Die cutting is a creative pursuit that has served a great and essential purpose in the health industry. Die cutting is a term used in crafting to refer to cutting out shapes in masses. The same shapes with similar dimensions can be produced in large numbers repeatedly without necessarily using scissors, scalpels, craft knives, or stencils.
In medicine, this might require a sterilized medium to lower the risk of infection. Apart from saving on time, die cutting creates professionally looking shapes with consistent quality. This practice was introduced in the mid-1800s to streamline the shoemaking industry.
In the 1900s, the technology of die cutting advanced, and die cutting machines were introduced. The innovation was geared towards helping the crafting industry flourish by offering affordability to its customers. Currently, the die cutting technique has been the ideal solution, even in medical processing and packaging.
Basics Of Die Cutting
Dies are metallic objects that have sharp raised edges for cutting. They have the same effect and appearance as the cookie cutters, but it is functionally designed to cut out its pre-drafted shapes. Dies come in different types, sizes, and styles.
The steel-rule dies are sharp and made with a protective plastic or foam for your safety. They are more durable and give multiple cuts of thicker materials at once. Thin dies are not like the steel-rule dies; they can't cut out dies from thick materials.
Many people who do die cutting regularly use machines. These machines are set on crafting tables or die cutting workspace. It requires a small area to store; therefore, it has brought out the need to have it around your facility for easy convenience.
Such machines work by trimming a paper or any other material to fit the die's shape. As material and the metal die pass between the rollers, the desired products/shapes are produced.
Over the years, manual die cutting machines have been used. However, digital machines controlled by computers and powered by electricity have been introduced. Such digital cutters eliminate the need for steel dies since they have sharp inbuilt die. The preinstalled software program allows you to create whichever shape you need using a phone, tablet, computer, or a special cartridge.
Rotary die cutting is a specialized form of die cutting where a cylindrical die is used to cut out the desired shapes from a given material. A high speed rotary die cutter is moved at a high-speed in a circular motion.
This device is incredible because it produces identical and sharp shapes on its rotation. All the operator needs is to place larger materials under the rolling portion and flick it on.
Rotary die cutting is ideal in engineering effects of the health industry. For example, it plays an essential role in producing adhesive sheets of the same sizes to print out the badges or make a precise medical equipment fashion.
The Materials Used to Perform Die Cutting
Uses of die-cutting depend on the material that is being cut. Some companies/ facilities might specialize in the adhesive film alone; however, die cutting is possible on various materials. The materials that can be used in die cutting machines include:
- Paper
- Chipboard
- Adhesives
- Leather
- Thin fabric
- Corkboard
- Vinyl
- Felt
- Thin plastic
- Rubber
- Sponge
- Thin wood
- Thin metal
- Foam sheets
Die cutters can be used more than simply cutting out shapes. The best die cutting machines will also perforate, blank, crease, add engravings, and emboss. However, for successful die cutting, there should be a proper combination of the three essential components: cutting unit, the cutting tool, and the material being used.
Applications of Die Cutting In Medicine
Wound Care and Manufacture of Medical Tools
Adhesive die cutting is known to solve a lot of problems in the medical field. Adhesive tapes are the most used medical tools because of their versatility and ability to solve different medical issues, particularly wound care.
Such medical adhesives are breathable making them the best for covering the skin. They are also pressure-sensitive; therefore, you won’t need any additional solvent or heat to make them more useful.
The RD medical high speed rotary die cutter produces a multitude of materials for the adhesive medical tapes. They produce waterproof and durable tapes that directly adhere to the patient's skin, especially when their correct shapes and sizes are maintained. Therefore, we can conclude that die cutting is the source of adhesive tapes that ensure the wound heals with minimal discomfort.
The major challenge in medicine is when the adhesive tapes adhere tightly to the skin and don’t give it a chance to breathe. Rotary die cutting is the ultimate solution for this. It's used to produce perfect medical tapes with bearable adherence and breathable units as you would wish.
Skin Protection
Skin protection is very crucial in every industry. No professional or client enjoys scratching and denting the skin when in the line of duty. The use of adhesive guards can serve as skin protectors against harmful germs and even mechanical injuries.
Die cutting products have been used in scientific and medical fields to cover the experiment tables and protect the work machines. Rotatory cutting has enhanced the production of surface barriers of whichever shapes and sizes.
The die cut has been employed to ensure that the laboratories' materials are of perfect shapes to suit the workplaces' tables and machines. Die cutting is an incredible solution made simple and efficient to solve poor protection of the human body.
Production of Medical Products
Die cutting has widely served as the source of standardized medical products such as:
- Earplugs
- Diagnostic strips
- Specialist filter media
- Colostomy bags
- Tracheotomy brace strips
- Ostomy filters
- Dental tray liners
- Masks
- Cosmetic cleansing pads
- Shower mats
- Dressings
- Surgical overshoes
- Eye patches
- Surgical gowns
- Corn pads
- Sticking plasters
- Heel pads
- Orthopedic footwear
- Face wipes and pads
Die-Cut in Medical Industry
Many innovative practices have served the medical industry. Die cutting technology is among the concepts that have revolutionized efficiency in hospital facilities. The technology has always ensured better waste management and elevated safety and consistency in the precision of quality products and service. Medical die cutting has offered valuable skin grafts, collagen, bone grafts, and heart valves. The ability to cut out multiple sections accurately and on time, increasing production abilities.
