Formax ATLAS Air-Feed Document Folder

Formax presents the Atlas and Atlas AS Air Feed Folders. The Atlas and Atlas AS are powerful compact air feed folders that meet the quality demands of light production folding. Easy setup and user-friendly operations separate these folders from the rest. Both folders feature a powerful air suction feed table with an alignment deck for consistent accurate feeding of forms, an innovative fold roller access design, and a perforator scorer attachment. The Atlas and Atlas AS each offer the same superior qualities and ease of setup, the difference between them is that the Atlas has manual fold settings, while the Atlas AS boasts all automatic settings for even more efficiency. Let's take a closer look at each model and how they work. There are five components to setting the air feed table. Step one is to set the infeed gap, take two sheets of paper and slide them under the bullnose then lower the bullnose until there is a slight drag when pulling the paper back. Step 2, adjust the side guides for the paper size being used, loosen the knobs and slide the guide wall in or out leaving about a sixteenth of an inch gap between the paper and the wall and then tighten into position. Step three, slide the rear guide into position so that it's snug against the back of the paper stack. Step 4, adjust the side air so that the paper elevates and reduces friction. Three settings can be selected based on the paper length and thickness. And step 5, adjust the suction that will pull the paper in, more for heavy stock and less for lighter stock. With the in feet adjusted, the fold plates can now be set for the fold type and paper length. The Atlas fold plates are manually set. To begin, locate the fold type and paper size on the fold setup guide. There are six common predetermined fold settings for six different fold types and three paper sizes. Set the top fold plate first, our paper is 8 1/2 by 11 inches and we want to do a letter fold. The guide indicates that the top fold plate needs to be set to 3.615, to do this loosen the fold lock thumb screw then press the LED power button, turn the fold dial at the top of the fold plate to set the fold stop to 3.6. Then, hold down the fine-tune button and again turn the dial to match the 3.615 setting. Finally, lock the fold plate into position with the thumb screw. Now look at the lower fold plate setting on the chart, it reads 3.620. The same steps are used to set the lower fold plate, with the fold plate set you are ready to start folding. Load the paper onto the infeed table, flip the roller and air switch to the On position and then press Start. The Atlas features a stream feed or pulse setting that comes in handy for feeding different paper weights, batch counting can also be selected for small group runs. Now let's automate the fold setup process with the Atlas AS. The Atlas AS is pre-programmed for six popular fold types in three different sizes, in addition an unlimited number of custom jobs can be stored. With your in-feed table set, simply select the desired fold type and paper size. The fold plates and outfeed stacker wheels will adjust automatically. Switching between folds is a snap, simply select the new fold type and press Enter. Let's take a closer look at the rugged and innovative design of the fold plates and fold roller access. The Atlas and Atlas AS fold plates are all-metal sturdy construction for consistent folds and well insulated for noise reduction. To access the fold rollers for routine maintenance or clearing, remove the fold plates then loosen and remove the thumb screws on either side of the folder, then you can easily slide the fold roller compartment up and out of the folder for complete access. It is just as easy to slide it back into position, both folders come standard with a perforator scorer attachment which is conveniently stored below the lower fold plate. Installation is very easy; it simply takes the place of the lower fold plate and no tools are required. Remove the fold plate to access the attachment and catch tray. First install the catch tray, now install the perforators scorer. The blades can be adjusted for different paper widths, they can also be swapped out to perforate or score. With the perforator scorer in place, load your paper and press Start. Paper is folded and perforated as shown here or it can just be perforated or scored. In addition, the perforator scorer attachment can be disengaged which allows heavier weight paper to be folded and lay flat without curl. The Formax Atlas and Atlas AS are easy to set up and operate with the power, durability and consistency needed for a light production environment in a compact design.