PRODUCT PORTFOLIO: Tried & Tested - MBO K series.(MBO America binding equipment)

MBO's K series is one of the world's favourite ranges of binders. And they are a safe secondhand bet

The K series was the combined effort of a trained accountant and the former chief design engineer from the folding market leader of the day. Founded in 1965 by Heinz Binder, MBO launched the K series in its inaugural year, and it has since become one of the world's favourite binders.

The very first K series folder was the K66, a 66cm fully mechanical machine, with a maximum speed of 18,000sph doing parallel folding. It came with a choice of pile and continuous feeder, and its configurations were varied.

The most widely sold model was the 4KL machine. But as time went by, more obscure configurations were sold, including a KZRI and a KZ. (The Z denoted a folding knife positioned either side of the first knife.) The heart of the machine, and the device that more or less guaranteed MBO's enduring success, was the spiral fold roller design. The spiral design ensured minimum ink pick-up, an absence of marking from the steel knurls found on other manufacturers' roller designs, and the facility to regrind the rollers rather than buying new ones.

No maintenance required

In 1973, MBO patented a dual-frame belt-drive system for the K66, which replaced the original helical gear-drive system. The belt drive was quiet and required no maintenance because its lubrication was housed in a sealed system. In 1974 the company introduced its first electronic folding knife and feeder setting controls - earlier models had set controls by photocell.

In 1975, MBO introduced the K52, and followed this in 1982 with the K69 (which replaced the K66) and K79 machines. The K69 and K79 used electronic knife release, making it faster than previous ...