Akiles DuoMac 321 2:1 and 3:1 Pitch Wire Binding Machine
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Product Description
Product Details
- With two independent punching die sets, this versatile & easy to use combo binder allows you to punch & bind multiple systems and or different pitches.
- Punch handles
- Punch Throat & Ruler
- Depth Margin Control: Provides the correct punch margin depth for each wire/comb size. Maximizes document tear resistance.
- Open Punching Throat & Continuous Punching Guide: For an easy alignment & punching of longer documents.
- Wire Closer Control: With continuous adjusting scale for an exact and secure closure every time
- Master Selector: Determines the correct: Wire Diameter, Closing Position, Depth Margin & Wire Pitch
- Diameter Scale: Measures document's thickness in order to select best wire/comb size option.
- Wire Holder: Holds wire in place for easier inserting of sheets
- Waste Drawer
- Vertical Wire Closer
- Side Margin Control: Provides and evenly Centered punch for all document sizes.
- Die Disengagement Pins: All dies can be independently disengaged, allows punching of any size document while preventing partial side-end perforation
- Wire Closer Handle
- Comb Opener Handle
- Heavy-Duty design by CAE (Computer-Aided Engineering) technology
- Perfect for Bindery, Print Shop, Copy Center, Corporation, Advertising Agency, School, Office and more!
- Don't forget to choose from the wide selection of AKILES textured & color-coordinated Polycovers & Coil, Wire or Plastic Comb binding elements, to ensure your documents have a lasting impression!
- FREE coil crimpers with any Coil combination.
- Comb Spreader with any Comb combination.
- Built-in Wire closer with any combination.
- Electric inserter sold separately
- Comb combination is compatible with Spiral-O wire binding spines
- Single punching capacity: up to 20 sheets (20lbs paper/ letter size)
- Single punching length: 14" (13" for coil) - with Open Ends for longer sizes
- 100% disengagement dies - wire & comb (5 for Coil)
- Weight: 64lbs
- Manufacturer's Warranty: 1 Year Manufacturer's Warranty
Demonstration Video
Welcome to MyBinding video. Today we look at the DuoMac 321, a 3:1 and 2:1 wire binding system by Akiles. Let’s watch it in action and bind a book with 3:1 wire.
First, set the side margin control knob so that all punches are consistent throughout your project. To avoid half holes or punches that are too close to the margin, simply pull out one of the disengageable die pins. You can set it for whatever size paper you need. With the open throat design, there really are no limitations. According to the thickness of your book, you may want to adjust the depth of margin control knob as well. This will affect both the look as well as the stability of your document. With all your settings set, let’s begin. Let’s start with the covers and punch all the way through. Then continue through the rest of your document, punching in batches of 20 sheets of 20lb paper or less. With all your punches made, assemble your book. It’s time to bind. To help you in spine selection, use the grooves on the front of the machine. Slide your book into there and it will tell you just the size spine you need. And this would be a good time to adjust the dial on the right to make the stop for the closer the same size as your spine. A simple trick in wire binding is to flip the back page over so that it faces the front page and the seam will be hidden inside the book. Hang your spine on the fence in the front of the machine and then thread your project over the teeth of the bind. Lift the whole thing off the fence and have the “C” shape of the open bind go down inside the closer. Then, close it all the way until it stops automatically with the setting you made and your book is done. The seam is on the inside back cover and you’ve got a great-looking book. And there you have it, easy 3:1 pitch wire binding on the DuoMac 321. For more demos, reviews, and how tos on this product and many more, check out MyBinding.com.
First thing is to set your side margin control knob. This way all punches are in the same place consistently through your entire project. Should you have any half holes or punches that are too close to the margin, simply remove as many disengageable die pins as you need and that won't happen. This also allows you to use different size pieces of paper and the open throat design is pretty much li ... Read More
Welcome to MyBinding video. Let's have a look at the DuoMac 321, a 2:1 and 3:1 pitch wire binding machine by Akiles. Two-to-one wire binding is done at the top of the machine; let's watch it in action.
First thing is to set your side margin control knob. This way all punches are in the same place consistently through your entire project. Should you have any half holes or punches that are too close to the margin, simply remove as many disengageable die pins as you need and that won't happen. This also allows you to use different size pieces of paper and the open throat design is pretty much limitless. According to the thickness of your document, you can also adjust the depth of margin control. The thicker the margin, the thicker the book. With your settings in place, let's begin with the covers; punch all the way through. Continue with the rest of your document, punching 20lb paper up to 20 sheets at a time. When all your punches are made, gather your book together. It's time to bind.
