Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2025-08-14 Origin: Site
The advertising industry is concerned with transferring information to the public through various media. Printing advertising accounts for a significant portion of the advertising industry and covers a wide variety of formats.
Printing advertising covers various forms:
Brochure printing: This includes flyers, posters, and leaflets.
Packaging printing: This prints brand information onto product packaging (such as food boxes and cosmetic labels), providing both protection and promotion.
Outdoor printing: This includes light boxes, display boards, and banners.
The printing industry includes a variety of materials:
KT foam: This consists of polystyrene foam forming a core, laminated with a film, and giving a stiff but lightweight surface. It is generally used for marketing and advertising purposes.
Transparent adhesive backing: This is generally a transparent PVC, and this can be clear or frosted, and is best for loads and shops in windows.
Printed fabric: This is a PVC fabric and intended for outside advertising, such as bridge billboards and site hoardings.
Banner fabric: Also known as "flag fabric", lightweight and effective for inside and outside banners and flags.
Art fabric: Matte coated and waterproof, drapes and hangs nicely, and can be used for hanging purposes. Generally used in studio art portraits.
Light box film: It comes in two types: fully transparent and semi-transparent. Fully transparent film requires light to display its colors, while semi-transparent film can produce color photos even in the absence of light.
Self-adhesive PP synthetic paper: A common basic consumable, it is not heat-resistant and is mostly used indoors, such as in X-shaped display stands and hanging signs.
The principle of cutting advertising materials with a flatbed digital cutter equipped with a CCD camera is to align the cutting pattern with the cutting position of the printed pattern using the four corner marks before cutting. First, the printed material is placed flat on the worktable and secured to ensure a flat surface. After starting the cutter, the CCD camera automatically scans the registration marks on the printed material. Using image recognition technology, it captures the pattern outline and registration points, quickly positioning the material without manual marking and alignment. The CCD camera transmits the registration position to the machine system, guiding and controlling the cutting position of the blade, ensuring the correct cutting of the printed pattern. Oscillating knife cutters are now commonly used to cut advertising printed materials because of their high precision and efficient cutting. Below is an outlined guide to cutting advertising material using an oscillating knife cutter, consisting of all elements of pre-production preparations to cutting operations, and post-processing, to conduct a successful and efficient cut.
The cutting pattern for printed advertising materials is generated by referencing the printing source file. The cutting path must cover the desired printed area. Since the advertising industry is very familiar with CAD design software, this is relatively simple work.
The oscillating knife cutting machine for the advertising industry offer a wide variety of tools, including oscillating knives, pneumatic knives, circular knives, half-cut knives, drag knives, and milling cutters. The following describes them in detail:
Oscillating knife: Equipped with a brushless high-frequency motor with a maximum speed of 18,000 RPM and a hardened tungsten carbide blade. The motor drives the blade in a high-speed reciprocating motion to cut the material. They are suitable for hard, medium-density advertising materials such as KT board, cardboard, and PVC foam board.
Pneumatic Knife: Compressed air drives the blade up and down with high-frequency vibration to cut the material, with an amplitude of up to 10mm. This allows for handling highly flexible and thick advertising materials. The blade can cut thicknesses exceeding 100mm, and can be used for cutting thick cardboard, foam, etc.
Kiss Cut Knife: Designed for semi-penetrating cutting of materials such as self-adhesive stickers and printed adhesives, it can adjust the blade tip position to precisely layer the material, quickly achieving a "half-cut" (cutting through only the top half without cutting through the bottom) or a "full-cut" (cutting through the bottom). This easily handles the cutting needs of soft film and cardboard materials used in advertising processing.
Rotary Knife: Equipped with a high-speed motor capable of up to 15,000 RPM and a hardened tungsten steel round blade, the motor drives the blade's high-speed rotation to cut the material, making it particularly suitable for cutting fabric advertising materials such as banners, printed fabrics, and light boxes.
Drag Knife: The blade is fixed and without vibration. Cuts the material through the rapid movement of the blade. It features high cutting speeds, low maintenance, and high cost-effectiveness. It is suitable for cutting thin materials such as vehicle stickers, cardboard, and thin plastics.
Milling Cutter: The milling cutter uses a high-speed rotating drill bit to mill the material, with speeds up to 20,000 RPM. It can cut and engrave hard materials such as acrylic, wood, and high-density CFRP board.
To accommodate different materials, thicknesses, and processing sizes, the digital cutting machine offers a variety of blade options. Thin films typically use 45-degree blades, while KT board typically uses 16-degree blades. Narrower straight blades are used for cutting small sizes and small-diameter curves. Regarding blade length, a blade length 5mm-10mm greater than the thickness of the material is ideal.
Select a tool or tool combination based on the material being cut and the cutting process requirements, and then properly install the tool and blade.
