at a speed of six covers per minute. The Mek-A-Case feeds and glues the cover material, rolls it onto the boards and the inlay, cuts and tucks the four corners, turns-in the four sides and presses the finished cover. When processing runs of identical covers the Mek-A-Case runs at eight covers per minute. Whether running single or multiple copies of a cover, there is virtually no set-up required by the operator.

The second machine called EZ-Cut is due to be delivered to Acme Bookbinding early next year. The EZ-Cut will accept a data stream of measurements from ABLE and will automatically feed an array of different colors and sizes of rolled cloth from a carousel to a cutting device. The result will be a stack of precisely cut cloth complete with a notch cut in the center ready for stamping on the Gem or System3. Keep in mind that this process will run completely unattended and will feed varied sizes and colors of cloth to suit the exact books on the production line.

The third machine called C³ (Cover Component Center) is also due out next year. It will collect data with a new measuring device, will produce the inlay and custom cut two boards. It will simultaneously feed information back to the EZ-Cut so that cloth can be cut and lettered just in time for case making on the Mek-A-Case. Remember that every book on the library binderís production line is unique.

The Mek-A-Case has been a collaboration of effort from its inception. Mekatronics in partnership with Kokkelink (a Dutch custom machinery developer) and NBD (Nederland)--a Dutch book manufacturer--undertook the development of the Mek-A-Case in 1994. Acme Bookbinding and Bridgeport National Bindery placed orders to buy machines before the design was even finished. The first prototype was delivered to NBD in February 1996 and has been producing short runs of identical covers (50 to 100 of each) daily for the past 18 months. Several quick program and mechanical adjustments must be made by the operator between jobs. These changes take less than two minutes. The Mek-A-Case at NBD produces roughly 3000 covers per day with a single operator working one shift.

The second prototype Mek-A-Case delivered to Acme Bookbinding in April 1997 is the first machine designed to produce randomly sized covers one after another without any computer or machine adjustments. The Mek-A-Case at Acme Bookbinding produces roughly 2000 covers per day with a single operator working one shift.

Acmeís Mek-A-Case was significantly modified from the prototype machine delivered to NBD. Our machine had to handle heavy cover material such as Group F Buckram used by library binders in the United States and it was intended to handle randomly sized covers made in succession rather than short runs of identical covers. To accomplish this a module was needed that custom cuts the corners of the cover material to the precise size required for each cover. This unit, called the mitering station, cuts away the cover material at a 45° angle to allow a neat tuck and a well-formed corner. Experience quickly showed that the mitering unit needed a sharp air blast at each of the four corners to blow away the excess cut-off, preventing them from jamming the cutting knife. We also learned that an intermittent spray of silicone was needed to keep the mitering knives clean and sharp.

These changes and many more were introduced step-by-step by Acmeís mechanical wizard Zeff Hanover. With feedback from the machine operators, Margarita Rodriquez and Manessa Ochoa, plus input from company owners John and Paul Parisi, Zeff worked closely with Mekatronics to solve each of the operational problems that can only be identified after a machine leaves the engineers and moves into production.

The arrival of the Mek-A-Case at Acme was a big event. Just getting the machine into position was a major undertaking because of its huge size. The machine measures 14í by 16í when assembled. It arrived in several large pieces filling an entire freight container. Once assembled by Dik Leneer, the engineer from Kokkelink, we began the training and debugging phase. As a reinforcement of my confidence in Mekatronics and Kokkelink, the second cover that the machine produced was perfect. This is not to say that there were not enormous problems encountered.

When the machine arrived a satisfactory polyvinyl acetate adhesive (PVA) had not yet been found to successfully turn-in heavy group F buckram. Persistent work by John Wisdom of Wisdom Adhesives and Chuck Cline of National Starch and Chemical eventually solved this problem after nearly a dozen PVAís were tested and refined.

