Spinning dies turn a profit
October 2003
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Rotary diecutting systems offer speed, versatility, and reliability.
IN THE LAST several years, rotary dies have come a long way. No longer can flatbed diecutting systems claim to handle a substantially wider array of substrates and offer a higher degree of detail than their rotary die counterparts.
Thanks to newer advances like machine sharpening and laser die hardening, and new steels, coatings, and processes, rotary dies have surpassed the versatility and effectiveness of flatbed dies. In fact, rotary dies have a score of benefits to offer printers.
Advantage: rotary dies
Converters are taking a serious look at rotary diecutting systems. They have to.
Time is money in the world of package printing, and presses can effectively print and die cut at speeds of 250 to 800 feet per minute, said Seth Albert, production manager of Action Rotary Die, Inc. (Addison, Ill.). However, Krieg Lee, vice president of operations at Atlas Die (Elkhart, Ind.), has seen rotary dies run as fast as 800 to 1,000 feet per minute.
"There are virtually no speed limitations to rotary diecutting," said RotoMetrics (Eureka, Mo.) Vice President of Sales Gary Smith. "The rotary method will cut and/or crease the material as fast as the machine will run. There may be inherent speed limitations to the machine or other operations within the whole system, but the rotary dies will keep up."
Rotary dies can be made to specific crease-score land widths, and can produce raised score lands, cut-crease score combinations, and embossing. They can also cut and crease just about any substrate out there, barring bulky paperboard material, and they have lead times as short as five days for repeat dies and 10 days for new dies. As long as the converter's volume of parts cut is sufficient, rotary diecutting systems are worth the money.
"Any web operation in the world should seriously consider rotary cutting systems," Lee said. "Consideration should be taken when choosing between solid rotary and flexible plate dies."
Solid vs. flexible
There are two kinds of rotary dies: solid and flexible. Solid dies are made from a single cylinder upon which the cutting design is etched. Flexible or magnetic dies are thin plates that are etched into a cutting pattern and wrapped around a cylinder.
The type of material being run is often the deciding factor between solid and flexible dies. Since the blade thickness of flexible dies is limited, Smith said, they cannot cut through thicker materials with multiple layers.
IN THE LAST several years, rotary dies have come a long way. No longer can flatbed diecutting systems claim to handle a substantially wider array of substrates and offer a higher degree of detail than their rotary die counterparts.
Thanks to newer advances like machine sharpening and laser die hardening, and new steels, coatings, and processes, rotary dies have surpassed the versatility and effectiveness of flatbed dies. In fact, rotary dies have a score of benefits to offer printers.
Advantage: rotary dies
Converters are taking a serious look at rotary diecutting systems. They have to.
Time is money in the world of package printing, and presses can effectively print and die cut at speeds of 250 to 800 feet per minute, said Seth Albert, production manager of Action Rotary Die, Inc. (Addison, Ill.). However, Krieg Lee, vice president of operations at Atlas Die (Elkhart, Ind.), has seen rotary dies run as fast as 800 to 1,000 feet per minute.
"There are virtually no speed limitations to rotary diecutting," said RotoMetrics (Eureka, Mo.) Vice President of Sales Gary Smith. "The rotary method will cut and/or crease the material as fast as the machine will run. There may be inherent speed limitations to the machine or other operations within the whole system, but the rotary dies will keep up."
Rotary dies can be made to specific crease-score land widths, and can produce raised score lands, cut-crease score combinations, and embossing. They can also cut and crease just about any substrate out there, barring bulky paperboard material, and they have lead times as short as five days for repeat dies and 10 days for new dies. As long as the converter's volume of parts cut is sufficient, rotary diecutting systems are worth the money.
"Any web operation in the world should seriously consider rotary cutting systems," Lee said. "Consideration should be taken when choosing between solid rotary and flexible plate dies."
Solid vs. flexible
There are two kinds of rotary dies: solid and flexible. Solid dies are made from a single cylinder upon which the cutting design is etched. Flexible or magnetic dies are thin plates that are etched into a cutting pattern and wrapped around a cylinder.
The type of material being run is often the deciding factor between solid and flexible dies. Since the blade thickness of flexible dies is limited, Smith said, they cannot cut through thicker materials with multiple layers.
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