Die Cutter Industrial Machines: What You Need to Know

Curious about die cutter industrial machinery? You aren’t the only one. Die cutting has become one of the most popular industrial manufacturing methods in existence, and with good reason. This strategy enables you to secure production runs with high consistency levels, without sacrificing efficiency or speed. But if you aren’t yet familiar with die cutting, navigating your options can come with confusion.

That’s one of the great things about consulting the experts. At Conversion Technologies International, we’re quite familiar with die cutting processes. Let’s run through the basics!

What is industrial die cutting?

When we consider die cutter industrial products and fabrication processes, we’re talking about an advanced manufacturing method. Its end results may seem simple: creating products of customized shapes and designs, in orders of varying sizes—with as much consistency as possible. Typically, business owners seeking industrial die cutting machines do so because they want high volume orders. They don’t want variation, and they want to keep errors as few and far between as possible (or, ideally, nonexistent). If that sounds like what you’re looking for, then an industrial die cutter may be in your future!

Typically, we consider industrial die cutting a precision process, which means we get as detailed as possible when creating design patterns and plans. If you work with a third party manufacturer, you’ll receive guidance on how to not only get the product order you want, but modify your designs as needed. A die cutter industrial level machine has a great degree of flexibility, which means we can change it at will, creating the final results you’re looking for with as much detail as possible.

We’ve mentioned third party manufacturers—let’s address that a little further. Quite often, when business owners require products made through the die-cut process, they work with contract or tolling manufacturers like Conversion Technologies International. Working with us can offer more efficiency, more affordability in the long term, and a higher quality assurance. It’s because industrial die cutting is so valuable that business owners still seek it out, despite its complex nature. The solution for many isn’t having employees train in the process, or buying an industrial die cutter machine. It’s working with a third party.

Why do we call it a die cutter industrial machine?

Getting a bit more granular—what are we talking about when we refer to a die cutter? To put it simply, a die cutting machine really does cut out different shapes and designs. We execute the process with a collection of cutting plates and rollers, putting pressure on a mechanism called a die. The die pushes through the material—say a card or a piece of paper—relying on a shape that we call the die cut. The machine that brings all of these steps together is a die cutting machine. It’s that simple!

As previously mentioned, one of the greatest strengths of the die cutting process is its capacity to operate a high volumes, quickly and efficiently. This is hugely important when you’re running a growing business—because the more your business grows, the more you’ll scale production. If that means creating a lot more product in a short amount of time, you’ll find yourself considering die cutting strategies sooner than you’d think.

What is an example of die cutting?

We won’t just give you one example of the die cutting process—in fact, you’ll discover a couple of different options, depending on the specific products and services you’re considering. These include:

Rotary Die Cutting

Needless to say, the rotary die cutting method relies upon an industrial rotary die cutter or press, as well as a set of customized cylindrical dies. It’s a rapid process—perfect for when you must scale quickly, with maximum efficiency. We feed the raw materials (usually in the form of a web or sheet) into the press. This enables the cutting to proceed on a more constant level. You’re essentially loading the die cutting machine in advance of the cutting itself.

Flatbed Die Cutting

You may also hear people refer to this alternative method as “steel rule die cutting”. Utilizing a flatbed die cutting press and steel dies, it works best with thicker materials—1/8 inch or more. However, it’s advised that you don’t choose flatbed die cutting unless you’re working on small product runs. It’s not as efficient as rotary die cutting. While its precision may work for small batches, it’s also not the only option on the table.

Contract Manufacturing

The great thing about working with an experienced third party manufacturer is that you can choose between different processes. While investing in training and equipment means committing to a specific type of die cutting, outsourcing offers a different level of flexibility that many business owners ultimately prefer.

As we said earlier, you have options to choose from as you begin considering industrial die cutting. If you’d like to explore them further—and perhaps look into what outsourcing your manufacturing needs looks like—no worries! CTI is here to help.

Contact us here or give us a call at 419-924-5566. Not only can we walk you through the different types of die cutting in a bit more detail—we can also discuss the difference between contract manufacturing and tolling manufacturing, among other things related to the industry. Commercial manufacturing—and scaling up—may seem intimidating at first. But when you have all the information you need, it doesn’t have to be.