Die cutting is a manufacturing process used
to generate large numbers of the same shape from a material such as
wood, plastic, metal, or fabric. The die cut shapes are sometimes called
“blanks,” because they are usually finished and decorated before being
sold. The process is widely used on an assortment of materials all over
the world, and many manufactured products contain several die cut
components, often assembled together in a series of steps to create a
finished product.
Sharp specially shaped blades are used in die cutting. The blade is
bent into the desired shape and mounted to a strong backing. The result
is known as a die. The material being cut is placed on a flat surface
with a supportive backing, and the die is pressed onto the material to
cut it. Depending on what is being made, a single die might cut one
piece of material, or it might be designed to slice through multiple
layers, generating a stack of blanks.
Many consumers find it
helpful to consider a cookie cutter when thinking about die cutting. The
cookie cutter is a type of die which is capable of cutting out a
potentially infinite amount of blanks. Each blank will be exactly the
same shape and size, meaning that the blanks can be cooked uniformly
together and decorated at will for individuality. The alternative is
cutting out each cookie by hand, a painstaking process which would
result in irregular final products.
Creating dies is meticulous
work. The die must be designed so that it efficiently cuts the desired
material with minimal waste. Most factories which use die cutting as
part of their manufacturing process have techniques for recycling
material left over from die cutting, but they want to avoid excess if
possible. Often, multiple dies are fitted together on one mount, nestled
with each other for maximum efficiency. Material left over from the die
cutting process may be melted down and reused, or reworked into other
components.
Common examples of die cut items include keys, paper products, and
flat plastic pieces which can be snapped together. Die cutting is
limited, because it can only really be used to produce flat objects. For
more dimensional shapes, other manufacturing techniques such as molds
need to employed. Dies can also range widely in size from cookie cutters
to massive machines designed to cut out ship components. With large
dies, it is important to observe safety precautions while die cutting,
as an industrial die designed to slice through metal can also remove a
limb without difficulty.
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