With apparatuses of this kind sheets are bound in a book-like manner into brochures, catalogs, calendars, instructions for use, operating manuals, etc., in a so-called ring binder.
Typically, after the holes have been punched into the sheets, the sheets are placed manually into the pre-fabricated wire comb in the desired order. The wire comb has at that stage not yet been bent into its final circular shape for this purpose, but is still open at the top, so that the coils of the wire comb can be placed in the punched-out holes of the sheets. When all the sheets have been properly inserted, the wire comb is laid manually under the closing beam of the apparatus. Following this the closing beam is pushed down by actuation of a lever, whereby the wire comb is clamped between the closing beam and the counter-pressure plate. During the closing movement directed further downward the wire comb rolls itself in an appropriate manner and forms the closed circular shape, so that the sheets are bound.
What is tedious and time-consuming during such a binding operation, however, is the insertion or combing of the sheets into the coils. If the sheets are inserted into the coils by hand, this requires the proper skill. Afterwards great care must be taken with the wire comb and the sheets placed in it, especially when inserting it below the closing beam, in order that the beam does not slip out of the coils of the wire comb again. When a ring book that is to be provided with a suspension device is bound, such as, for example, a calendar, the suspension device must in addition be tediously threaded into the wire comb under the closing beam immediately before the binding operation.
A simplified arrangement can be used where a prefabricated wire comb is clamped under a magnetic rail, with which the wire comb is at least held tight, thus making insertion of the sheets with two hands easier. One disadvantage of this approach, however, is that after careful insertion of the wire comb, which is still open, it must be transported to the closing beam by hand.