Five Key Factors To Be Aware Of With Steel Rule Cutting
Steel rule die cutting is a useful and efficient die cutting method you should be aware of if you are managing any industrial operation that requires die cutting. The following are five important things you need to know about steel rule die cutting:
It's a method that can be used to cut forms from materials as diverse as cardboard, rubber, paper, foam, cork, and fiberglass.
Steel rule die cutting isn't only appropriate for die cutting in one single material. It is appropriate for a wide variety of materials. In fact, steel rule die cutting can be used for cutting any material that can be cut with scissors.
This factor makes steel rule die cutting a great option if you have an industrial operation where die cutting of numerous different materials is required.
It is a die cutting method using a steel rule cutting blade, a die board, and a rubber ejection.
The amount of equipment that's necessary with steel rule die cutting is fairly limited. The only equipment that's needed is a steel rule cutting blade, a die board, and a rubber ejection mechanism.
These days, steel rule die cutting typically relies on the use of a laser to cut the shape of the form that needs to be created into the die board.
The original die board must have the shape that needs to be punched out cut into it somehow. Thanks to modern technology, it's possible to easily and precisely cut the form into the original die board with a laser.
In the past, this original cut was typically done with a jigsaw. However, the laser technology available today improves the precision of the cut.
Steel rule die cutting is a displacement process and not a shearing process.
One thing that distinguishes steel rule die cutting from other die cutting processes is that it is a displacement process. This means that the die is forced down into the material that's being cut and the cut is made immediately.
Because of this, materials that are cut using this process need to fracture in such away that they can be cut crisply with one stroke. The fact that steel rule die cutting is a displacement process makes it necessary to use the process to cut hard, brittle materials rather than soft materials that won't immediately fracture.
Two of the biggest benefits of steel rule die cutting are that it allows for relatively low tooling costs and it is a simple process.
As previously mentioned, there are only three basic pieces of equipment needs for steel rule die cutting: the die board, the cutting blade, and the ejection mechanism constructed from rubber. This means that the entire process is simple and doesn't require a huge investment in equipment and/or complex technologies.
