When choosing a binding system it is important to know that METALBIND and TERBIND are two different bonding methods. One uses metal rails, while the other uses heating glue in a thermal folder to connect.

We will explain below. which covers are used for METALBIND, which thermal folders are used for TERBIND and which machine is suitable for each system.

What is the METALBIND system?

METALBIND is a system for linking documents with metal rail. The sheets are placed between hard covers, and then inserted into a suitable metal rail.

With the METALBIND machine, the rail is pressed and firmly fixes the covers and sheets. In this way of binding no glue is used and there is no heating.

METALBIND is an excellent choice for theses, catalogs, presentations, offers, contracts, and other documentation where a sturdy and elegant look is required.

Hardcover folders with metal rails

For METALBIND connection are used OPUS O.HARD COVER Classic hardcovers in combination with O.CHANNEL metal rails.

The hardcovers are A4+ in size and have a Classic linen-like finish. They are available in multiple colors, including burgundy, black, blue, and green.

The metal O.CHANNEL rails are placed on the spine of the document and are available in different widths, depending on the thickness of the document.

Rails are available from 5, 7, 10, 13, 16 and 20 mm, with a length of 304 mm.

What machine is used for METALBIND?

The METALBIND system uses:

OPUS Atlas 190 – a machine for connecting hardcovers to rails

OPUS Atlas 190 is a manual METALBIND binding machine, designed for binding and separating documents with metal rails.

The machine allows connection to 190 sheets and can work with A4 format in portrait orientation or A3 format on the short side.

The Atlas 190 has a sturdy metal construction and is practical for offices, copy shops, printing houses, and other users who regularly produce hardcover documents.

This machine combines:

hard front cover + leaves + hard back cover + metal O.CHANNEL rail.

The machine presses the rail, thus connecting the entire document into one solid whole.

What is TERBIND?

TERBIND is a thermal bonding system.

This system uses special thermal folders that have thermal glue in the spine. The document is placed in the folder, and then the folder is placed in a thermal binding machine.

The heating activates the glue and fixes the sheets in the cover. After cooling, a finished, bound document is obtained.

No metal rails are used for TERBIND.

Softcover thermal folders

OPUS O.THERMOLUX A4 are thermal folders with soft covers for thermal binding.

They have a transparent front, allowing you to see the document's cover page, and a white cardboard back.

Softcover thermal folders are suitable for offers, presentations, reports, price lists, seminar papers, and various business documentation.

They are available in different thicknesses for different numbers of sheets.

Hardcover thermal folders

OPUS O.DIPLOMAT Classic are thermal folders with hard covers for thermal binding.

The hardcover has a Classic surface with a linen-like appearance, giving the document a more solid and elegant look.

These thermal folders are suitable for thesis, presentations, contracts, offers, catalogs and other documentation.

They are available in multiple colors and different spine thicknesses.

What machine is used for TERBIND?

For thermal folders with soft and hard covers, the following is used:

OPUS TB 250 – thermal bonding machine

OPUS TB 250 is a thermobonding machine which works with thermal folders with soft and hard covers.

Supports documents up to A4 format, has a power of 250 W and heats up for approx 1 minute.

The machine has sound and light signaling, as well as a cooling area for the attached documents.

The way it works is simple: the sheets are placed in the thermal folder, the folder is placed in the machine, and the heat activates the glue in the spine.

What is the main difference between METALBIND and TERBIND?

The difference is in the way the document is linked.

METALBIND uses hardcover and metal rail. A machine like OPUS Atlas 190, which mechanically presses the rail.

TERBIND uses thermal folders with glue on the spine. A thermobonding machine is used for it, such as OPUS TB 250, which activates the glue by heating.

The simplest:

METALBIND = metal rail + hardcover + Atlas 190

TERBIND = thermal folder + thermal glue + TB 250