The Unibind machine

The machine produces books from loose sheets of paper, in a similar way to paperback manufacture. The sheets and a suitably sized cover are placed in the vertical rack and held there magnetically while heat is applied to melt the glue on the inner side of the spine. The newly formed book is then moved to a cooling section to harden the glue.

Its intended purpose is to repair the Archives' catalogues, some of which are in a poor condition.

The picture shows the machine in use, and a catalogue before and after repair (click on the picture to see a larger version)