Die Cutting

View A Video on Die Cutting - A Quick Introduction

Die Cutting

Die cutting machines, which manufacture die cutting products, come in a variety of configurations, each specialized for creating different types of die cut shapes. Rotary die cutting is a continuous process that pushes material sheets through rolling calendar dies, while steel rule dies cut single or multiple sheets in batches. Laser die cutting, although it requires no die tooling and produces much less waste material, can be time consuming and costly for long runs; ultrasonic die cutting is a relatively new technology that uses ultrasonic vibrations to cut and heat seal edges simultaneously. Die cut foam is used extensively in medical, hydraulic, electronic and consumer industries as die cut gaskets, vibration absorbers, bandages and adhesives, while plastic die cutting produces a wide range of display items such as die cut handle bags and stickers. Rubber die cutting can also be used to make gaskets. Die cutters can be used to create all kinds of shapes out of all kinds of materials.

Rotary, steel rule, crush and kiss cutting are performed on flat sheets of material by a cookie cutter-like cutting tool called a die. Steel rule die cutting, the simplest and most common type of die cutting, uses sharpened, thin "steel rule" blade dies, which are embedded in rubber and mounted on a solid wood block. The rubber surrounding the steel rule's cutting edge serves to eject punched out pieces, and the sheets of foam, plastic or rubber are rapidly crushed between the die and a rubber pad with several tons of force. In rotary die cutting, sheets of material are crush cut between the angled blades on a cylindrical die and an anvil. Typically, the material is cut in continuous roll form, though sheets of metal can be fed through the rotary die. Rotary steel rule drum is a combination of rotary and steel rule die cutting, which is used to cut large parts such as boxes or garments with a high degree of accuracy. In ultrasonic die cutting services, a metal horn vibrates in a manner similar to that of an audio speaker, although ultrasonic waves are below the level of human hearing; the resulting vibrations generate heat and pressure that will seal thermoplastic materials. Laser die cutting machines, which are operated by CNC, are driven by a 3-axis table. Laser die cut machines come in two types: flat cutters, which cut flat sheets of material, and rotary cutters, which cut material from a web.

Steel rule dies are made for a number of applications. Conventional dies can attain the highest accuracies and the most intricate of forms as well as fold lines, scores and perforated or partial cuts. These dies are typically used to cut corrugated boxes, folding cartons, gaskets, plastics, fabric, rubber, foam and composites. The blades are held in place by high density plywood; the thickness of the blade is usually between .028" and .056". Heavy duty steel rule dies, such as clicker dies and bolt dies, have thicker blades (.056"-.112") to cut through thicker, tougher materials such as plastics, Kevlar, fabric, rubber, leather and composites to make a range of gaskets, vibration absorbers and plastic parts. Both rotary and steel rule die cutting can perform either kiss cutting or crush cutting. Crush cutting creates a cut all the way through the material sheet, making a clean, complete hole; foam pads, adhesive bandages, gaskets and rubber parts are usually crush cut. Kiss cutting, which is used only on adhesive-backed materials, cuts through the top layer of the material without cutting through the backing. This is used to create sheets of stickers, foam adhesives, bumpers and many other products that can be peeled off a backing sheet.

Rotary dies are typically used in the corrugated box industry, but they are also commonly utilized for plastics, foam, rubber and textiles. In rotary die cutting, parts are consistently within a tolerance as tight as .02", slightly higher than typical steel rule die cutting, which must be carefully aligned by hand and is more error prone. Laser die cutting can cut intricate, precision tolerance shapes and is very useful for cutting materials that are impossible for conventional steel rule dies to cut, such as steel thicker than .5". Laser die cutting can also be used to cut ABS, acrylics, aluminum, brass, composites, copper and cured fiberglass. Because laser die cutting uses no dies, it requires none of the costly initial tooling that all other types of die cutting requires; this cuts down on cost, while the laser die cutting process cuts down on wasted material due to its high tolerance capabilities. These properties make laser die cutting ideal for prototyping and short runs, but laser die cutting cannot cut parts at the speed and volume rotary and steel rule die cutters can, and most typical long run projects are still performed more time and cost efficiently by traditional dies. Ultrasonic die cutting is ideal for cutting thermoplastic materials that tend to easily fray. However, this type of die cutting is limited in that only relatively thin materials can be cut, and parts have a small maximum width. Each die cutting method can be a great asset to all kinds of industrial and commercial operations.

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Die Cutting Types

• Die cut foam is used in packaging, inserts, insulation and cushioning to protect objects from breakage, as it provides a certain degree of shock and vibration absorption.
  
• Die cut gaskets are rings, often made of rubber, that function as sealants and are commonly used in EMI shielding.
  
• Die cut machines are tools that use dies to cut material into specific shapes.
• Die cut shapes are forms cut out with dies.
• Die cutters are equipment that use sharpened steel blades that cut shapes from various materials.
• Die cut tape is used to adhere objects to one another, to hold objects in place and to prevent the scratching of components.
• Kiss cutting is the process of creating cuts in thin products that have adhesive backings.
• Laminating services can be either the joining of two or more materials together using heat, adhesives or pressure, or the application of a clear plastic film to the exterior of flat objects.
• Laser die cutting applies a fully-focused laser beam instead of a die in order to convert material into custom shapes and sizes.
• Plastic die cutting produces numerous objects ranging from plastic tape and films to plastic bags and is useful in applications requiring heat-sealing and fluid resistance.
• Rotary die cutting is a method of forcing material between the sharpened blades on a cylindrical die and a hard cylindrical anvil on a rotary press in order to cut and score materials with tolerances as tight at .02".
• Rubber die cutting is the use of a die cutter in the production of rubber grommets, bumpers, bushings and other rubber products.
• Steel rule dies are flatbed dies containing sharp blades in the die board situated in a particular line in accordance with the required part design.

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Die Cutting Terms Air Holes - Holes in die cutters that aid in the prevention of deformations in die cut materials by allowing the release of air from the die cavities.   Anvil - The surface upon which the materials to be die cut rest.   Automated Feed Systems - Components of certain die cutting machines that provide the continuous, automatic supply of material to the die cut machine.   Capacity - The widest part that can be cut on the equipment.   Chisel Punches - Blades located either on the die or another part of the press that produce a separation in die cut materials.   Composite - A material obtained by layering and bonding with resin sheets of woven material to obtain specific characteristics and properties. The materials are not completely blended and so remain physically identifiable.   Deflection - Unwanted deviation from parallelism in the top die plate.   Die Blade - A steel blade attached to the die that performs the cutting procedure by penetrating through the die cut substance.   Dieboard - Steel rule die component, often consisting of plywood, in which the die blades are inserted. Kevlar - DuPont's trade name for aramid fibers that are strong, tough and stiff, have a high melting point and are used in composite construction. Kevlar is lighter, stiffer and more costly than glass fiber. Kiss Cut - A die cut that penetrates the upper layer(s) of the die cut material instead of penetrating through the material.   Knifing - The process of fitting the steel die blades into the die board of a steel rule die.   Nicks - Indentations in a die rule that stop the cutting.   Punch - The die component that actually forms, or punches, a shape from the die cutting material.   Through Cutting - Die cutting in which the die cut material is penetrated all the way.   Ultrasonic - A frequency usually higher than 20 kHz, which is too high to be heard by the human ear.   Web - Continuous roll form.

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