Die Cutting Types and Terms

Die Cutting Types

  • Die cutter is a sharpened, steel blade used to cut shapes from various materials.
  • 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 gaskets are placed between object components to prevent substance seepage.
  • Die cut machines are apparatuses that use dies to cut material into specific shapes.
  • Die cut shapes are forms cut out with dies.
  • Die cut rubber is used in the production of rubber grommets, bumpers, bushings and washings to absorb shock, noise and vibration.
  • Die cut tape is used to adhere objects to one another, to hold objects in place and to prevent the scratching of components.
  • Laser die cutting applies a non-thermal, 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".
  • 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.

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.