Printing & Packaging
Slitting, Sheeting and Rewinding Blades
Tight burr control protects printed surfaces and clean edges on slitter-rewinder, sheeter and cut-to-length lines. Materials specified per ASTM A681 (D2) and JIS SKD11, hardness HRC 58–62.
Slitting science
How slitting blades protect printed surfaces
Slitting at 600 m/min separates 9 µm ink from 12 µm film without lifting, tearing or scuffing. Edge preparation and burr control drive quality more than steel grade does.
A printing slitter cuts the printed web to width. The cut edge has to be clean enough that the printed surface downstream is not damaged, and tight enough that the wound roll keeps its register. Edge preparation controls both — not steel grade.
The two failure modes we see most often — ink lifting at the cut edge and telescoping in the wound roll — both trace back to the same root cause: the edge radius was specified as a generic "sharp" rather than as a number tuned to the substrate stack.
Edge prep as a numeric radius
Sharp < 5 µm for film and printed surfaces; light hone 5–25 µm for paper edges; micro-hone 25–75 µm for abrasive or recycled-content stocks. Specified as a number, not "slightly honed".
Burr control on the cut edge
Burr kept below 25 µm on the cut edge. Optical comparator verification before dispatch. Burr > 50 µm damages downstream rollers and unwinds unevenly.
Run-out on Ø 250 mm blanks
Run-out controlled to ≤ 0.01 mm on Ø 250 mm blanks. This drives clean trim edges on multi-lane label lines and prevents web wander at the slitter station.
Engineering scope
Six specification levers, not six part numbers
Each application is defined by substrate, geometry, hardness, edge prep, tolerance and surface finish. Pick the lever that drives your cut quality — we will quote the steel grade that falls out.
Substrate range
Paper 40–400 gsm, BOPP / PET / PE film 12–200 µm, alu-foil 6–50 µm, and common laminate structures (PET/PE, BOPP/CPP, paper/film/foil). Edge geometry tuned to substrate to control dust, burring and stretch on unwind.
Edge preparation
Sharp edge < 5 µm for film and printed surfaces, light hone 5–25 µm for substrate edges, micro-hone 25–75 µm for abrasive or recycled-content stocks. Edge prep specified as a numeric radius, not "slightly honed".
Material grades
D2 (DIN 1.2379) per ASTM A681 and JIS SKD11 (G4404). Hardness HRC 58–62 for general slitting and sheeting. Optional PVD coatings (TiN, TiCN, CrN) per ISO 14574 to extend service interval on adhesive or coated substrates.
Blade geometries
Top and bottom circular slitters, shear plates, score blades, perforating rules and cut-to-length knives. Standard Ø 110 – Ø 350 mm blanks; flat stock to 80 × 2,000 mm. Run-out controlled to ≤ 0.01 mm on Ø 250 mm blanks.
Tolerances and finish
Standard ± 0.01 mm on critical dimensions (OD, ID, thickness at bevel), ± 0.05 mm on non-critical. Surface roughness ≤ Ra 0.4 µm ground, ≤ Ra 0.2 µm optional. CMM-traceable inspection reports shipped with the parts.
Typical line speeds
Validated from 80 m/min on heavy board to 800 m/min on thin film and foil. Web tension and wrap angle supplied with the inquiry allow us to flag clearance and bevel-angle corrections before steel is ordered.
Have a printing or packaging cut that needs a knife?
Send a drawing (DXF / STEP / PDF) or a worn sample. We will confirm material grade, hardness, tolerance and lead time within one business day.