Abstract: A method and apparatus for drying and setting the adhesive on the backs of books contained in book blocks or similar articles by vaporizing the water using high frequency RF energy. The books are generally mounted in clamps and moved on a conveyor from the input of the book binding machine through a ventilation system to its output. A high frequency RF field is disposed along the conveyor and has a plurality of spaced apart RF electrodes wherein the electrodes adjacent to the input and output are more closely spaced together than those in the center of the machine so that the energy of the high frequency RF field can be varied in an inverse proportional relationship to the dielectric loss factor of the adhesive layer during the drying cycle.

Abstract: A process and apparatus for the production of a book block, including sheet feeders disposed in series alongside a continuously running, transversely inclined conveyor belt, so that the sheets are successively fed from the feeders and successively disposed one upon the other on the conveyor belt to form a packet. Each sheet is first conveyed from its associated feeder at a downwardly inclined angle, and in a transverse direction with respect to the conveyor belt, and thereafter accelerated at another downwardly inclined angle and in the direction of the conveyor belt to obtain the conveyor belt speed for deposit thereon. From the conveyor belt, the packets are perforated, aligned, cut into strips and again aligned, all of which being performed at the same inclined angle as the conveyor belt. The strips are then folded and cut into quires. The quires are scaled off and then thrust together and thereupon gathered into the book block blank.