The Horizon CRF-362 is one of our top selling products. If you’re considering whether to buy a Horizon CRF-362, this machine is in a perfect sweet spot in terms of the capabilities, automation, and cost. Horizon makes automated perfect binders, high speed folders, and even die cutters. The knowledge from those product lines helped influence the CRF-362.
I first saw this product at Drupa in Germany back in 2008. The Horizon engineer who came up with it was actually working the Horizon booth. He was standing next to an early prototype. He was very proud of it and we were interested too so he gave us a great demo before telling us it was his design.
Now the machine is one of our customer’s favorite products. I have compiled a list of 8 great reasons why people who are shopping end up buying a Horizon CRF-362:
8. Air Pump Included
Feeding glossy and coated paper stocks requires an air feeder. Friction feeders cannot reliably feed slippery papers reliably. Having an air feeder is simply a requirement for machines designed to handle cover stocks. Many machines offload this requirement by having a port for a compressed air line. When you buy a Horizon CRF-362 you get the air pump included.
Air pumps are expensive. This just offloads the cost because an air compressor is still required and will actually be even less efficient because of the added distance. Having an air pump right inside of the machine is a massive benefit. Operators will have a much easier time running the machine because of a healthy air supply and they will not experience fluctuations when other equipment starts up or stops.
7. Up and Down Creasing Dies
Creasing dies have a correct direction. Some manufacturers get away with using a single die direction for both fold directions but this is not correct and can cause quality problems. Having two complete die sections with a true up-die and down-die will make a big difference in the output quality. Folds will look better and lay flatter. There will be less chance for cracking and the operation will be more reliable with less jams.
6. Automated Setup and Operation
Machine set ups are some of the more complex tasks in a print production environment. Operators usually need to have a lot of industry knowledge or skills to confidently set up machines quickly. Automation in the setup process changes this dynamic.
When a user can set up a complex machine with a touchscreen that opens up the machine to a wider range of operators. People who may not have folder training or who may not understand gap-sets will still be able to set up the CRF-362 properly.
Speed is also important. Confidence and speed go hand-in-hand. Operators who are not confident will simply go slower and check themselves more often. Having setup automated will raise the operator’s confidence that things are going correctly and they’ll comfortably knock out jobs at a higher rate.
5. Combining Processes
Doing two things at once is the definition of multitasking. The Horizon CRF-362 is an automated creaser folder. It will do creasing and folding at the same time. If you have the PRF-36 perforation option you can do perfing too.
One of the fastest ways to speed up a facility is to eliminate processes. If a job has to go through two machines instead of one then the production time will be higher even if each machine is fast. Also the combined process eliminates a lot of handling that brings risk of error.
4. Easy to Operate
Generally speaking people tend to avoid annoying and frustrating things. When a machine is not easy to operate operators may choose to do things the old way just because it is more understood. Conversely, if a machine is easy to operate people will go out of their way to bring work to it. If you buy a Horizon CRF-362 it’s a big boost to productivity.
Running a problematic machine is a nightmare. Dealing with jams, low quality, and poor reliability will test your patience. A hassle free 2 hours can be more appealing than 1.5 hours of stress. The CRF-362 is easy to operate and your staff will be happy and relaxed while their machine just chugs along.
3. Perforate and Crease Simultaneously
Perforation is a very interactive feature on printed materials and it can drive responses much higher. Delivering a printed piece with a tear off coupon or a prepaid mailer is a major boost for marketing. Being able to easily do perforations at the same time as folding and creasing is a huge benefit.
Perforating can be a difficult process and there are not many perfing machines that are automated. In the CRF-362 there are two tooling stations and it is possible to install a perforation tool in one of those stations. The PRF-36 perforation tool is not standard and is an optional add on.
2. Smart Dual Delivery
One of the main features of the Horizon CRF-362 is the dual delivery stations. This is not a straightforward benefit especially if you’ve never owned or used a creaser folder before. In creaser folders there is a common problem with sheet transport when creasing without folding.
The CRF-362 has a special lower delivery area. If a job does not have any folding and is only being creased or perforated it will be delivered to that lower area. This will avoid the entire folding section. Creaser folders generally need to pass the sheet through the fold section even if you are not folding. There are problems with jamming because the fold knives need to control the lead edge. If you buy a Horizon CRF-362 you can truly produce perf-only jobs without dealing with jams.
The delivery stations are wide open and flat. There are a few magnetic sheet stoppers that can be positioned anywhere the operator wants. The top delivery section has a weighted roller to stop the exiting pieces in a perfect spot without any nesting. Nesting is when the pieces are going inside of each other. Accidentally nesting a run can lead to a lot of hand work separating them.
1. Deep Pile Feeder
Set it and forget it! The sales pitch of “care free” operation has been around for a long time now. I’ve listed a lot of automations and great features of the CRF-362 but one of the best features and most important aspects is the deep pile feeder. The feeder works great but that is not much help if an operator must be reloading it constantly.
The CRF-362 has a feeder pile height of 150 mm / 5.90″ which is substantial compared to other machines in this category. Lifts of paper that size will run for quite a while before being depleted. This means an operator can start up the CRF-362 and do something else nearby.
People using this machine can just keep an ear out and when the pump stops they know to go add another lift. When these refilling cycles are too short the operators need to basically stand there and constantly load the feeder. Horizon has structured a very comfortably working time for each machine load. Small touches like this can go unnoticed but to our customers who purchase these machines that natural rhythm means the same operator can get twice as much done in a shift.
Conclusion
Automation buys time. Then remind yourself of the age-old saying that “time is money.” We watch our customers make this leap every time they buy their first piece of Horizon equipment. Spending more on automation is not just worth the money, it is a necessity in 2023. There are operations out there that still do things the old way and while they can ride that trend for a while eventually competition will win out. Those who are not investing in automation are signing themselves up to higher cost and lower production.
Purchasing production equipment is different from buying big items at home. Production machines make money when they run unlike a car that costs you money. Getting the best production equipment possible is very different from spoiling yourself with a luxury vehicle. It is buying time when you buy a Horizon CRF-362 or some other automated machine. Spending a little more on production equipment can be the difference between making no-profit or a massive-profit for many years.
How do I Buy a Horizon CRF-362?
Our best advice is to find your local dealer. In North America, Horizon equipment is sold by local dealers who can provide direct service and support. The CRF-362 is not a territory restricted product so you can purchase from any Horizon dealer. We recommend establishing a good relationship locally. Having a friend in a pinch is better than purchasing from a distant market.
We are located in Michigan and support the Great Lakes region. Here at MSL, we have been a proud dealer of Horizon equipment for decades. Our partners at Standard Finishing and Horizon in Japan have helped us to create a great user base who loves their equipment.