A die can be compared to a mold. A mold is something that material is inserted into, poured into, placed into, or squeezed into. That material then takes on the shape of the mold. If you have ever seen a cake being made, that is a good way to visualize a mold. The cake batter is mixed, poured into the cake pan and then baked. After it is done, the cake emerges from the cake pan – the mold – and retains the shape of the cake pan. It has been molded into shape. A die is similar to a mold in that it makes materials take on specific shapes. When materials are shaped with a die into a specific shape, that is called die cutting.
How Does Die Cutting Work?
Die cutting is the term for the process wherein a material is cut into a shape with a die, often in conjunction with CNC cutting bits. The die is used in tandem with a mechanical or hydraulic press, because many of the materials that are cut with a die are hard, such as steel, and the dies themselves are usually made out of steel.
What Materials Can be Cut With a Die?
There is no limit to the different materials that can be cut with a die. Dies are used to cut sheets of magnet paper, resin, rubber, fabric, wood, paper, leather, metal and foam. The die cutting industry makes it possible to manufacture hundreds of thousands of products via machine, including CNC cutting bits.
There are die cut products all over the world in every category. The metal parts that make up kitchen appliances are usually die-cut. Automobile magnets are typically die cut. The list is endless. Acrylic pamphlet holders, picture frames, plastic kitchen utensils, toys and game pieces, educational materials, costume jewelry and clothing embellishments, home decorating items like wall art, and many more things were all made with the help of die cutting. It is safe to say without the technology of die cutting, our world would look very different. For more information please visit Supermill LLC.