Our machine covers the vacuum table with a layer of breathable felt to protect the blade. Since the vacuum table is made of aluminum alloy, the blade cannot come into direct contact with the metal, so the felt is used to cushion and protect the blade. The principle of blade depth setting is to ensure that the blade can cut through the material without cutting too deeply into the felt and damaging it. For the kiss-cut knife, the blade depth should be sufficient to cut through the upper layer of material without damaging the lower layer.
Before cutting, the digital flatbed cutter should be subjected to a check and setting. Check the power connections for correct power, and check the power wire for damage or aging to ensure the power is stable. Check the cutting tool for proper installation. If there is any looseness, check the connections and tighten up if necessary.
Next, check your flatbed cutter machine. Check for sharpness. If you see any wear or chipping, replace these immediately to ensure proper cutting. Also, check that the blade is installed properly and securely attached to the blade holder so that it cannot fall off when you're cutting.
Next, set the equipment parameters. Based on material thickness and material quality, appropriately set the oscillating knife parameters, such as the vibration frequency, cutting speed, and cutting depth. Generally speaking, for thinner KT foam, the cutting speed can be increased and the vibration frequency reduced. For thicker cardboard, the cutting speed should be reduced and the vibration frequency increased to ensure smooth cutting and a smooth cut.
Cutting is the core of the entire process and requires strict adherence to operating procedures to ensure cutting quality and safety.
First inspect the printed material. Check the surface flatness of the material, as uneven surfaces can affect cutting accuracy and even damage the cutting tool. Also, check the position and clarity of the printed pattern to avoid substandard finished products due to pattern defects.
Place the prepared printed material steadily on the worktable of the machine. Ensure the material is horizontally and vertically positioned, and avoid having the mark points outside the CCD camera's recognition area. The cutter's worktable is a vacuum suction table that automatically opens and closes during cutting to prevent the material from moving. This method of securing the material is automated and requires no manual operation. Furthermore, the vacuum suction provides uniform pressure, securely holding the material without damaging it.
Use the machine's software to open the cutting pattern and configure the CCD camera to align the cutting pattern with the printed material.
Before the cutting process, it is essential to conduct a test cut. A test cut ensures the cutting parameters have been set correctly, the cutting path needs to be accurate, and that the material has been secured.
You will want to choose a corner of the material for a test cut. After you have made a cut for a short distance, stop the machine. Then check for the flatness of the cut and the depth. If the cut is either uneven or insufficiently deep, adjust your cutting parameters. If the cutting path deviates from your marked path, analyze the cutting program and check the position/height of the CCD camera. If the KT board shakes while conducting this test cut, check the vacuum suction system.
After the test cut is confirmed satisfactory, we can proceed with the hands-on cutting process. Operators should closely monitor the cutting process, the characteristics of the material, the actual motion of the blade, and the sounds produced by the machine. If there is significant tool wear, unexpected motion of the cutting material, or unexpected sounds produced by the machine, we should stop the operation immediately to assess the situation, and take corrective action if appropriate. Monitoring the cutting process is very important so that we can minimize the chances of failing to follow safety standards, produce unsafe procedures, or risk poor cutting quality.
Once cutting has commenced, operators need to remain focused throughout and not leave their workstation without permission so they can respond quickly to unexpected situations. Operators should also avoid touching the moving tool or material to eliminate personal harm.
Post-Processing Procedure
After cutting, a series of post-processing steps are required to ensure the quality of the finished product and a clean working environment.
After cutting, turn off the power to the digital cutter. Wait until the cutter has completely stopped, then carefully remove the cut KT board from the workbench. Handle the KT board gently when removing it to avoid damage to the edges.
Inspecting the Finished Product
Follow the appropriate protocols to inspect the cut KT board. Inspect for smooth cuts (flatness), burrs, cracks, etc.; inspect for cut dimensions to verify they are as required in the drawing and that the deviations are to specification; inspect for completeness of the printed pattern and whether any damage occurred to the printed surface as a result of the cut.
If flaws are found in board, promptly determine root cause and take action to correct the issue. Minor burrs can be filed off with sandpaper or other tools. Unusable products, such as samples with dimensional anomalies or damage to the pattern, have to be re-cut.
Clean the working space and equipment
Once cutting is complete, the workspace and equipment should be properly cleaned. Clear the KT board scraps and dust generated through the cutting process, and maintain a clean work space.
Clean and maintain the flatbed cutter by removing all scraps and dust from the cutter. Inspect the cutter for any wear and hazards that need replacement. Clean and lubricate the guides, work tables, and other parts of the equipment to ensure that they are functioning well and to prolong the equipment's life.
Collect and organize all data and records related to this cutting job, including cutting parameters, cutting time, quantity of finished product, and quality. This documentation helps describe a future cutting job, so you can continuously improve the cutting process, cutting quality, and cutting efficiency.
In short, cutting printed KT boards with an oscillating blade cutter is a systematic process. From the pre-cutting preparation, through the cutting process, to the post-cutting preparation process, all steps are critical. Only by strictly monitoring each step, can you ensure the cutting process was performed smoothly, and the final product meets quality standards.
