Perforated industrial machine knives serve a wide range of industries. These blades have diverse applications from consumer products to packaging. With custom blade designs and materials, businesses can have a perforating blade to meet their industrial needs.
Design of Perforated Industrial Blades
Perforated industrial blades produce cuts with spaces of uncut material between. These perforations allow for future users to tear components apart more easily. The cut and tie measurement refers to the distance between the teeth of these blades. The “cut” indicates the total length of the material cut, while the word “tie” refers to the space between cuts. When the tie space is minimal, separating the parts is easier. For instance, paper with a small tie value is easier to separate after perforation than paper perforated with a greater distance between cuts.
Different tooth configurations on the blades permit variations between the style and sizes of the cuts and ties. Some popular tooth configurations for perforated industrial knives include:
- Alternating high-low v-style teeth
- Standard v-style teeth
- Variable depth v-style teeth
- Scalloped teeth
- Peg style
- Slant tooth
Additionally, these blades have two main design styles – circular and cutoff. However, within those two blade designs, additional customization options abound. The style and depth of the toothing on the knives permit different forms of cutting, scoring or other applications.
Circular Perforating Blades
Circular perforating blades cut along the length of the material. They roll continuously over the material for long, straight cuts or perforations. Though secondary to cutoff blades in popularity, they perform equally well in creating perforations in materials.
By choosing the material of the blade, the teeth configuration and the cut and tie measurements, companies can get customized perforating circular blades suited to cutting metal, paper, plastic, food products and more.
Cutoff Perforating Blades
Cutoff perforating blades are the more popular knife design for perforation. These straight knives are also called guillotine blades. The method of cutting can be a straight-down chop, similar to the way a guillotine cuts, or a swing-style method. Both means of cutting create a cut or perforation along the length of the blade. Hence, these types of blades typically cut across or through the material’s width instead of circular perforating blades that cut lengthwise.
As with circular blades, choosing the material for the blade, cut and tie length and the configuration of the teeth determine the best applications for the blade. For instance, solid carbide steel blades last the longest for extended production runs that require minimal downtime. Another instance of changing one of these parameters to meet cutting needs is choosing variable depth blades or high-low blades. Both designs reduce the cutting force required by the machine and the strain on the material, producing cleaner cuts.
Perforated Blade Applications
Applications for perforating blades extend beyond a single industry. These tools can improve packaging and products by cutting through metal, paper, plastic, food and tape. Some common applications include the following:
Packaging
One of the most common uses of perforating blades is creating cuts into packaging material. For instance, perforations in bubble wrap or tape allow the user to tear off pieces quickly and cleanly without needing cutting implements.
Another use of perforated blades in packaging is on the containers themselves. For instance, food wrap, parchment paper, wax paper and aluminum foil use perforating blades on the container to allow the user to cut the wrap at the desired length. Rather than pre-cutting the foil, wax paper, parchment or food wrap, producers who add a perforating blade to the container improve the user experience of the product and increase the applications for the wrap.
Corrugated cardboard boxes created on flat sheets for end-users to set up use perforations to separate the individual components of the boxes. Plus, the perforations and scoring make breaking off cardboard pieces and folding them into boxes easier and faster for those doing the job. Consequently, companies catering to shippers or others who use these containers can better meet end-users’ requests for easier-to-build packaging.
Plastic bottle caps with perforations between the cap and seal ring ensure consumer safety. The two components stay connected until the consumer breaks the ring by twisting off the cap. Therefore, they can ensure they were the first to open the container.
Perforations frequently appear in medicine packaging. The perforated lines in the foil and plastic-layered cards that contain the medicine allow patients to separate individual pills from the package for taking. This type of packaging reduces overdoses by increasing the amount of effort required for accessing the medicine compared to pouring pills directly from a bottle.
Packaging perforations make opening containers easier, too. For example, perforations along the top edge of a container make it easier for a user to open the package without using shears or ripping the container. For goods packaged in bags, such as snack foods, pet foods or packaged garden soil, perforating the top edge makes consumers happier with their product experience and use.
Paper Products
Paper products frequently use perforation to improve cutting. For instance, checkbooks, labels, bills, calendars, stamps, paper towels, toilet tissue and notebooks use perforated edges to make separating sheets simpler for the user. For paper products, consumers can readily tear on the perforation without needing to fold the page or use scissors. In cases of products that require fast use of random groups of sheets, such as toilet tissue or paper towels, perforations let consumers quickly customize their use of the product as needed.
Perforating blades create the easy-to-tear edges consumers want in many paper products. Therefore, having quality blades to produce the necessary perforations helps many companies produce competitive paper goods.
Creating Air Vents
Perforations don’t have to consist of a single line for tearing off sheets. In fact, a series of perforations in the surface of plastic wrap or other products creates ventilation holes that can prolong the life span of fresh produce, bread and other products that require airflow.
Small perforation holes in these packages permit fresh air to enter and prevent the buildup of mold-causing moisture. Therefore, products last longer on the shelves, and consumers get more use from the products after purchase.
