How To Choose Cutting Blades For Your Flatbed Cutter

There are many types of flatbed cutters, and the materials they cut vary as well. How to choose the right blade is very important. SCplus is a digital cutting machine accessories supplier, and we have listed these points for your reference.

Material characteristics

Thickness: If the material to be cut is thicker, such as corrugated paper and foam, you can choose a round knife or a sharp knife. If the material is thin, such as leather or paper, you can choose a drag knife or a rotary knife.

Hardness: For materials with higher hardness, such as hard plastics and thicker PVC boards, the blade requires higher hardness and wear resistance to ensure both the cutting effect and the service life of the blade. You can choose a blade made of alloy with higher hardness, such as a tungsten steel blade.

Flexibility: For soft and elastic materials, such as sponges and rubber, the blade needs to have both good flexibility and sharpness when cutting to prevent material deformation or blade jamming during the cutting process. You can choose an oscillating knife or a rotary knife.

Cutting accuracy requirements

High-Precision Cutting: If you have high requirements for cutting accuracy, such as creating fine patterns and logos in the advertising industry, you should choose high-precision blades. Such blades typically have finer edges and more stable vibration frequencies, such as those made with high-precision grinding technology. (oscillating knife, rotary blade)

General precision cutting: For some cutting tasks that do not require particularly high precision, such as cutting ordinary packaging materials, you can choose blades with relatively low precision to reduce costs.

Blade material

Tungsten carbide material: It exhibits high hardness, excellent wear resistance, and superior cutting performance. It is suitable for cutting materials of various hardness, including tough materials such as hard plastics and metal sheets. However, the price of tungsten carbide blades is relatively high, and their edges are brittle and prone to breaking.

High-speed steel material: It has good toughness and cutting performance, and the price is relatively low. It is suitable for cutting various materials, including leather, paper, and foam board. However, the hardness of high-speed steel blades is relatively low, the wear resistance is poor, and the service life is relatively short.

Carbide material: It combines the advantages of tungsten carbide and high-speed steel, has high hardness, wear resistance and cutting performance, and has good toughness and impact resistance. It is suitable for cutting various materials, especially for occasions with high requirements for cutting accuracy and blade life.

Blade shape and angle

Shape: Common blade shapes include straight knives, oblique knives, round knives, etc. Straight knives are suitable for straight-line cutting; oblique knives are suitable for cutting materials with large angles or occasions where oblique cutting is required; round knives are suitable for cutting circular or arc-shaped materials.

Angle: The angle of the blade will also affect the cutting effect. Generally speaking, a smaller angle is more suitable for cutting harder materials. In comparison, a larger angle is more suitable for cutting softer materials. For example, when cutting leather, you can choose a blade with a smaller angle to ensure the flatness of the cutting; when cutting sponge, you can choose a blade with a larger angle to avoid deformation of the material during cutting.

Blade size

Length: Choose a blade of appropriate length according to the size of the cutter's blade seat and the size of the cutting material. A blade that is too long may affect the stability and accuracy of the cutting, and a blade that is too short may not meet the cutting requirements.

Thickness: The thickness of the blade will also affect the cutting effect. Thicker blades offer better rigidity and stability, making them suitable for cutting thicker materials. Conversely, thinner blades provide better flexibility, making them ideal for cutting thinner materials.

When you want to choose cutting blades for flatbed cutter, you can choose according to the directions we provide. If you're unsure about how to choose, you can contact the SCplus sales team directly, and we'll provide you with a product catalog to help you make a decision.