Comparison of Rotary Die-cutting and Flat Die-cutting

Rotary die-cutting and flat die-cutting play significant roles in industrial manufacturing, as they can greatly improve efficiency.

Comparison between Rotary Die-cutting and Flat Die-cutting

Whether it is single sheet or roll paper printing, if equipped with a flat die-cutting machine, there may be some deficiencies in the process. Therefore, the choice of die-cutting process becomes the second most important decision factor in paper box processing.

Although the price of rotary die-cutting machines is still higher than that of flat die-cutting machines, the gradual decrease in the price of rotary die-cutting machine molds and the improvement in reliability have expanded its popularity. So far, more and more paper box manufacturers have recognized the advantages of rotary die-cutting, mainly reflected in higher average processing speed, similar consistency in processing techniques (rotary printing + round pressure die-cutting), lower investment, and simple and fast preparation. In terms of equipment investment, the price of a flat bed die-cutting machine is enough to purchase multiple rotary die-cutting machines. Although rotary die-cutting machines are slightly more expensive, their investment can be postponed, and the molds only need to be purchased when receiving special paper box processing orders. Furthermore, modern rotary die-cutting plates have been manufactured very precisely, to the extent that the majority of pre-press preparation work is completed in the mold factory. The preparation work for the die-cutting plates, such as padding, blanking, and creasing, no longer exists in printing companies. Printing companies only need to use a thin double-sided adhesive for plate sticking, effectively reducing costs.

Of course, the most important factor among all is still production efficiency. Compared to the linked flat bed die-cutting process, the production efficiency of rotary die-cutting is much higher. After successfully adopting new methods such as reducing cutting blanks, the key to the success of paper box production lies in the quantity of processing in unit time, that is, how to improve production efficiency. Although the combination of flat die-cutting and roll paper printing also has a high processing speed, the high equipment maintenance costs, difficulties in waste stripping, and difficulties in registration make the actual production capacity inferior to that of rotary die-cutting.

Of course, rotary die-cutting is not a universal solution. Flat bed die-cutting still has advantages in the production of small paper boxes with large-format printing and even exceeds the processing capacity of narrow web rotary + round pressure die-cutting in certain aspects.