The adhesive problem was compounded by the design of the glue tank. Initially it was an open tank located directly below the glue application rollers. In addition to a big clean-up job each night, this arrangement caused the glue to dry out and become lumpy because it was totally exposed to the air. A new glue tank redesign was suggested by Zeff and was supplied by Kokkelink. The new tank was closed with the glue pumped onto the top of the glue roller at a rate just sufficient to supply the needs of the machine. Excess adhesive dripped off the rollers, into a smaller catch pan and back to the external tank to complete the closed system. Since the glue was no longer exposed to the air it maintained its viscosity much better. Nevertheless, a precise glue viscosity is necessary in order to get an even coat of glue on the cover and neat, tight turned-in corners. The new closed system glue tank enabled the addition of a computer controlled viscosity system that regulates a drip of water and a mixer. When the computer senses that the mixer is spinning too slowly due to thick glue, the water drip is increased. When the mixer spins too quickly the water drip is decreased. This system keeps the glue consistency just right at all times without machine operator involvement.

Another problem was caused by the dust that is commonly found in the binderís board that American binders use. This dust clogged the air lines that pick up and carry the board, cloth and inlay paper. When the lines became clogged they did not pull sufficient vacuum to hold cover materials in place. This problem was solved by adding filters to all the air lines and, in one case, increasing the size of the pump.

Other problems were discovered as the machine was used for a wider variety of jobs. Keep in mind that the prototype machine tested in Holland at NBD was used only for short runs of identical covers made with light weight paper as the covering material. At Acme Bookbinding the Mek-A-Case was used to make the full range of library covers that the bindery processes each day. Continuous changes from small covers to large covers revealed another design flaw in the machine. Suction heads needed to pick up large size covers would get clogged with glue when processing small size covers. This problem affected the board transfer unit (the device that picks up the assembly of boards and inlay and marries them with the glued off cloth). An inlay is the paper that fills the spine between the two cover boards. Software changes were made to the timing of the action that rolls the cloth onto the boards and inlay. By releasing the vacuum earlier, suckers that were not in use would not get dirty.

There were dozens of other software problems that were identified and resolved step-by-step over a period of six months. For example, many security devices had been added to the machine for operator safety. A light curtain at the operator end of the machine prevents the operator from putting a hand into the moving machine. If the beam is broken the machine halts instantly. Unfortunately the computer did not tell the operator which safety was the cause of the machine stoppage. A small scrap of paper in the path of the light curtain once caused our machine to be down for nearly a full day until we discovered the problem. New software now identifies the source of a machine stoppage and displays a simple message on the computer display.

The Mek-A-Case is made up of three parts--a component feeding and gluing unit and a six station, rotary turning-in unit, and a pressing and delivery unit. The six stations of the rotary unit are:

1. Transfer to the rotary arm
2. Cutting each of the four corners at 45° (mitering)
3. Turning-in the top and bottom of the case
4. Knicking the four corners
5. Turning-in the left and right edge of the case
6. Delivery onto the outfeed conveyor

The process of making a cover on the Mek-A-Case is hard to describe and really must be seen but I will do my best. The machine operator places the inlay and two boards in the feeding table and presses two start buttons--for safety. The machine pushes the components into position while an encoder registers the size of the cover to be made from the cover parts that are on the table. The cover material is simultaneously picked up from a pre-stacked feeding tray by suction fingers, transferred to a drum and then rotated over a PVA glue roller to apply an even coat of adhesive. The board transfer unit brings in the boards and inlay and marries them to the glued cloth just as it is coming off the drum much the way that wallpaper is rolled onto a wall. This rolling action eliminates any problem of trapped air bubbles or curling. The cover then is carried by one of six arms to each of the six stations of the rotary unit. The computer sends the height and width dimensions progressively to each of the stations of the machine so that they can self-adjust to the precise size needed for that particular cover. The finished cover is finally dropped on the outfeed conveyor for pressing and stacking.

The truly amazing aspect of the Mek-A-Case is that it is simultaneously making six totally different size covers. It must be seen to be appreciated. No other case making machine in the world can do this.

Jack Bendror, president of Mekatronics, along with John Kokkelink and Dik Lineer of Kokkolink Engineering, Cor Epping of NBD, and Zeff Hanover and the rest of the team at Acme Bookbinding should be congratulated for a real joint effort. It is a pleasure to watch the Mek-A-Case run. The bottleneck that was always present in our case making department when it was staffed by nine operators using simple machines to make covers by hand is now gone. While some covers still must be made by hand, the bulk of our daily production is handled by one operator on the Mek-A-Case. Another example of the application of automation to control labor cost while maintaining quality.