News > Band Knife Machine: Characteristics, Types, Advantages, Disadvantages

Band knife machine is a special cutting device used in sewing and furniture industries, which allows to evenly and accurately cut fabric, upholstery foam or other soft materials used in clothing and furniture industry. The band knife cutting machine significantly reduces material cutting time compared to vertical and circular knives, and also minimizes the number of uneven cuts.

The choice of band type depends on the material to be cut and the thickness of the stack and the machine itself.

There are different models of band knife machine available, which differ in the arm gap size (the distance between the band and the body), the type of tabletop, the ability to adjust the speed of the cutting band, the availability of dust removing vacuum system, and by the type of the control panel. The band knife machines are used for cutting materials such as: cotton, upholstery foam, wool, silk, linen, synthetic fabrics, leather, cardboard, insulation, air filters.

The band knife machine characteristics: 

A band knife blade is a thin steel band that is moving continuously on a rubberized guide wheels. Such band is usually narrower than the blade in a straight knife machine. That is why it offers a higher accuracy during cutting. Below you can find some key features of band knife machines:

• There are three types of tabletops: smooth, with an air cushion or a sliding movable tabletop. The air cushion tabletop creates an air gap between the material and the tabletop surface, that helps to move the material more easy during cutting. Movable tabletop is useful when cutting stacks of upholstery foam or insulation since the operator can push the tabletop itself, not the material. Smooth tabletop can be used during cutting materials that do not require air cushion to be easily moved on the tabletop.

• Variable speed control: some synthetic materials tend to melt when the operator does not cut the material quick enough. Fast moving band creates too much friction and the material stacks can melt. The inverter mounted inside the control cabinet can prevent this situation from happening.

• The machine size is an important factor to consider. Some applications e.g. mattress production requires big band knife machines that are able to cut whole foam blocks into smaller pieces. For small pieces, like pet apparel or children clothing a small band knife machine is enough e.g. REXEL R500. For a regular-sized clothing the most universal choice is the REXEL R1000 band knife machine. For bigger pieces of clothing like winter coats REXEL R1250 will be enough.

• Dust removing system: some materials create a lot of dust during cutting. Such material scraps and dust can get inside the machine that could damage its components. That is why it is important to use a dust removing system (vacuum cleaner). The vacuum hose is usually mounted under the tabletop near the bottom guide bearings. Since the band is moving from top to bottom the vacuum hose efficiently removes all debris that occurs during cutting.

• Measuring stop device, for straight cuts it is recommended to use a measuring stop. It allows the operator to easily cut the required size of the material (e.g. filter or foam).

The types of bands used in band knife machines:

1. Smooth band: is a standard band used in our band knife machines. It is an ideal band to cut materials like: textiles, foam or insulation, fibrous materials like coconut coir, and other soft materials. In addition to that the smooth bands can be re-sharpened on the machine, unlike other types of bands.

2. Concave / convex bands: these types of bands can be used in cutting hard textiles, filters, hard foam or cardboard.

3. Band knife with diamond toothed edges are used to cut wide ranges of rubber. 

4. Serrated (toothed) bands are used to cut hard foam or plastics.

The bands differ in sizes so it is important to pick the correct size of the band for the band knife machine. Our band knife machines have slight adjustment so the band length can be chosen with +-5mm tolerance. The band width ranges from 6 mm to 12 mm. The band thickness is standard 0.45 mm.

It is also important to pay attention to the band bevel. In our band knife machines we recommend using only double bevel bands since such bands can be sharpened correctly on the machine. On the market there are available single, double and four bevel bands. Sometimes the bands can be twisted that means they will last twice longer since the band is welded in a “Möbius strip”.

Also read: Rexel band knife machine safety features

Advantages of band knife machine:

• Reduced risk of accidents due to the use a special telescopic cover in our machines.

• Suitable for most cutting rooms.

• Great to cut 90° angle of the lay.

• Built in sharpener allows operator to sharpen the smooth band.

• Offers large productivity since the materials can be cut in stacks.

• Possibility to put the band knife machine close to the existing cutting tables.

• Possibility to cut various materials and shapes.

Disadvantages of band knife cutting machine:

• Band knife machine is a self-standing machine that will take some space on the production hall and is not supposed to be transported from place to place regularly.

• Smaller machines are not suitable for large elements like whole blocks of upholstery foam.

• Not possible to cut very dense materials like plastics or hard rubber.

• Greater risk of cutting in case when the operator is inexperienced or distracted or violates the safety protocols.

• Not possible to cut things straight from a lay. After spreading the material needs to be broken down on a smaller pieces to fit under the band knife arm.

• Band knife machine requires regular cleaning inside the body.

Conclusion

Band knife machine is a convenient high-performance device for precise cutting of materials. Furthermore, the band knife machine is well-known type of machine for several years now due to its high-quality and versatility. Contact Rexel Poland for a durable and high-quality machine that meets your requirements.

You can also read: Handful Tips for Finding the Ideal Stand for Your Sewing Machine