cvxmi0309slittingsupp.

qxd 8/22/2003 2:18 PM Page 6

overly tighten the retaining nut, creating a The blade-retaining system must be fail-safe
dangerous condition (Photo 2). (avoid spin-on blade retaining nuts, as described
F o u r f a c t o r s t o
To overcome this problem, some
knifeholders fix the blade using multiple
screws in conjunction with slots in the
earlier). Is there any possibility that the operator
could install key-slotted blades so they can spin off
if a screw works loose? On extremely high-speed
consider in razor slitting
blade. This puts extra cost into every blade, machines, do the blade retaining screws have It may be the simplest and cheapest method available, but razor slitting still
places significant strain on the retaining counter-bored sockets to prevent the screw heads requires close attention to blade life, edge quality and operator safety.
screws, and is not as secure as a physical from releasing the blade? A blade flying off at By Reinhold Schable, Applications Technology Manager, Tidland Corp.
clamping ring using a similar slotted screw- 8,500+ fpm is a serious hazard.
hole concept. Blade changing should be done off-machine, in a The three most common methods of slitting stretching due to tension problems, web
A related problem is the unintended safe environment, especially where access to the flexible web materials are shear, crush (score), and flutter and web temperature, etc. Edge
Photo 2:
Replacing a slitter rotation of the blade hub as the operator loosens slitters is precarious. Unfortunately, many razor. Of these three, razor has the lowest installed quality for thicker, denser materials may
blade is best done or tightens the retaining screws. Designs that machines require the operator to hang from cost, being the simplest and cheapest method. It can display a typical “raised edge,” surface
off-machine. In this
example, the retaining require the operator to use a second tool to his toenails in half-light to change slitter blades. be easily adapted to almost any machine, in almost coatings may be disrupted, filaments,
screws are recessed, prevent such rotation should be avoided. The Blade-mounting systems that require the use of any location. It is potentially the cleanest method dust, or “whiskers” along the slit edge
so the retaining ring
or blade cannot be inclusion of an anti-rotation lock for blade changing both hands to manipulate spanners, or wrenches of slitting, assuming the appropriate materials are may form.
ejected if an operator gives evidence of the manufactur- to loosen the blade are especially being slit. When razor slitting plastic materials,
fails to adequately
tighten a screw. er’s concern for safety during the dangerous under such conditions. A “cutting” or “slicing” action is created by pulling the ratio of web tension to the plastic’s yield stress Figure 1: Tangent
This is especially blade-changing sequence. The tool-free, removable-blade the material past the stationary blade. The resultant must be considered. Since the blade is dragging slitting in an open span.
important on high- A low blade angle is better
speed slitters, which One of the most important cartridge is a major improvement edge depends on the characteristics of the material, against the web, its resistance must be added to the suited to thin webs that do
require an extra- innovations of the last few years to safety on these machines. its thickness, density, rigidity, plasticity, coating, tension force and has the potential for exceeding the not deflect under the blade.
secure, blade- As webs increase in thick-
mounting system. is the advent of the tool-free Blade handling should be bonding and other factors. At issue are blade life, material’s elastic limit immediately adjacent to the slit. ness and strength, the
This design is not removable blade cartridge, which minimized and done in a safe slit-edge quality and safety. Stretched, deformed edges are the result. A general tendency to deflect may
influenced by blade be countered by increasing
rotations, as is the allows blades to be changed off- environment. The use of wax rule of thumb is that the web tension in the slitting the blade angle.
case with large- machine, in a safer environment. coatings to protect the blade 1. Safety zone should not exceed about 10 percent of the
diameter, threaded
blade-retaining nuts. This feature has done much to edge is important, but the coating While the potential for bodily injury is not as great material’s elastic limit.
