Diecutting Terms

Air Holes – Holes in die cutters that aid in the prevention of deformations in die cut materials by allowing the release of air from the die cavities.
 
Anvil – The surface upon which the materials to be die cut rest.
 
Automated Feed Systems – Components of certain die cutting machines that provide the continuous, automatic supply of material to the die cut machine.
 
Capacity – The widest part that can be cut on the equipment.
 
Chisel Punches – Blades located either on the die or another part of the press that produce a separation in die cut materials.
 
Composite – A material obtained by layering and bonding with resin sheets of woven material to obtain specific characteristics and properties. The materials are not completely blended and so remain physically identifiable.
 
Deflection – Unwanted deviation from parallelism in the top die plate.
 
Die Blade – A steel blade attached to the die that performs the cutting procedure by penetrating through the die cut substance.
 
Dieboard – Steel rule die component, often consisting of plywood, in which the die blades are inserted.

Kevlar – DuPont’s trade name for aramid fibers that are strong, tough and stiff, have a high melting point and are used in composite construction. Kevlar is lighter, stiffer and more costly than glass fiber.

Kiss Cut – A die cut that penetrates the upper layer(s) of the die cut material instead of penetrating through the material.
 
Knifing – The process of fitting the steel die blades into the die board of a steel rule die.
 
Nicks – Indentations in a die rule that stop the cutting.
 
Punch – The die component that actually forms, or punches, a shape from the die cutting material.
 
Steel Rule Die – A flatbed die containing sharp blades in the dieboard situated in a particular line to reflect the required part design.
 
Through Cutting – Die cutting in which the die cut material is penetrated all the way.
 
Ultrasonic – A frequency usually higher than 20 kHz, which is too high to be heard by the human ear.
 
Web – Continuous roll form.