ZE Series Folding Machines

The ZE series is a range of folding machines listed on the company website, covered by a single four-model comparison table on the product page for the ZE-9B/2. The four models share a platform and differ mainly in fold plate count and sheet size: two A4 models and two A3 models. This page presents the comparison table as published, with shared values labelled as shared, so that no shared value is presented as belonging to one model alone.

The source table heads its model column with the spelling MOEL, reproduced here as a note; the intended word is plainly model, but the spelling is preserved in the record rather than silently corrected.

Specifications: Four-Model Comparison

Transcribed from the comparison table on the company website's product page for the ZE-9B/2. Minimum size, thickness and speed values are shared across the series, as published.

Reading the Specifications

The model names encode the two main differences in the range. The first part of the name identifies the series and the sheet size: ZE-9B models take A4 sheets, ZE-8B models take A3 sheets. Confirm the fold-plate count for each model by inquiry before ordering. More fold plates allow more complex folds, such as double-parallel or multi-panel folds, while two plates cover the common single and double folds.

Maximum folding sizes differ by model and are the figures to compare when choosing: the ZE-9B/2 folds up to 210 by 420 mm, the ZE-9B/4 up to 210 by 600 mm, and both A3 models up to 310 by 700 mm. Those figures describe the largest unfolded sheet each model accepts and folds, not the finished folded size.

The shared values apply to the whole series as published: a minimum folding size of 50 by 70 mm, a paper weight range of 40 to 150 gsm, and a maximum folding speed of 80 metres per minute. The paper weight range covers ordinary office paper at the light end through to heavier brochure stock at the heavy end. The speed figure is a maximum; real throughput depends on the fold type, the paper and the operator's feeding rate.

The ZE-9B/2 itself is the A4, two-fold-plate model with a 210 by 420 mm maximum folding size, described on the company website as an A4 double-fold-plate folding machine. Buyers who need A3 folding should look at the ZE-8B models in the same table; buyers who need more complex folds on A4 should look at the ZE-9B/4.

Choosing Among the Four ZE Models

The four ZE models differ in two choices: sheet size and fold-plate count. Choose the sheet size first, because it cannot be changed later: A4 models cannot fold A3 sheets, and A3 models cost more and take more space than an A4-only shop needs. Then choose the fold-plate count: two plates cover the common folds for letters and leaflets, while four plates cover more complex multi-panel folds for brochures and mailers.

For a mailroom folding standard letters, the ZE-9B/2 is the natural choice: A4 size and the smallest footprint in the range. For a print shop folding A4 brochures with multiple panels, a model with more fold plates covers the extra folds; confirm the fold-plate count for the model you choose by inquiry. For A3 work, the choice is the same between the ZE-8B/2 and the ZE-8B/4, with the larger sheet size as the starting point.

Paper weight matters as much as size. The series range of 40 to 150 gsm covers office paper through to brochure stock, but paper near either end of the range behaves differently: very light paper can misfeed, and very heavy paper needs careful fold settings to avoid cracking. Test the paper you actually use, at the fold you actually need, before committing a full run to any folder.