Fully Automatic
Book Edge Gilding
Machine
Mirror-polish gilded edges on all three sides in a single automated clamping cycle. Built for high-volume hardcover book, premium packaging, and luxury print production.
The Hidden Cost of Semi-Automatic Gilding
Every manual repositioning step is a margin leak. The KY-100 eliminates them entirely — one clamp, three gilded edges, zero repositioning.
Engineered for Industrial Print Finishing
Six engineering decisions that set the KY-100 apart in production-scale book finishing.
Mirror-Polish Edge Finish
High-gloss mirror finish on gold, silver, copper, holographic, and colored foils. Consistent sheen across the full 600 mm edge — meeting luxury publishing and brand standards.
Fully Automatic 3-Edge Cycle
Top, bottom, and fore-edge gilding in a single load. No manual repositioning, no inter-edge downtime. Cycle time per book is dramatically shorter than any semi-automatic alternative.
100 mm Max Book Thickness
Handles hardcover trade books, premium art books, and bound catalogs up to 100 mm. The 150 × 600 mm clamping table maintains a stable, uniform grip across the full edge length.
Single-Operator Supervision
One trained operator loads, monitors, and unloads the KY-100 — and can manage multiple units simultaneously. Throughput scales without proportional headcount increases.
5-Foil Compatibility
Gold, silver, copper, holographic, and colored foils — no mechanical re-tooling between types. Temperature and speed parameters are adjustable via the digital control panel per job.
Industrial-Grade Construction
At 3,000 kg, the KY-100 is built for demanding multi-shift environments. 380V 3-phase power, 0.6–0.8 MPa pneumatics, and CE-certified safety systems ensure long-term reliability.
KY-100 Full Specifications
All parameters are factory-tested. Contact our engineering team for site-specific installation requirements.
| Parameter | Value / Rating |
|---|---|
| Model | KY-100 |
| Max Book Thickness | 100 mm |
| Clamping Table Size | 150 × 600 mm |
| Power Consumption | 15 KW |
| Machine Weight | 3,000 kg |
| Clamping Pressure | 9 kg |
| Edge Finish | Mirror Polish |
| Operation Mode | Fully Automatic — 3-Edge Cycle |
| Voltage | 380V, 3-Phase |
| Air Pressure Required | 0.6 – 0.8 MPa |
| Foil Types Supported | Gold, Silver, Copper, Holographic, Colored |
| Operators Required | 1 person (multi-unit supervision capable) |
See the KY-100 Running at Full Production Speed
Watch the complete 3-edge automatic cycle — from book loading to mirror-polish gilded output — filmed on the factory floor.
How the KY-100 Works
The entire 3-edge gilding cycle is managed automatically. The operator role is limited to loading and unloading.
Load & Clamp
The operator places the book block on the 150 × 600 mm table. The machine automatically applies uniform 9 kg clamping pressure to secure it.
Automated Edge Sequence
The gilding head moves through top edge → bottom edge → fore-edge automatically, applying foil at each station with precise temperature and pressure.
Foil Application & Polish
Hot-stamp foil is applied and burnished to a mirror-polish finish. The automated foil feed minimizes waste and ensures consistent adhesion across the full edge.
Unload & Inspect
Once the cycle completes, the clamp releases. The operator removes the finished book. Quality is visually confirmed immediately — no curing period required.
Frequently Asked Questions
Get pricing, lead time, and technical specs from our engineering team within 1 business day.
Book Edge Gilding in Premium Print Production: Why Automation Is Now the Industrial Standard
Across Europe and North America, gilded book edges have moved decisively from luxury exception to commercial expectation. Premium hardcover publishing, high-end stationery, luxury brand packaging, and corporate gift books now routinely include gilded fore-edges as a baseline quality marker — and the production volumes required to meet this demand have made manual and semi-automatic gilding processes commercially unsustainable.
“In our facility, the shift from semi-automatic to fully automatic edge gilding reduced per-unit finishing time by more than 55% and allowed us to reallocate two operators to upstream production tasks. The payback period was under 14 months.”
— Production Manager, European Hardcover Bindery
The Technical Case for Fully Automatic 3-Edge Gilding
The core technical argument for full automation in book edge gilding centers on clamping consistency. In any foil application process, uniformity of adhesion is determined primarily by two variables: temperature at the foil-paper interface, and the pressure applied across the contact surface. Semi-automatic systems require the operator to reposition the book block between each edge, introducing mechanical variance at every step.
The KY-100 eliminates repositioning entirely. A single clamping cycle — applying 9 kg of measured pressure across the 150 × 600 mm table — secures the book block while the gilding head moves through its automated top-bottom-fore-edge sequence. Every edge on every book receives identical thermal and pressure conditions, producing a mirror-polish finish consistent across production runs of any length.
Foil Economics: Where Automation Pays for Itself
Foil material is typically the highest variable cost in edge gilding operations. Waste occurs at two points: at the start of each edge run during temperature stabilization, and at transitions between edges. In manual systems, each of the three edge transitions represents a discrete waste event. In the KY-100’s automated cycle, the foil feed is managed continuously with minimal waste at transition points.