reduce hazards, machine down- should be easily removable after as with shear or crush (score) slitting equipment What are appropriate flexible-web materials for
time and improve blade-changing the blade has been mounted where rotating nips are involved, razor-slitting razor slitting? Razor slitting has found wide accept-
efficiency (Photo 3). on the slitter. This means that equipment is notorious for cuts and slashes that can ance in slitting flexible packaging films, and, paradox-
blade guards should not prohibit be severe. Razors installed in the open span, ically, for slitting extremely thick polyethylene films.
Safety access to the blade once it had tangent position are difficult to guard, compared to Household aluminum foil is also commonly slit with
Knifeholder adjustment con- Photo 3: A tool-free removable been mounted, nor interfere installations where razors are slitting against grooved razor blades. Razor slitting of fiber-based products,
cartridge makes off-machine blade
trols should be away from the changing safer. This is especially important with complete removal of the rollers. Even with effective guarding, the simple act of however, is usually disappointing due to rapid blade
rotating nip. The knifeholder’s where access is awkward or hazardous. wax coating. changing blades exposes operators to a scalpel-like wear. In general, it is usually possible to use razor slit-
Machine downtime is also reduced.
engage and disengage actions If the guards do interfere with edge all too frequently. Use of premium blades (hard ters successfully if the material has low values in
should not be sudden, rapid movements which blade changing, then safety gloves should be coated, carbide, or ceramic), to reduce the caliper, density, elongation, tensile, and abrasiveness. Figure 2:
Wrap slitting using a
may startle an operator, or be too fast to get a worn. Large, heavy blades should be supplied as frequency of blade changes, will also improve safety. grooved support roll.
hand out of harm’s way during setup. individually wax dipped rather than in a bundle, 3. Installation parameters Large rolls require that
only the blade tip be used
Is the knifeholder easy to reposition without since separating the bundle itself can be 2. Principles of separation The razor blade may be located in any one of for slitting. Oscillating of
placing hands close to the blade? Tools, shims, dangerous — not to mention the possibility of Razor sitting is, in essence, the creation of a several locations in the web path. The simplest is to the blade to distribute
wear is not possible.
spacers or jigs should not be needed when making nicking a blade’s edge. “controlled crack” immediately ahead of the blade slit in the open span between supporting surfaces, as Small rolls permit slitting
pattern changes. Blade guards should be robust After all is said and done, the knifeholder is edge. The mechanical properties of the material and is common on film extruders (Figure 1). Another to be done along the
length of the blade
and able to tolerate the occasional snarl that a pivotal instrument in most industries the shape of the edge determine how and where this location is in the valley between two closely spaced edge, making
occurs during a web break. In some instances, involved with flexible webs. The tendency to crack forms. If the crack forms close to the edge, the rollers. The advantage here is that the web is oscillation possible.
automatic self-retracting, full-coverage blade think of slitting as an “afterthought,” and treat process is relatively stable, if the crack forms far relatively taut, and does not “flutter” as severely as
guards may be required. a knifeholder with the attitude that “any old ahead of the tip, the process may become unstable in a long open span. Both of these locations create a
Is the air system integrated with the E-stop device will do” is being replaced with a where edge flaws may develop, and uncontrolled tangent slitting geometry, with little or no support
control, so the slitters will automatically disengage greater appreciation of the importance of this tearing or splitting may occur. for the web.
in an emergency? Does the lower slitter shaft have seemingly insignificant part of most web- Other factors that influence razor-slit quality are the The third location is to slit using a grooved roll,
a brake to arrest free-wheeling in an E-stop? processing equipment. amount of material displacement by the blade, which supports the web as it wraps around the roll to

