Benefits of Fabric Die Cutting
Cut Part Quality
- Superior Accuracy
- Superior Consistency
- Not Impacted by Complexity
- Preferred by Sew staff
- Unlimited Hole Sizes
- Unlimited internal shapes
- Low Scrap
- Ease of Use
Simple and Reliable
- No Need to Monitor Numerous and Complicated Performance Factors
- Simple Labor with No Specialized Training
- Minimal Maintenance and Consumables
- No Need for Support and / or Maintenance Contracts
- Production Flexibility
Fast – Up to 40 Markers / hour
- Easy Schedule Adjustments
- Easy Personnel Changes
- High Throughput
- 1 Press Equals 8-10 Cutters
- Low WIP
- Scalable Footprint
Cutting Options
Here we will review the advantages of Die Cutting Fabric Material vs NC Cutting.
The global Auto Interior Trim industry uses high-density cutting boards in manufacturing interior trim and seating component. High-density cutting boards with sharpened steel cavities that are either embedded into the board or mounted on top. These cavities have been carefully shaped to cut the fabric pieces as precisely as needed.
There are many different perspectives about cutting technologies many of which are inaccurate.
This difference in opinions is generally based on old, anecdotal “rules of thumb” from a time when cost studies were extremely basic and usually missing many of the important costs that actually have a big impact.
Single-Stroke Die Cutting
A single-stroke cutting press cuts the entire marker – up to 5.8m in length – all at once. The SCHWABE USA Straight Ram Hydraulic Beam Press is world renowned as the largest, most powerful press for cutting fabric, and at less than 1 minute, it provides the fastest cycle time available today.
Incremental Die Cutting
Progressive or Incremental die cutting cuts in sections on a SCHWABE USA Straight Ram Hydraulic Beam Press with the addition of a fully automated DieVac™ system, a beam press cuts with the same incredible accuracy of a single-stroke press.
These precision cutting dies are built to close tolerances for accurately cut parts, with premium steel and die board for long life, and are designed to be maintenance free.
*Well defined notches in whatever size is needed
*Consistent, perfectly round holes in many sizes
*All plies within tolerance
*Very low rejection rate
*Proprietary steel cavities for consistent, repeatable parts year after year
*+/- 1mm or better cut part tolerance
*Easier sewing = faster sew cycles and better finish quality
*Fewer sewn cover quality issues (looseness, wrinkles, waviness, tightness)
*Less steaming and finessing needed
*Well suited for pour-in-place technology
Benefits of Fabric Die Cutting
NC Cutting Limitations:
Difficult to achieve tight tolerances and repeatable parts
Material compression is compromised by continued loss of vacuum as knife cuts through plastic barrier
Requires significant, continuous input from operators and maintenance personnel
Continuous blade wear = poorer performance towards end of blade life, which is every day for a production cutter
Blade deflection means inconsistent parts from different plies, especially for high plies
Quality demands can limit part placement within the marker
Never able to achieve fast speed, maximum ply height, or tight buffer, all at the same time
Key Differences – Die Cutting vs NC Cutting
Accuracy and Consistency
NC Cutting Limitations:
Limited drill hole size (usually 2-4 per head)
Blade cut holes are not round
Notches are not consistent
Maintenance Costs & Downtime
NC Cutting Limitations:
Extremely maintenance dependent
Expensive maintenance contracts
Dozens of spare parts and consumables to keep in stock
Daily – Weekly – Monthly – Yearly PMs – all require loss of production time
Labor Considerations
NC Cutting Limitations:
Complexity of equipment demands highly trained operators
Intricate electronics require highly trained maintenance personnel
Increased operating and maintenance skills = increased wages
To address high skill requirements, cutter companies offer extensive
training programs = more cost and more time
Seriously problematic for areas with high labor turnover
Cost Estimating
NC Cutting Limitations:
OEMs in the automotive industry continue to use price as the primary determinate for awarding contracts.
NC Cutting – Estimations for quoting are significantly less accurate because of the large number of inputs that cannot be confirmed until actual production begins and the optimization process is completed. This is long after the bidding has concluded.
Control Panel – Mitsubishi PLC and PC based control system, incorporates all the controls for the press, including those for set-up/manual operation, as well as those for automatic operation. PLC storage includes die height, die cutting positions, material feed distances, maintenance and diagnostic processes.