- Automated foil tension control reduces per-run material consumption versus manual feed
- Consistent pressure eliminates foil overlap and re-application waste common in manual processes
- 5-foil compatibility (gold, silver, copper, holographic, colored) enables job batching without re-tooling
- Digital parameter memory for repeat jobs eliminates setup time waste on recurring orders
Infrastructure and Installation Planning
The KY-100’s 3,000 kg mass and 15 KW power consumption make it a fixed-installation industrial asset. Facility planning should account for floor load capacity, a dedicated 380V 3-phase circuit, and a compressed air drop at 0.6–0.8 MPa. Kylin Machinery’s engineering team provides a full site preparation document and can assist with remote commissioning for facilities outside standard service radius.
Quality Benchmarks in Luxury Print Finishing
The mirror-polish specification of the KY-100’s edge finish places it within the quality tier demanded by the most exacting luxury brand print buyers. Consistent sheen and zero-banding performance across foil types make it suitable for applications where visual uniformity across large print runs is a contractual requirement — including premium hardcover titles, luxury retail packaging books, and high-specification corporate publications.
The KY-100 represents the current state of the art in industrial book edge gilding: fully automatic, single-operator, multi-foil, and engineered for the production volumes and quality standards of the modern premium print market.
Conclusion: The Right Tool for Scalable Luxury Finishing
For print finishing operations evaluating their next investment in edge gilding capacity, the choice between semi-automatic and fully automatic systems is — at current foil costs and labor rates — largely a question of production volume and quality tier. For operations running more than a few hundred books per week at premium specifications, the KY-100’s combination of single-clamping automation, multi-foil compatibility, and mirror-polish output makes it the technically and commercially sound choice.
Request a Quote or Technical Consultation
Our engineering and sales team responds to all B2B inquiries within 1 business day. Provide your production requirements and we’ll prepare a tailored proposal.
Start Your Inquiry
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ADDITIONAL SERVICES
Customers Meeting&Machines Training
Meeting in India
Meeting in Dubai
Trip to Turkey
To help you master the installation and operation of your equipment, Kylin provides authorized training programmes led by surface preparation specialists.
- How to set up your machine and optimize performance levels for your process.
- Key trouble-shooting tips that keep your machine(s) in prime condition to minimize downtime, minimize maintenance, and prevent future problems.
- How to optimize performance levels to maintain consistent quality and minimize waste
- The latest legislation and how to keep the machine safe.
We offer three years machine quality warrantty, we want You to be satisfied with the work we do and our Machine,
Every time. We Guarantee to perform all good services to your complete satisfaction at the agreed upon price.
If at any time within 30 days after completion of the job you're not completely satisfied, we will Re-Clean all required areas to your satisfaction.
If you 're still not satisfied we will refund the money paid.
Help from technician is only a phone call away.
We offer free over the phone tech support to help you troubleshoot any issue you may be having.
If you require onsite help we are able to send our technicians to you! Whether it’s for training or support we can meet your needs.
Our experienced factory technicians are eager for you to get the most from your Kylin Machine.
We also offer to do regular maintenance to your machinery to make sure it stays in the best condition throughout the lifetime of the product.
This will help guarantee that your machines will work well for as long as possible.
Initially one of our experienced operators will try and help you resolve the problem over the telephone.
If that is not successful then we would send a field engineer out to site.
Our engineers carry the most common spare parts so that most problems can be repaired on site.
In the unlikely event that the machine could not be repaired on site, we would either arrange another on site visit if appropriate,
or take the machine in to our state of the art workshop where we can deal with all types of repairs and refurbishments
10,000 customers in 30 countries using KYLIN MACHINES, meet our customers
What Client’s Say
Dear Jacob,
l am writing to thank you for the recent delivery of spare parts that we ordered
from your company.We have received the shipment in good condition and are pleased with the quality of the products you provided.26 Mar 2023
Boris BoguslavskiyCEO - Taropack
The machine is working now fine , beautiful … thank you so much and maybe if we need other kind of box making machines I will contact you
Nadine KodsyCEO - bassil bookbinding
Hi Jacob, thanks and i let you know…
Bit until now everythimg is perfect!Mit den besten Grüßen,
28 April 2023
Armin AkbarzadehCEO - X-PRESS Grafik & Druck GmbH
We had purchased two paper bag machines from Kylin last 3 year, untill now, the machines is using very well, and help us a lot in making luxury paper bag. Thanks Kylin DEM IMPEX PRIVATE LIMITED
John SmithCEO & Founder - SAP print
We have purchased case maker Ky-450 last year 2013, right now the machine is running very stable, we are going to order one more machine from Kylin.
EVER OLIVIA ENTERPRISE CO.,LTD
ALBERTO RINALDICEO & Founder - MEM company
We are the Agent of Kylin machine in UK, ky-40 Box stay machine and Ky-500 is very good comments, choose Kylin machine, choose the good quality Thanks
VIKAS TAWARCEO & Founder - Impack company
Good Morning JacobBusiness is going well!Your box corner taper has been running like a champion saving us time and money!!As we continue to grow we will definitely keep in touch and see if we can continue to our relationship with Kylin MachinesAll the best!!Jason
Jason HopkinsPrint & marketing execution experts - Ampersand
