Die board cutting with CO2 lasers
Print Solutions Industrial Solutions
Die cutting is a quick and low cost way of cutting printed items into identical shapes multiple times. A pattern printed on paper or card is placed in a machine loaded with a custom made ‘die’ – a block of wood with a metal blade, bent and folded into the desired shape. When the machine presses the printed sheet and the die together, it cuts out the shape of the blade into the material.
Die boards are made from thick, high quality plywood, typically birch or maple, chosen for their strength, flatness and durability, and come in many different thicknesses. CO2 lasers are ideal for cutting the slots to hold the metal blades for the following reasons:
The process is precise and flexible, so designs and dimensions can be changed on the fly.
Accurate control of the cut width allows for blades of different sizes, and the natural taper of the cut helps to grip the blades tightly.
A high quality beam and good alignment avoid any directionality of the cut.
Speeds are generally scalable with laser power.
Luxinar’s OEM and SR series of sealed CO2 lasers with powers ranging from 100 to 1000 W have successfully cut die boards of varying thicknesses between 12 and 18 mm. The speed of the cut allows control over the thickness of the cut on the bottom of the material, with slower speeds resulting in wider cuts. The focal point controls the cut width at the top surface. As the focal point is moved downwards below the material's surface the top line becomes thicker. As the focal point lowers, the speed generally needs to decrease to maintain the same line thickness on the bottom.
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