Different Types of Rules for Die Cutting Machines
More Than an Edge Cutter
While much appreciation absorbs the attention of a machine operator when a delicately sliced product is pushed out of the die cutting pad, there's more to this machinery than a plain cut. There are literally scores (Forgive the pun) of different steel rule types available. They cut, obviously, but the next rule in the blade portfolio could be designed to perforate, not slice. The final shape, therefore, would stand in sharp relief as a line of stamped dashes. As for the other types of rules available, let's check them out before we look deeper into this fascinating topic.
Creating Alternative Die Cut Forms
There are many variations on this die cutting theme. Perforation holds the imprinted shape in place. Given this sheet of material, a user gains the ability to effortlessly tear the shape free of the blank. Tickets and postage stamps are produced in this manner. Zipper rules are designed to function similarly, except this cut is commonly used in the packaging industry. Picture a zipper rule adding this die cut line to a box. A simple tearing action is enough to pull the top of the packaging free. Likewise, wave edge rules stamp a corrugated or undulating line. The sinusoidal line again tears free without much effort.
The Rule Type Codes
The peaks and furrows aren't randomly assigned to the steel blade, nor are the interspaced angular cuts that march across a zipper rule. Even a perforation rule uses some kind of mathematically imbued form. The teeth of the edges are bevelled and spaced, then they're tilted by a specially assigned angle. Refer to the manufacturer literature before purchasing such a product. For example, that perforation rule we just mentioned, it typically comes with an edge angle of fifty-four-degrees.
This has been a brief but concise study. The main steel rule types have been studied and properly identified. However there are others, and they deserve an honourable mention. Add creasing rules and combination cut/crease rules to the above rule types. Next, call in the centre bevel rules and their side bevel cousins. Sure, a fully separated cut is one option, but so are the specially profiled zip and perforated cuts that decorate contemporary packages.
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