Fiber & Textile

Global production of fiber has soared over the last half-century. When we consider that production has quadrupled over the last fifty years, it's difficult to imagine that there could be any greater increase. However, the market anticipates another 43% increase in just the next eight years. To put this into perspective, this increase translates to a production per capita of almost 37 and a half pounds of fiber produced per person. That's a lot of fiber!

With tremendous production comes the potential for great amounts of waste. We commonly think about closed-loop recycling in relationship to the plastics industry and the recycling of bottles, packaging, and other items.

With over 55 years in the business of manufacturing blades and industrial knives, American Cutting Edge supports various industries in the cutting and chopping of fiber, textiles, and composites. Our experience and in-depth knowledge enables us to supply the highest quality stock and custom blades to the fiber and fiberglass industry.

It takes 20-years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently. “ Warren Buffet

One of our long-term customers, a global manufacturer of fiberglass components, approached us with an opportunity to support them with a solution to provide a precise cut on fiberglass. Because the fiberglass being cut was exceptionally fine and easily frayed, the blade had to maintain a sharp edge and provide a clean cut over time.

The goal was to provide our valued partner with a solution that would help them accomplish

The right blade for your synthetic cutting application provides an ideal mix of blade lifetime and cut quality without going over budget.

Whether cutting polyester, nylon, Kevlar, or Carbon fiber, American Cutting Edge has a well-stocked inventory of industrial blades to ensure the right fit in your standard chopping machine. These blades are often available for quick delivery to ensure that you never lose a moment of uptime.

Operating a customized chopper? ACE is an industrial blade supplier with decades of experience designing and manufacturing knives for a wide variety of applications. We have a team of engineering experts to assess your cutting operation and develop a blade that meets your business and operational needs.

Strive for continuous improvement, instead of perfection. - Kim Colins

Chopping Polyester and Nylon

As global fiber and fiberglass blade expert for over 50 years, American Cutting Edge supports various industries in the cutting and chopping of fiber, textiles, and composites. Our experience and in-depth knowledge enables us to supply the highest quality stock and custom blades to the fiber and fiberglass industry.

Building a good customer experience does not happen by accident. It happens by design. “ Clare Muscutt

Recently, we had the opportunity to provide customized support to one of our long-term customers. As a global leader in the fiberglass industry, serving a diverse customer base.

When one of the manufacturing facilities changed their chop size, American Cutting Edge collaborated with the client to develop new blades for this process. The result was a blade that

American Cutting Edge has decades of experience supporting the Fiber and Textile industries by providing expert advice and the highest-quality blades.

As a result of this experience, our customers trust us to evaluate their operations and rely on our sound advice to improve production and decrease maintenance costs.

Here is one story from a real ACE customer:

Textile Manufacturer and Long-Time ACE Customer

Materials, machinery, and even operators impact the life of industrial knives. After several years of using the same blade, this ACE customer noticed that blade change-outs were becoming more frequent.

Textile cutting experts at American Cutting Edge analyzed the customer's core chopper blade, material, and the titanium-coated blade before and after use.

To ensure that the customer was receiving the highest-quality product, ACE

Chopping synthetic materials requires precise blades that are designed to meet the specific needs of the application.

At American Cutting Edge, we have the experience and expertise to evaluate your synthetic chopping operation and recommend the best, customized solutions to improve blade life and cut quality.

Using the best blade ensures that productivity is optimized while decreasing maintenance-induced downtime and costs.

Customer service is not a department; it is the entire company. “ Tony Hsieh

Customizing Your Chopper Blades

Customized blades are designed to meet the specific needs of the material to be cut and the existing machinery.

ACE engineers analyze the specifications of the machine, cut requirements, material,

If you routinely order new chopper blades for your Mark IV, Mark V, or Krupp chopper, you are probably ordering the same blades over and over.

Simply reordering what has always worked is a safe and simple bet. Yet, you could be missing out on improvements to your blades that may increase blade lifetime and productivity. Improving your chopper blade does not have to mean a customized blade.

There are many off-the-shelf options available and finding the right fit for your chopping operation may be as simple as a quick phone call with one of our Fiber chopping experts.

Good design is good business. “ Thomas Watson, Jr.

Need to Chop in Wet and Dry Environments?

Both stainless steel and solid tungsten carbide chopper blades can be used in wet or dry environments. At American Cutting Edge, we stock premium

Fiberglass is a synthetic fiber manufactured primarily of glass. It is used to insulate homes, swimming pools, boats, fountains, and in a variety of other applications. Glass fibers are mixed with a resin to create a composite that is sprayed into place.

In addition to providing insulation, fiberglass is also used to strengthen surfaces without increasing weight.

Chopper guns create short chop fibers that are mixed with resin and sprayed on to surfaces to strengthen and insulate. The Carbon steel blades used in chopper guns are tiny and inexpensive.

Custom choppers require custom blades. This type of chopper is often used to create large chop sizes used in insulation manufacturing. Custom chopper machines provide ample opportunity to design blades to suit the cutting material and production demands.

Both chopper guns and custom choppers are found in wet and dry environments.

Films, vinyl, fabrics, non-wovens, laminates, paper, and heavy film are often manufactured onto large, bulk material rolls. These rolls are too large to utilize in the end product, so the material is converted into smaller rolls for final production using a process called slitting.

During the slitting process, the material on a master or parent roll is unwound and cut into specific widths (slit widths) by traveling through a series of blades. Razor slitting, crush cut slitting, and shear slitting are the three most common types.

Razor Slitting

Razor slitting is easy and inexpensive to set up and is commonly used to convert films, plastics, tapes, ribbons, and vinyl. Using razor slitting, the material can be converted into very narrow slit widths and still produce very little dust, making it one of the cleanest methods of slitting.

The blades used for razor slitting are inexpensive and require more frequent changes than with other types