To assist you in spine selection, simply take your book and slide it into the grooves on the front of the machine. This will then read out exactly what size you need. Drape your spine on the fence on the front of the machine. And then with the dial on the right-hand side, set the stop of the closer according to the size spine you've chosen. A nice trick in wire binding is to take the back page and flip it over to face the front page. That way the seam is hidden in the back cover. In small batches, drape your project over the teeth of the spine. Bring it all the way down, making sure the teeth go all the way through. Then take the whole thing off the fence and with the open part of the "C" shape of the wire, place it down into the closer and close it up all the way until it stops. The book is done, the seam is hidden inside and it looks great. The chip tray slides right out here from the front. And that's it, easy 2:1 wire binding on the DuoMac 321. For more demos, reviews, and how tos on this product and many more, check out MyBinding.com.
Staff Review
Akiles DuoMac 321 2:1 and 3:1 Pitch Wire Binding Machine Review
Overview:
- In the past, users who needed to buy a twin loop wire binding machine would have to choose between either 2:1 or a 3:1 pitch machine.
- Most users prefer the tight hole pattern and elegant look of 3:1 pitch wire for their small documents. However, 3:1 pitch wire is only available in sizes up to 9/16". Organizations that wanted to bind both large and small documents either had to settle for the more spread out pattern of 2:1 pitch wire or had to buy two binding machines.
- The Akiles DuoMac 321 changes all of this. It offers the ability to bind documents using both 3:1 pitch and 2:1 pitch double loop wire. This is ideal for organizations that need to bind both large and small documents.
Strengths / Features:
- The DuoMac 321 is designed to punch two completely different hole patterns. The 3:1 pitch hole pattern has three square holes per inch and can be used for binding documents with 3:1 pitch double loop wire, GBC Proclick and 3:1 pitch spiral coil. The 2:1 pitch hole pattern has 2 rectangular holes per inch and can be used with 2:1 pitch twin loop wire and with 2.5:1 pitch spiral coil. This means that it is actually possible to bind documents with five different styles of binding using this one machine.
- Both the 2:1 pitch and 3:1 pitch punching throats are fourteen inches wide and offer fully disengageable dies. They also have open throats and continuous punching guides. This means that it is possible to punch any document that is fourteen inches or less using a one step punching process. Sheets that are longer than fourteen inches can be punched using a two step process. All you need to do is punch one side of the document using the punch and then flip it over and punch the rest of the holes. The continuous punching guide will help you line up the holes.
- On the right hand side of the DuoMac 321 there are two small gray knobs. These knobs are designed to help you adjust the depth of the holes from the edge of your paper. For smaller sized books it is a good idea to set the holes so that they are close to the edge of the paper. This will help to ensure that your pages will turn freely. For larger diameter books the holes should be further from the binding edge in order to provide added strength to your bound documents.
- The DuoMac 321 includes a high quality heavy duty wire closer on the front of the machine. This wire closer is made of heavy duty steel components and should have no problem maintaining its accuracy over time. There is also a wire holder on the front of the machine that will help you hang your documents on the double loop wire in preparation for closing.
Weaknesses / Limitations:
- Although it is possible to use this machine with 3:1 pitch and 2.5:1 pitch spiral coil, the DuoMac 321 does not include a spiral coil inserter. It is also important to note that these two pitches of coil can be somewhat difficult to find and are usually produced on demand. If you plan on using this machine with coil it is a good idea to order your supplies with lots of time to spare in order to allow for production lead times.
- Each of the different binding styles offered by the DuoMac 321 have their own limitations.
- 3:1 pitch wire is only available in sizes between 3/16" and 9/16".
- Although 2:1 wire can be used to bind larger documents up to 1-1/2" in diameter, this machine can only be used with wires up to 1-1/4" in size.
- GBC Proclick binding spines are only available in three sizes (5/16", 1/2" and 5/8") and in four colors. They are only available in eleven inch lengths.
- Three to one spiral coil is available in sizes from 6mm up to 50mm. However large diameter coils can be difficult insert, especially with the smaller square holes that are produced by this machine.
- 2.5:1 pitch coil is only designed for binding large diameter books and is available in sizes ranging from 20mm up to 56mm. However, this coil will need to be inserted by hand because of the slight pitch difference between the holes and the coil.
- With all of the features that this machine has, it can be a little bit intimidating to inexperienced users. There are a lot of handles, knobs and buttons on this machine that can be somewhat confusing if you aren't sure what you are doing. This machine isn't really that hard to use. It may just take a little bit of experimenting and reading the users manual.
Recommendation:
- The DuoMac 321 is available at such a great price point and offers so many features it hardly makes sense to buy a wire binding machine that can only produce one hole pattern.
- This machine is a little bit larger and can be more intimidating than a normal wire binding machine such as the Akiles Wiremac M. However, the flexibility that it offers in terms of document size and presentation appearance are awesome.
This review was written by Jeff McRitchie who is the director of marketing for Mybinding.com. Jeff has written more than three hundred articles and more than two hundred reviews on Binding Machines, Binding Supplies, Report Covers, 3-Ring Binders, Index Tabs, Laminators, Laminating Supplies, Paper Shredders and Paper Handling Equipment.
