The Importance of Dust Jackets in Today’s Book Industry

When it comes to book publishing, the dust jacket has become an indispensable component for booksellers, publishers, and authors alike. These protective covers not only offer a professional appearance for books but also provide an ideal medium for promotional and advertising messages.

As the printing industry evolves, the need for efficient and reliable machines to produce dust jackets has become more critical. This is where Kolbus comes in, with their SU 651 machine, providing a high degree of operating reliability and robust design to integrate seamlessly with in-line production lines.

One of the essential features of the SU 651 is its flexibility in handling books arriving from the book flow line in either a flat or upright position, depending on the design and layout of the book. The machine can also accommodate manual feeding with an extended feeding belt.

The cycle module of the SU 651 separates the books into a row and feeds them into the machine at the chosen speed. The machine has an automated supply of dust jackets from a non-stop feeder with stacking magazine, allowing for safe and gentle sheet separation from below by means of a cycled vacuum belt.

The book is positioned in an upright position by the guide slots along the side edges and parallel pushers aligned with the rear edges of the sheet. This precise alignment helps to ensure the accuracy of the snug-fit of the dust jacket on the book, accomplished through a grooving station that creates a permanent groove in the jacket.

In addition to the grooving station, the machine offers a book-opening device that separates the covers from the book block and the end sheet. The flap turning station turns over and fixes the flaps of the jacket around the edges of the book cover, with separately driven rollers featuring precise alignment of the turned-in flaps.

During transport, the cam-controlled closing device supports and guides the jacketed book throughout the entire process, closing the book with the jacket flaps folded in, depending on the equipment variant chosen. The finished jacketed books are deposited onto a transport belt, with the spine first either to the right or left, depending on the selected equipment variant.

With all major adjustments made by means of spindles and band wheels outside of the guarding, this machine's concept allows for adjustments during production, enabling the shortest possible set-up times with the pre-adjustment system's digital position displays per axis.

In conclusion, dust jackets continue to play a crucial role in the book industry's promotional and advertising messages, and Kolbus's SU 651 has become a go-to machine to ensure efficient and reliable processing of these critical book components.