American Cutting Edge Blog

The Steel Tariffs imposed by the Trump administration have garnered significant interest; especially in our industry, where both steel and aluminum play a primary role.

This is hardly the first time a sitting President has imposed a tariff on steel. As early as 1979, then Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton proposed a series of tariffs, including one on steel, each of the new tariffs was accepted.

More recently, George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Richard Nixon, and Lyndon B. Johnson all attempted to protect American steel producers by imposing tariffs on steel imports.

Often, it is tough to distinguish fact from fiction as we wade through the political commentary to understand how legislative decisions, such as this one, influence our industry.

Let's start with a few basic facts:

• Although dubbed the Steel Tariffs the trade sanctions signed into law on March 8, 2018, apply to the import of both steel

A global blade expert in a variety of industries for over 50 years, American Cutting Edge has supported the medical industry for more than a decade. Our experience and in-depth knowledge of materials, cleaning processes, and bevel geometry ensure high-quality, cost-effective blades are supplied to the medical industry. Our commitment to quality and our dedication to our customers enables us to understand the unique challenges facing this heavily regulated and complex industry and offer best-fit solutions.

Our medical blades support the development and production of medical devices, capsule cutting, laboratory use, medical processing, and medical manufacturing. With a wide inventory of off-the-shelf solutions and a robust team of experts, American Cutting Edge offers both stock and custom medical blade solutions.

Recently, we had the opportunity to enhance the business of one of our long-term customers in the

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.

To optimize your granulator production and adequately plan for downtime, understand when your granulator blades are performing as efficiently as possible and when a maintenance action may soon be required. For granulating operations, performing preventative maintenance can save hours of unplanned downtime and increase the safety of the processing environment. However, for many granulators, maintenance is performed just-in-time (JIT), which requires recognizing the early warning signs of a maintenance condition.

Proper preparation prevents poor performance. - Charlie Batch

Is Your Granulator Working Too Hard?

As granulator blades dull, the granulator requires more electricity to perform. Check amp readings of your granulator just after maintenance is performed and note the values.

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 of

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