What are Die Cutting Blankets?

September 13, 2016

Industry-standard terms don't exist to bewilder average folk, they're there as an interpretive mechanism, and so it is with die cutting blankets. This is a term used exclusively for this manufacturing process, but what does shape-cutting equipment have to do with blankets? Well, this is a misnomer, for there's no comforters and no sheets involved here, just a need to cover the anvil with a soft wraparound urethane skin. Here's a closer look at this product.

Wrap Around Anvil Blankets

Commonly installed on rotary die cutting machinery, the die cutting blankets soften the hard surface of the anvil as the blanks pass through the die rollers. Urethane is a popular material choice here, as the tough polymer is compressible but quick to snap back to its former shape. The material is applied as a flat blanketing layer around the cylinder of the anvil, at which point quality scores can be achieved in very little time.

Promotes Consistent Cuts with Scrap-Free Results

Downtime is happily reduced when a high-quality blanket is fitted to the anvil. It extends the service life of the hard-working rollers, thus maximizing all performance metrics. As a consequence, lead times are reduced and productivity figures swell. Frankly, this product, once properly inserted, can be a real lifesaver, for it regulates the spiky cutting edges and hard anvil surfaces to imbue the industrial process with consistency, and that consistency factor directly affects the resulting cutouts, thus ensuring dimensional continuity, across the board.

Installing Die Cutting Blankets

A skin-like envelope is formed when the urethane membrane is properly installed. Typically, the blanket is part of a strong arcing backbone, so a steel backing panel covers the anvil before the durable polymer is form-molded to its surface. A retaining mechanism then locks the plate to a keyed slot on the anvil. The resulting cover is fixed in place, but it can be loosened during a maintenance period for rotation. Additionally, the anvil cover is replaceable, so costly impacts don't have to incur an equally costly anvil replacement.

Intricate cutting edges on the opposing roller fight the anvil for system dominance when no cover is fitted. The anvil becomes nicked and scraped, just as the sharp edges of the die cutter dull and lose the ability to properly execute a dimensionally accurate cut or crease. Fortunately, die cutting blankets are on hand to soften the blow while maximizing the interaction between the die and anvil.

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