Procurement cost of a processing blade is on average less than 3% of total production cost. An unoptimised blade can not only cause bodily harm but will also, over time, become quite expensive. Repeated unplanned stops in production, buying more blades due to early wear, difficulty in forecasting blade consumption, increased product waste, inconsistent product quality, drop in sales due to unhappy end-users.
Material
Level of wear resistance needed, potential corrosion issues and expected blade life should be considered. Material that is too hard/brittle will break in the machine and if it’s too soft the blade will bend and give an inconsistent cut. Too sharp will overcut and causes damage to secondary packaging/machine. Too blunt is just not fit for purpose.
Geometry
Serrated or not serrated blade? Optimise pitch, thickness and bevels. Use the tolerances that are right for your application. Blades with too high tolerances for the application are not only unnecessary costly to make they can also be difficult to fit in the machine.
Surface
Uneven surface can cause bacteria growth and corrosion.
Best solution for you? Let us help you find out.
