The semi-automatic Foliant 520T machine is the symbolic "great-grandfather" of all Foliant machines. This machine was developed and manufactured by the company Foliant (then known as Formica) in 1999 in response to the printing industry's demand for a user-friendly and affordable single-sided laminating machine. It provided a solution for small and medium-sized printing businesses, for which the existing fully automatic machines were overly powerful and expensive.

The Foliant 520T was available in three standard formats (B1, B2, and B3) and could laminate up to 1,200 sheets per hour.

The machine earned numerous awards, including 1st place in the Golden EMBAX-PRINT competition in 1999 and the Design 2002 award in the Outstanding Product of the Year 2002 competition. The machine's author and designer is Ing. Ladislav Moc, with its design crafted by industrial designer Václav Král. The prototype was crafted in his workshop by Antonín Stoupa.

All subsequent Foliant machine models, which are still part of today's product lineup, were developed based on this pioneering model.