14.02.2023 / Alexander Kraitsch

The Ventura MC-Family – Thread Sewing in Perfection

Bookbinders dream of having densely stitched book blocks, every sheet in the right place and at the highest production output. The Ventura MC 160, Ventura MC 200 and Ventura MC Digital thread sewing machines from Muller Martini make these dreams come true. They produce outstanding sewing quality with reduced power consumption in recent years thanks to technological innovations.
 
In 2016, Muller Martini harmonized the Ventura family, whose hallmark features include sewing without a blank stitch, sewing with a staggered stitch, servo thread tension, active cutting system and thread welding. Not only have the mechanical parts been reduced, but also the associated susceptibility to wear. This is because the decoupled drive concept makes it possible to park axes that are not in use.
 
In addition, the drive concept has been revised towards a complete servo drive. All drive axles share a common DC link storage unit, which means that the energy generated when braking one axle can be used to accelerate another axle – without drawing additional power from the grid.
 
Up to 42 percent less power consumption
Energy consumption has been reduced by up to 42 percent compared to older machines. Against the background of the current high energy prices, the power consumption of machines is playing an increasingly important role for graphic arts companies. Depending on the production site and production figures, several thousand euros can be saved annually on electricity costs per Ventura MC.
 
In the course of the years following harmonization, the Ventura MC family was permanently optimized. The innovations came both from within the company and following feedback from customers. Part of the optimizations form some of the machine's USPs, which include features such as Smart Tension (servo thread tension), MM Vision and TWEEN.
 
Easy changeover of thread tension at the touch of a button
Smart Tension makes it easy to change the thread tension at the touch of a button and "on the fly". The machine does not have to be stopped for this, nor is a time-consuming and complicated mechanical changeover required. Since the thread tension is controlled by a servo motor, mixed production – consisting of 16- and 8-pages signatures – is possible. This means that tears can be avoided while maintaining product quality. This patented feature makes the Ventura MC a unique solution on the market.
 
In addition to the Asir 3 sheet opening and sequence control system, Muller Martini introduced MM Vision in 2016, a further, much more flexible system. This has been very well received in the market and, in addition to more flexibility, also offers a digital feature in the conventional machine. MM Vision enables the VDP (Variable Data Printing) function, which allows the machine to automatically produce book blocks with different numbers of signatures in one job. Here, the information contained in the barcode dictates the number of signatures in a product during the production run.
 
Another Muller Martini patent is TWEEN. This function makes it possible to process signatures that are shorter in both length and width within a product and to position them freely in the book block.
 
Other optimizations include the revision of the pneumatics, including their accessibility, and the improvement of user-friendliness through general support in menu navigation in conjunction with the job and setup wizards.
 
VenturaConnect for high efficiency
To make the production of thread-sewn book blocks and brochures even more economical and flexible, Muller Martini offers the VenturaConnect automatic gathering and thread-sewing system. This automated system connects the ZTM 3692 or ZTM 3694 gathering machines with up to three Ventura MC 160/200. In addition, it acts as a buffer and always provides the integrated book sewing machines with an optimum supply of signatures. This significantly increases the efficiency of the overall system and minimizes production costs.
 
The conventional book sewing portfolio from Muller Martini is rounded off by the inline and solo-capable VFN 700 spine nipping press. It is used to reduce the spine build up on thread-sewn book blocks.
 
Well equipped for the digital market with the Ventura MC Digital
Because the digital market is also increasingly influencing thread sewing, Muller Martini has another model in its range in the form of the Ventura MC Digital. Thanks to it, you can respond to the new market challenges in thread sewing.
 
With its system modularity, the Ventura MC Digital is a unique solution in this segment. The different feeder variants enable you to cover almost any application. From flat pile feeders to pallet feeders, everything is represented in the sheet-fed sector. If further processing from the printed roll is planned at a later stage, the machine can be equipped accordingly with a hybrid feeder. In this way, further processing from the pile is possible in the first step and an upgrade to roll processing is possible. The solution then only needs to be upgraded with the Hunkeler unwinding and cross-cutting device – and production from the reel is already guaranteed.
 
Together with the Plow folder DFL A361 and the Stahlfolder TH 66 folding unit upstream to the thread sewing machine, including the hybrid feeder from Heidelberg, variable folding allows a wide variety of folding schemes to be performed automatically using cross and length folding. Depending on paper weight and paper type, it is possible to variably fold, collect, and process F12 and F8 folded sheets.
 
2-in-1 solution with high investment protection
With the Ventura MC Digital Web-fed solution, the hybrid feeder also enables production both from the pile and from the reel. To do this, the feeder only needs to be equipped with a sheet board in a few simple steps. This is a 2-in-1 solution that offers maximum flexibility in terms of production. Such a solution is unique on the market and ensures a high level of investment protection.
 
In addition, the combination of 12- and 8-pages enables the minimum page jump of 4 pages to be realized and up to 100 percent higher output to be achieved compared to 4-page production. Sequence control, together with completeness control after pre-gathering, ensures that no errors occur during production. This double product control eliminates errors of any kind.
 
Yours,
Alexander Kraitsch,
Product Manager Thread Sewing, Muller Martini
14.02.2023 Alexander Kraitsch Produkt Manager/Marketing