In the realm of manufacturing and production, precision is not just a goal but a critical requirement. Whether in the automotive industry, electronics sector, or even the packaging of everyday products, achieving exact specifications is paramount. This is where precision converting technologies play a pivotal role. Among these technologies, die cutting, slitting, and sheeting stand out as essential processes that enable intricate customization and high-quality output.
What is Converting?
Converting is the process of modifying and/or combining raw materials to create intermediate forms or new products. Custom Converting has been providing precision converting technologies for 40 years. We’ve manufactured both parts (intermediate forms) and finished goods for industries including aerospace, biotech, medical testing, fashion, and more. We’re a 3M Select Converter, and can obtain the adhesives you’ve been looking for – and if 3M doesn’t carry them, we can explore custom adhesive coating for you.
Converting Process: Die Cutting
Die cutting is one of the precision converting technologies that we use at Custom Converting. Common materials subjected to die cutting include paper, cardboard, plastics, rubber, foam, and textiles. Die cutting allows for precise, repeatable shapes with minimal waste, making it ideal for mass production while maintaining high quality and consistency.
Applications of Die Cutting Include:
- Packaging: Custom-shaped boxes, inserts, and displays.
- Automotive: Gaskets, interior components.
- Electronics: Insulation materials, labels, metal films.
- Medical: Test strips, disposable components, eye shields, medical devices, adhesives for medical wearables.
Converting Process: Slitting
Slitting is the process of cutting large rolls or sheets of material into narrower rolls of specified width. This technique is crucial in industries where materials like paper, film, foil, and textiles are used in continuous rolls but need to be adapted for various applications or packaging requirements. This precision converting technology prepares raw materials for your machines.
Key Benefits of Slitting:
- Customization: Tailoring material widths to fit specific machinery or product dimensions. Many raw materials come on extremely large master rolls. Slitting reduces the size and weight of the rolls. Slitting ensures that materials are ready for further processing or direct use, optimizing production efficiency and reducing overall costs.
- Efficiency: Maximizing the use of raw materials by reducing waste.
- Flexibility: Handling a wide range of materials and thicknesses. Custom Converting can slit everything from delicate films to fiberglass or cork.
Converting Process: Sheeting
Sheeting involves cutting large rolls of material into individual sheets of specified dimensions. This process is crucial in industries where materials need to be precisely sized for packaging, printing, or subsequent manufacturing processes. Sheeting ensures uniformity and consistency in product dimensions, facilitating seamless integration into downstream manufacturing processes.
Applications of Sheeting:
- Printing: Pre-cut paper or film sheets for digital or offset printing.
- Packaging: Pre-sized sheets for box-making or food packaging.
- Construction: Insulation materials, roofing membranes.
Conclusion
Die cutting, slitting, and sheeting are indispensable processes in modern manufacturing, enabling customization, efficiency, and high-quality output across diverse industries. Selecting a manufacturer with expertise in these precision converting technologies to manufacture your components or finished goods is a very important decision.
The experts at Custom Converting can advise you on making the most of your materials and explain how to combine our suite of converting offerings to best suit your product. Face-to-face relationships are the backbone of our company, and we’d be delighted to sit down with you at our conference table here in Oceanside, California.
Our staff members take pride in our accuracy, in giving our customers exactly what they are looking for. We make your parts to your specifications, every time. Whether we are making finished parts or performing precision converting technologies as a step in your sub-assembly process, Custom Converting is here to serve you. Contact us today for more details!
Complete the form on our website or the detailed request for quotation available here and email it to sales@customconverting.com. You can also call us at (760) 724-0664.