Guillotine Blades

What do Guillotine Blades Mean?

Guillotine blades, also known as guillotine knives or straight cutting blades, are long, straight cutting tools used in guillotine cutters or shearing machines. These machines are designed to make straight, precise cuts across a wide range of materials, most commonly paper, cardstock, and thin boards in the printing and paper converting industries, but also metals, plastics, and other materials in industrial shearing applications. The term “guillotine blades” refers to the straight blade or set of blades that descend in a shearing motion to cut the material held firmly in place.

Uses and Applications of Guillotine Blades

Guillotine blades are essential tools in various industries for making clean, straight cuts. Key applications include:

• Printing and Paper Converting: Precisely cutting stacks of paper, cardstock, labels, and other printed materials to final sizes using paper cutters or guillotines. This is crucial for books, brochures, posters, and other printed products.
• Packaging Industry: Cutting cardboard, corrugated board, and other packaging materials to create blanks or finished packaging.
• Sign Making: Cutting large format prints, vinyl, and other sign materials to specific dimensions.
• Leather Industry: Cutting large pieces of leather for various applications.
• Textile Industry: Cutting stacks of fabric or rolled textiles into specific sizes.
• Metalworking: Shearing thin metal sheets and plates to size in some industrial applications.
• Plastics Industry: Cutting plastic sheets and films.
• Food Processing: Specialized guillotine blades can be used for cutting large blocks of cheese or other food products.

Common Materials for Guillotine Blades

The materials used for guillotine blades must be durable, wear-resistant, and capable of maintaining a sharp, straight cutting edge to ensure clean and accurate cuts over extended use. Common materials include:

• Carbon Steel: Often used for cutting softer materials like paper and cardboard, where cost is a primary concern. Different grades offer varying levels of hardness.
• High-Speed Steel (HSS): Provides improved wear resistance and can maintain sharpness longer than carbon steel, suitable for cutting thicker paper stocks, laminates, and some thin plastics.
• Alloy Tool Steel (e.g., D2, A2): Offers excellent wear resistance and is ideal for high-volume cutting of various materials, including thicker paperboard, plastics, and even thin metals, ensuring consistent cut quality. D2 steel is particularly known for its durability and edge retention.
• Carbide-Tipped Blades: Feature tungsten carbide inserts at the cutting edge, providing exceptional hardness and wear resistance for cutting very abrasive materials or for extremely high production volumes, significantly extending blade life.

The blades are precision ground and often hardened and tempered to achieve the optimal balance of sharpness and durability. The bevel angle of the cutting edge is critical for the specific material being cut, ensuring a clean shear without tearing or crushing.

Common Guillotine Blade Shapes

Guillotine blades are typically long and straight, but variations exist in their edge profiles and overall design depending on the application and the material being cut:

• Straight Edge Blades: The most common type, featuring a simple, straight cutting edge. The bevel (the angled surface that forms the cutting edge) can be single or double, depending on the material and cutting requirements.
• Beveled Edge Blades: The cutting edge is formed by one or two angled surfaces. The angle of the bevel influences the cutting force required and the quality of the cut edge. Steeper angles are often used for harder materials.
• Hollow Ground Blades: The sides of the blade are concave, resulting in a very sharp but potentially more fragile edge, often used for precision cutting of paper and thin materials.
• Notched Blades: Some guillotine blades have notches along the cutting edge to aid in gripping the material or to create specific cut patterns.
• Perforating Blades: Feature teeth or специально designed edges to create lines of perforations in materials like paper or labels.

The working principle of guillotine blades involves a powerful downward shearing motion against a stationary bed or anvil. The material to be cut is held firmly in place by a clamp, and the sharp, straight blade descends with significant force, cleanly severing the material. The length and thickness of the blade, the angle of the bevel, the force applied, and the rigidity of the machine all contribute to the quality and accuracy of the cut. Proper sharpening and alignment of the guillotine blades are essential for optimal performance and safety.

Welcome to inquire!

If you don’t find the shear blade you are looking for, we can also customize it, see our “Custom Blades” to learn how!

Open Brochures

Why Choose Metal?

1. One-stop hassle-free import service

Easy to enjoy the convenience of importing, from transportation to customs clearance, we handle the whole process, you just need to pay VAT and wait for the goods to arrive at the company.

2. Competitive Pricing

We have seen its blades used in countless applications and is ready to handle whatever project you throw our way -delivering accuracy, durability, and unmatched competitive pricing.

3. ODM & OEM Available

Whether you provide drawings, sketches or samples, we are able to draw and manufacture for you. We also have the ability to assist in modifying existing designs and specifications to improve almost any industrial tooling application. Please contact our dedicated sales team to discuss your specific requirements.

4. Quality Control

A series of testing and inspections are performed to control quality, including first article inspection, Incoming material inspection, and materials certified, In-process quality inspection, Final quality inspection.

5. Flexible procurement, unlimited cooperation

Whether you are an importer, distributor, wholesaler or end-user, we welcome you to join us with minimum MOQ, no hassle for inquiry and more freedom for purchasing.

6. Overseas monitor, production progress real-time report

Become your exclusive monitor, regular transmission of every important node in the production line, no matter how far away, the progress of the product as far as possible to grasp!