Choosing the Right Blade for Your Synthetic Cutting Applications

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

Chopping fiber into small cuts for use in a finished good, such as pillows and toys, requires a hard working blade that can stand-up to the stresses of multiple, high-impact shocks in both wet and dry environments.

Some chopped fibers are mixed with a resin or other composite and sprayed onto the surface of a product to harden it without adding significant weight. Other fibers are used to weave carpets, reams of fabric, or other textiles. Each of these applications requires a fiber that is cleanly cut, without breaking or tearing. Sharp blades provide the cleanest cuts, however, maintaining a sharp blade can be a challenge.

In most synthetic chopping applications, 19C27 blades offer the right mix of hardness, corrosion resistance, and price. The 440 stainless steel blades are cost-effective and provide consistently clean cuts throughout the life of the knife.

Chopping Kevlar and Carbon Fiber

Kevlar and Carbon fiber are commonly used in composite materials to reinforce body armor, provide protective shielding, and to manufacture products for aerospace, automotive and defense applications. The materials are lightweight and resistant to impact. After the fibers are added to a resin, the material can be molded into almost any shape.

Cutting a material designed to be impenetrable requires a blade with high hardness and durability. Tungsten Carbide blades provide the right hardness level and can be sharpened up to three times to increase the overall life of the blade.

Since each Tungsten Carbide blade is crafted of powdered metal and then formed into the exact shape you need, every blade has a precise composition. This allows engineers to design a grade of Tungsten Carbide that ideally matches your specific cutting application. Long lasting blades that provide consistently high-quality cuts increase productivity and reduce rework and downtime.

Since Tungsten Carbide is itself a composite, it is essential that Kevlar and Carbon fiber choppers verify the grade of material used to manufacture their blades. Some suppliers use low-quality Tungsten Carbide that results in reduced cut quality and blade life. If your blades are breaking or chipping, it may be time to re-evaluate your supplier. A simple change in the composition of your Tungsten Carbide can have a significant effect on the performance of the blade.

Improve quality, you automatically improve productivity. - W. Edwards Deming

Ways to Improve the Life and Cut-Quality of Your Synthetic Chopping Blade

There are several options for improving the performance of your chopping blades. Each modification provides unique benefits.

Switching from stainless steel to Tungsten Carbide in your polyester or nylon cutting application dramatically improves blade life and cut quality. Tungsten Carbide blades are most often used when precision and quality are paramount since the blades are 15 to 20 times more costly than stainless steel. However, it is important to note that while Tungsten Carbide blades are expensive, the cost is offset by the significant increase in blade life. Tungsten Carbide blades last 50 to 200 times longer than stainless steel blades.

Applying a coating is a less expensive way to improve the performance of stainless steel blades. Titanium Carbide coatings add strength to the edge of the blade to increase blade life. Ceramic coatings also add strength to the blade edge to increase life while reducing heat and friction.

Partnering with an experienced industrial cutting expert provides chopping operations with access to engineers and specialists for assessing your business and performance needs. American Cutting Edge's team of professionals can examine your current blades, make recommendations for improvements, and ensure that you are getting the most out of your industrial chopping blades.