Another instance of products that use perforations for air ventilation is in microwave steam bags. Some food producers use these bags to allow their foods to cook directly inside the bag in the microwave. A steam valve has micro-perforations to allow excess steam to escape without causing leakage. Therefore, consumers don’t need to take the additional steps of punching their own holes into the bags, which could cause contents to leak out during cooking.
Other Consumer Products
Other consumer products use perforated knives to create tear-off lines. For instance, garbage bags have perforations in the roll at the end of each bag. These perforations permit simpler production of the bags on a roll and easier tear-off of the individual bags for the consumer.
Consumers may also benefit from perforations created on air fresheners that allow the fragrance to emit from the device without overexposing the scented material to the air to dry out.
Materials Used for Perforated Industrial Knives
Industrial knives can be customized, so companies may request various materials for the construction of their blades. Each material has benefits for certain applications or modes of use. Some of the most common materials used for perforated industrial knives include the following:
52100
Type 52100 steel is one of more than 3,000 grades of steel produced today. It is a low-alloy, high-carbon steel with a hardness that works well in blade applications.
The numeric name derives from its use of chromium and carbon alloyed with the steel. The first two numbers indicate chromium and its content. The five indicates chromium use, while the two shows that the percentage of this metal is greater than other steel alloys. The last three digits indicate the carbon content. These three give the percentage to two decimal places of carbon, which is 1% for this steel.
This type of steel alloy is strong and hard, making it suitable for blades, bearings, punches and automotive parts.
Solid Carbide
Solid carbide steel blades last longer than those made from other materials due to their high wear resistance. Because these don’t wear as quickly, they work best for sustained operation. By avoiding the need to stop production to replace perforating blades that become worn, production runs become more efficient. The premium quality of solid carbide makes it best for use when the extra durability and longevity will make a significant difference for the user.
Stainless Steel
There are dozens of stainless steel alloys that include iron and 10% to 30% chromium. The addition of chromium protects the metal from corrosion that would otherwise occur. Three main forms of stainless steel exist with variations among those forms based on exact percentages of other metals added to the alloy.
- Austenitic stainless steel uses between 8% and 20% nickel in the alloy. This metal ranks as the most common alloy of stainless steel due to its weldability.
- Martensitic stainless steel has up to 2% carbon and is less weldable due to this higher carbon content. However, this steel has specialty applications that make use of its high-heat resistance.
- Ferritic stainless steel is a low-cost option that provides corrosion resistance and formability without the strength of other types of stainless steel. Frequently, this is used for ornamental purposes or low-stress consumer materials.
For applications of perforating blades that require regular washing after shifts, such as in food preparation facilities, the corrosion resistance of stainless steel is important.
High-Carbon Steel
High-carbon steel contains at least 0.55% carbon in the steel alloy. When the carbon content exceeds 0.8%, the alloy becomes tool carbon steel. The balance of carbon is crucial because higher amounts than 2% make the steel too brittle. Tool carbon steel has higher hardness than steel with lower carbon levels, making tool carbon steel preferable for cutting implements that require durability through cutting, punching or scoring various materials.
Even when not in high enough amounts to create tool carbon steel, high carbon used in the proper proportion creates a metal with high hardness, resistance to wear and high strength. Due to these properties, blades made with high-carbon steel retain their sharpness even through repeated use.
One caveat with high-carbon steel is that it does not resist corrosion or rust as stainless steel alloys do. Therefore, it works best for applications that don’t subject the metal to water or other rust-inducing conditions.
Ceramic
Ceramic blades remain sharp and can stand up to wear that some materials, such as fiberglass, causes to metal tools. However, ceramic blades are delicate and breakable from impacts. However, keeping the blade inside a cutting machine reduces the chances of such an impact. For applications that require long-lasting blades that stay sharp in harsh environments, ceramic performs well.
D2
D2 steel uses both high chromium and high carbon to create a product with a long life expectancy. In addition, it resists both wear and corrosion, making it an ideal option for perforating blades. This steel ranks as the most popular type of grade D steel due to its balance of hardness, longevity and toughness.
M2
M2 steel is preferable for applications that put a premium on wear resistance. Compared to M1 steel, M2 has a higher carbon content and is frequently crafted into anvils and other products that need greater durability. It also stands up to higher temperatures compared to other types of steel.
CPM-10V
Crucible particle metallurgy (CPM) is used to create steel that can perform well at high speeds. Additionally, the process permits steel alloys to have greater percentages of added metals than can occur with standard steelmaking processes. With this process, the added carbide has a finer, more even distribution in the steel that eliminates segregation of the steel and other metal.
CPM-10V, which is also called AISI A11 and A11 steel, is one form of steel produced that uses this process. It has a high level of vanadium to make it applicable to cold work uses. Due to its high vanadium content and production, CPM-10V steel resists wear better than D2 steel. Therefore, it is a premium option for its hardness and resistance to both impact and wear.
Contact York Saw & Knife for Perforated Industrial Blades for a Wide Range of Industries
York Saw & Knife has more than 100 years of blade creation experience. Trust our professionals to create custom-designed industrial perforation blades for your operation with fast lead times, free cutting testing and no minimums for orders. As industry experts, we can work with you to find the best perforated knives for your applications. Contact York Saw & Knife for a free quote on a perforated blade for your business.