If you have a paper folding machine or are
considering buying one, it is extremely helpful to have an
understanding of how a paper folder works and the parts that are
involved.This article will provide a quick overview of
five components that are common to almost all paper folders and will
explain their role in the paper folding process.
If you have a paper folding machine or are
considering buying one, it is extremely helpful to have an
understanding of how a paper folder works and the parts that are
involved. By understanding the different parts used in the folding
process it is easier to troubleshoot problems and properly set up your
paper folding machine. This article will provide a quick overview of
five components that are common to almost all paper folders and will
explain their role in the paper folding process.
Input Tray: The first part that you will use in the
paper folding process is the input tray. This is where you stack the
sheets that you are going to need to fold. Depending on your folder the
input tray may hold a few sheets or may hold a few hundred sheets.
Almost all paper folder input trays have a skew adjustment to help you
make sure that you are feeding your sheets squarely into the document.
If your folded documents are not coming out square this is one possible
place to make an adjustment.
Pickup Roller: The first
part of the paper folding machine to touch your documents is the pickup
feed roller or rollers. This set of rollers is often larger than the
other rollers used in your paper folder. These rubber rollers are used
to pick up the sheets of paper from the input tray and feed them into
the folder. Almost all desktop folding equipment uses friction feed
rollers. However, some more expensive commercial grade paper folders
will use either air feed or suction feed to assist in feeding thicker
stocks.
Fold Rollers: After the document is picked up by
the pickup roller it is passed along to the fold rollers inside the
paper folding machine. These rollers help to keep the documents moving
in a straight path inside the machine. These rubber rollers are usually
smaller than the pickup roller and can wear out over time. These
rollers can also become less effective over time with the buildup of
paper dust. A simple solution of gentile soap and water can do wonders
to renew these rollers if they become covered in dust.
Fold Plates: Every paper folder will have one, two or more fold plates
depending on the types of folds that the folding machine is capable of
producing. The paper will be fed into these fold plates and it will hit
a stop at the end of the plate that will turn the paper around and
cause the paper to fold. Cheaper folding machines require you to
manually adjust the stop at the end of these fold plates. If you have a
folder with this type of configuration it is essential to get the plate
absolutely square for your fold to be straight. If you have a more
expensive folding machine the movement of the paper stops might be
automated or controlled by a simple knob. This makes the setup of the
paper folding machine much easier.
Output Tray: After the
document has traveled through the folder and through all of the fold
plates the folded document will be spit out of your folding machine
into the output tray. Depending on the model of folding machine you
have, the output tray may act like a conveyor belt or a bin. Conveyor
belt style folders tend to take up more room but are easier to use. Bin
style paper folding machines take up less room but on larger jobs your
documents can end up pushed inside of each other which can take time to
correct.
Hopefully after reading this article you have a better understanding of
how your paper folder works and the parts that go into folding your
documents. Next time you go to use your paper folder or your folder has
problems hopefully you will be better equipped to understand what is
happening and what part of the folder might need to be adjusted.
Jeff McRitchie is the designer and Director of Marketing for MyBinding.com. He has written over 100 articles on Paper Folding Machines, binding covers, binding supplies,laminators,laminating supplies,paper handling equipments,binders,index tabs, and shredders.
