New to the market-Tube punches with high tolerance brass plunger ejection. The plunger replaces rubber and springs for the same cost. The plunger seems to be much stiffer than springs. It appears it will be great for thicker stocks like chipboard or styrene. It may an effective replacement for side out punches which may not work in tight areas. Stay tuned for updated info, once we get feedback on these new punches.
Tube punches come in many shapes and sizes. Circular punches are necessary when the diameter of a circle is less than one inch because it is not possible to bend steel rule. The smallest punch is 1/32”. Sizes vary up from there on 1/4” increments. Punches come in different bevels. Center bevel, inside bevel and outside bevel are the different profiles. Inside bevel punches are best for cutting thick stocks because they do not deform the substrate. They are also best for mitres when a cutting rule must butt up to the punch.
Punches eject in many different ways. The majority of punches eject with springs or silicone rubber. Side out punches are typically used on thicker materials and the slugs eject through the side of the punch and a routed trough in the die. Feed through punches allow the scrap to push through the punch. The smallest punch with a spring is 3/32”. Punches smaller than that would be side out. Many people think that the springs are to eject the slug from their material. Although this may happen, any form of ejection is solely to rid the punch of any scrap. If you must eject the chad from your paper, side out is your best choice. Be aware that your press may be lifted by the scrap holes. Amazingly only a small amount of paper pulled into the punch will blow the steel punch apart.
Custom punches come in many shapes, sizes and ejections. Custom punches are machined out of tool steel. Custom ovals, slots, and stars are examples. Metric punches may be custom if they have to be exact. Punches can sometimes be confusing. Please give us a call to make sure you get the right punch for your project.
Counter plates offer significant advantages over creasing matrix and traditional cut press board.
Each counter plate is positioned over its corresponding die cavity using industry-standard nylon locating pins. Peel the release paper off the transfer adhesive, slide the die chase into position and cycle the press. The counter plates have been transferred to your cutting plate in perfect register with the die. As you press the counter plates down you will notice that the edges are smoothly unlike the straight edges of matrix which can catch on your sheets. Also, you only had to place a single counter plate on each die cavity instead of a piece of matrix for each piece of creasing rule.
Unlike a press board make-ready, you should never have to skive the edge of a counter plate channel to fix a “sharp” score. Sharp or cracking scores are an indication that the creasing rule in the die is not lining up properly with the scoring channel. Our close tolerance computer controlled counter plate router ensures a perfect match with our cutting die. Creases are accurately located and well-defined, which means an easier set-up on your folder-gluers too.
