glossary
Kerf Clearance — Glossary Entry
Definition of kerf clearance in industrial cutting: the lateral gap between the knife and the substrate after the cut, and why a positive kerf clearance is.
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Kerf Clearance is the lateral gap between the cut face of the substrate and the body of the knife after the cut. Positive kerf clearance lets the substrate separate cleanly from the knife; negative kerf clearance (the substrate dragging on the knife body) is the primary cause of burr, drag, and tearing on a slitting line.
Typical kerf clearance
- Paper, film: 50–200 µm per side (driven by knife thickness and side clearance angle)
- Tissue: 100–300 µm per side
- Plate shear: 5–12 % of plate thickness per side
How to measure
- Run the line with a clean knife
- Measure the cut substrate thickness with a micrometer
- Compare to the knife thickness
- Difference = total kerf clearance (both sides)
See also.