4a 5a
SEPTEMBER 2003 www.convertingmagazine.com® www.convertingmagazine.com® SEPTEMBER 2003
cvxmi0309slittingsupp.qxd 8/22/2003 2:18 PM Page 8

some extent (Figure 2). Accuracy is complicating the slitting function.

much improved, many multiple narrow Another tactic to delay edge wear is
Five factors to consider
slits can be done, and web control is
assured because the web wraps
around the grooved slitting roll. The
to coat the blade with a hard surface,
such a TiN or other proprietary
ceramic coating. The most durable
in choosing score slitting
diameter of the grooved roll has some blades are made of tungsten carbide The simplicity of score slitting is one of its main attractions, but slit-edge quality is
Figure 3: bearing on the blade’s angle of inci- or ceramic (usually zirconia), and highly dependent on important variables that must be addressed.
Without support, low-
incident blade angles
dence relative to the web. Larger rolls may be the most practical choice By Reinhold Schable, Applications Technology Manager, Tidland Corp.
will deflect thicker (over about 150-mm/6-in. diameter) when slitting high-abrasive films on
webs down, away from
limit the slitting zone to the extreme tip extruders, where machine downtime Score slitting, often referred to as “crush” rolls; and mounting geometry of the blade relative
the slitting edge. The
blade must, therefore, of the razor blade. Thus, the blade due to a loss of slitting can be slitting in international markets, is a common to the anvil roll.
be inserted deeper into
must be “tilted” into the roll, creating extremely costly. method of separating the web. Basically, a
the material, causing
more edge distortion. a relatively high angle of incidence. The included angle of the razor-blade hardened steel disk is pressed against a rotating, 1. The web
Increasing the blade’s Small rolls (below about 120-mm/4-in. edge is a fixed constant, but the hardened steel cylinder, creating a crushing nip Every material has its unique nip force
angle of incidence
reduces downward diameter) permit the blade to be held “point” at the extreme tip abrades to into which the material is directed. The resultant requirements. The density, ductility, hardness,
deflection of thicker tangent to the roll, creating a relatively Figure 5: Razor slitting is, in a constantly increasing radius as nip force exceeds the ultimate yield of the materi- thickness and “grain” of the web determine the
webs. However, the essence, the creation of a “controlled
thicker blade increases low angle of incidence. crack” immediately ahead of the blade wear progresses. It’s this blunt tip that al, and the material is severed along the nip line. force required for plastic deformation to occur to
slit-edge deformation. The blade’s angle of incidence to edge. The mechanical properties of determines the end of the blade’s Changing slit widths is relatively easy because displace the web around the tip of the slitter blade.
The abrupt trailing the material and the shape of the edge
edge of the blade may the web is dependent on web determine how and where this crack useful life. Slowing the rate of tip only the slitter is repositioned over the fixed anvil Depending on the physical characteristics of the
also “scrape” along characteristics, as well as mounting forms. If the crack forms close to the erosion increases blade life. To roll. That’s all there is to it. Simple, or so it seems. web, it might crumble, shatter, extrude or wrinkle.
the slit edges, edge, the process is relatively stable.
creating dust. geometry, A low angle relative to the If the crack forms far ahead of the tip, spread the wear over a longer Slit-edge quality is variable and depends on the In fact, it might exhibit all of these reactions at
web presents a longer slitting edge, the process may become unstable. edge, many razor-slitting systems material being slit, the blade-edge profile, various depths along the slit line.
less blade cross-sectional area and less slitting drag incorporate oscillation into the blade holders. This is blade-edge finish and anvil smoothness. Because One thing is certain: the web material must be
on the web (Figure 3). However, there is effective provided the oscillation does not induce slitting is a “crushing” action in the nip between displaced in an amount equaling the volume of the
more tendency to deflect the web away web flutter. Obviously, wrap-configured systems are the slitter blade and the anvil surface, it’s general- blade tip. This displaced material might be in the
from the blade edge. On the other hand, immune to such flutter, but oscillating razors placed in ly considered the dustiest of the slitting methods, form of debris (dust), a ridge along the slit edges,
steep blade angles present a shorter a long open span between rollers have the potential delivering the poorest edge
The score slitting
slitting edge, and a thicker blade cross- to cause flutter, depending on the extent of quality. Under a micro- blade profiles
section. The web is deflected less, but the deflecting forces the web encounters at the scope, the resultant edge is should be viewed
as starting points
drag resistance is increased, and slit edge blade edge. ragged and frequently in determining the
deformation is more likely. To delay wear, razor blades may be hard-coated displays a ridge formed by optimum profile
for any given web
It is extremely important to recognize with TiN, ceramic, or a DLC (Diamond-Like Coating) material that has been material. Smaller
Figure 4:
Trim slitting using that razor slitting requires equal web tension on material to significantly extend blade life while displaced by the blade tip radii and acute
angles result in
razor blades poses a both sides of the blade (Figure 4). Otherwise, reducing friction between the material and the blade. tip. Extremely dense rapid tip fracture
special challenge.
Web tension must be
asymmetrical tension forces can cause problems Solid tungsten carbide and ceramic blades are also or thick materials might and anvil-roll
grooving. Larger
balanced on both such as a wavy slit line, film splitting or, in the case of available for extreme-duty applications. require nip forces beyond tip radii and
sides of the slitting
blade. The narrower
edge trimming, the trim strip may merely turn down A typical utility razor blade may have a rather the yield strength of the included angles
require more
the trim strip, the under the blade, refusing to slit at all. Razor slitting a coarse grind finish, which rapidly polishes smoother blade steel, making score force to slit, even
more critical it is to
have tension and
narrow waste strip of film without providing adequate during slitting. Unfortunately, this also means that the slitting impractical. though durability
is improved.
support for the strip. tension to the trim strip is a sure recipe for frustration. extreme tip is rapidly blunting at the same time. Thus, Score-slitting variables
smoother blades will have a longer service life can be separated into at
4. Blade parameters compared to rough blades. TiN or ceramic edges are least five different factors
Since a very small portion of the razor is engaged the smoothest of all and give better service for the that affect the performance
in the slitting zone, wear of the extremely thin edge is same reason. of the process. They
rapid, and frequently fails at critical times, causing Razor slitting is simple; no doubt about it. For many include web material char-
interruptions (downtime) in the process lines (Figure products and applications, it’s the best way to get the acteristics; nip forces (their
5). To delay wear, the blade may be mounted on an job done. But like any technology, it’s important to extent and effect on the
oscillating blade holder in an attempt to spread the understand how it works, what its limitations are, how blade and anvil roll); blade
wear over a longer edge zone. The oscillating motion materials react “under the knife,” and what to do to tip profiles; metallurgy of
can, however, create “flutter” in some webs, make it function properly when things go wrong. the slitter blades and anvil

6a 7a
SEPTEMBER 2003 www.convertingmagazine.com® www.convertingmagazine.com® SEPTEMBER 2003