Using Unibind Covers in Your Thermal Binding Machine

For years, the makers of thermal binding equipment have been spreading rumors that Unibind covers won’t work in a thermal binding machine. In fact, I was once told that thermal binding machines just don’t get hot enough to melt the adhesive in the Unibind machines. This is simply not true. In fact, if there is any problem binding Unibind covers in a thermabind machine it is that the temperature gets too hot. I have tried running some Unibind spines and covers in my thermal machine and these are a few of the things that I have discovered.

As I mentioned above, there have long been rumors that Thermabind machines don’t get hot enough to melt the glue for binding with Unibind supplies. However, in my tests, I found that this was not true. In fact, I tested a number of different thermal machines and none of them had a problem melting the glue. However, there were a few problems that I did note that you should watch out for.

1. Although none of the thermal binding machines that I tested had problems melting the glue, some did put out too much heat. Steel spines that were covered with a leatherette type finish were sometimes affected by this excess heat. This caused the finish to be melted or discolored on the steel spine. One model of machine that I tested had a variable temperature setting and worked better on the lower temperature settings. However not all thermal systems have this type of adjustment. When the machines had this problem the only two solutions that I found were to take the book out of the unit before the full binding time had expired or to use a piece of paper between the heat plate and the spine to protect the finish.
2. Some of the thermal binding machines that I tested had flexible pieces of plastic to help keep the documents tight inside the machine during binding. These work well with the Unibind spines. However, I had to be careful when removing the covers from the machine so that the spine did not get caught on plastic pieces. This was primarily a problem with steel back spines and not with steelbooks or steel crystal covers.
3. It is important to keep in mind that you are limited to the capacity of your machine when binding Unibind covers in your thermal machine. Many of the machines on the market will only accept a document that is one inch thick. This converts to a Unibind cover that is the maximum of 23mm or 25mm.

If you already have a thermal binding machine, this should open a whole bunch of new doors for you. Steelbook covers provide an option for binding hard covers and photo books without the need for a hard cover crimper. Plus, Steelback spines allow you to use your own custom printed covers with your thermal binding machine.

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Written by Jeff McRitchie
©2006 www.MyBinding.com