Knife Life, and How to Get It, 1990 Finishing and Converting Conference Proceedings

The rapid development of modern high speed converting machinery for continuous longitudinal slitting of paper and similar materials over the course of the past decade has mandated that companies use this expensive equipment to its highest possible efficiency.

A very important part of these state-of-the-art machines is the slitting station. The decisive factor of output is directly influenced by the amount of scrap caused by poor edge quality and contamination of the web caused by dust. Additionally, extended downtime caused by tool setups and knife changes adversely effect the productivity of these high tech converting machines.

Beside offering a brief introduction on how to choose the right cutting system, we will discuss proper circular knife geometry as well as specific application for today’s improved knife materials. High carbon/high chrome alloys, particle metals, tungsten carbide and different combinations of ceramics as knife materials can significantly increase wear resistance. As a result, the user in the paper processing and paper converting industry can realize not only a substantial decrease in downtime, but a superior slit edge quality and a substantial reduction in dust formation.