Innovative mechatronic approach to redesign a punch and bind machine

Abstract

This paper focuses on the redesign of an innovative punch and bind machine. Business machines can be integrated with recent technology that enables productivity and efficiency. Integrating smart technologies in the existing traditional business machines will ease the evolution of these systems. The creation of a pilot platform is required, which enables further developments on servitization. In order to ease and increase the office document binding rate, as well as reduce the probability of errors to occur, efforts were made to develop a measuring system which allows the correct measurement of the document and simultaneously specify the appropriate binding spine. Developments were made in a system that allows the inserted spine verification. In addition, a system for automated document binding, with the correct position of paper sheets was developed. The integrated platform allowing communication between all systems is presented. The new system has several advantages in both its hardware design and its underlying sensors, providing a significant improvement in performance and upgradability over existing systems. The mechatronic system combines mechanical position sensing with electronics implementation of the hardware and the basic algorithms. This solution consists in a system that allows the punch and bind optimization of a range of sheets of paper, plastic or other materials.