The Currie Group manufactures plastic spiral bindings under an exclusive Australian agency with Gateway Bookbinding Systems, a Canadian company that has developed Plastikoil, a leading plastic coil binding filament.
Peter Dubourg, production manager of the Plastikoil facility, which is located at The Currie Group Melbourne headquarters, says plastic spiral bindings are generally more flexible than wire bindings, enabling a book to be opened to a full 360 degrees and laid flat without damage or page loss.
The coil is available in either a 4:1, 5mm or 6mm pitch. The bindings do not abrade or corrode, are available in an extensive range of colours and are non-toxic, making them ideal for children’s books. And as a recyclable material, they are far more environmentally friendly than metal bindings.
Dubourg says falling prices have opened up a strong market for plastic spiral-bound books in the Australian education sector, as well as adding fluoro colours to some boutique stationery lines.
“There are specialised markets where it is critical that books and manuals are plastic-bound, as metal bindings can interfere with emergency or essential services operations,” he says.
The Currie Group is bundling its Plastikoil consumables line with its Plastikoil bindery hardware, including benchtop binding and inserting stations, electric punches, and coil cutters and crimpers.
“At the moment, insertion technology in the bindery is mostly offline but the development of digital workflows around output devices like the HP Indigo range of digital presses is changing all that. Once we break through some speed barriers, inline insertion will be a reality,” he says.
The small Plastikoil production facility at The Currie Group, with an operational staff of just three, might be expanded in the long term if the company embarks on the next phase -extruding its own filament. This would further reduce the manufacturing cost.
Says Dubourg: “Automatic inline insertion of plastic bindings will soon enable print shops to offer a comprehensive printing and finishing service for short-run, demand-driven jobs.”
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