Metallographic investigations of metal plate edges after cutting

Purpose: Cutting sheets of various materials is a commonly used product finishing process in industrial conditions. If high quality of cut edges is required, defects caused by cutting on a guillotine make this process of finishing practically unsuitable. The Authors evaluated quality of plates after cutting in laboratory, on industrial guillotine and a rotary slitter, in order to specify a cutting method least disturbing to the product’s edge. Design/methodology/approach: Samples of multi-layered aluminium lithographic plates, divided by cardboard and paper sheets were cut in industrial conditions on a guillotine and a rotary slitter. A specially designed laboratory test stand was built, allowing measurements of forces and applying a vertical, controlled movement of the cutting blade. Surfaces of edges of the samples were examined with the use of a Scanning Electronic Microscope; results of these scans were compared and evaluated. Findings: Comparison of surfaces after cutting allowed drawing conclusions regarding methods causing minimum disturbances to the cut edges. The best quality of the cut edges was obtained on a laboratory guillotine test stand, applying a unique, vertical movement of the cutting blade. Research limitations/implications: Results of laboratory experiments should be continued and verified on larger scale in industrial conditions. Practical implications: If vertical cutters could deliver the same edge quality as rotary slitters, a substantial reduction of production costs can be expected as in many cases guillotines are far more efficient than rotary slitters. Originality/value: Vertical, controlled movement of the blade during cutting metal sheets offers substantial advantages to the finishing process compared to standard guillotine cutting. In all cases, when high quality of the edge surface is required, proposed vertical cutting combines high efficiency with simplicity of operations and assures high quality of the finished products.