What is the maximum thickness you can cut with the knife?

Our oscillating knife system can generally handle foams and soft materials up to 2 to 4 inches thick, depending on the density. For denser rubber or rigid plastics, the limit is lower. Please consult our team with your material specs.

Why choose knife cutting over laser cutting for foam?

Laser cutting foam can cause the edge to melt and "concave" (hourglass shape), affecting the dimensional accuracy. The oscillating knife cuts straight down without melting, ensuring the top and bottom of the part are perfectly aligned and the edge remains vertical.

What is "Kiss-Cutting"?

Kiss-cutting is a technique used for adhesive-backed materials (like stickers or foam tape). The knife cuts through the top layer of material but stops precisely before cutting the backing paper. This allows the parts to be delivered on a sheet or roll, making them easy to peel off and apply during assembly.

OSCILLATING KNIFE CUTTING

CNC Oscillating Knife Cutting for Flexible Materials

In the manufacturing of complex industrial assemblies, soft components like seals, insulators, and vibration dampeners are just as critical as the metal frame. Graphie offers specialized Oscillating Knife Cutting services (Digital Cutting) to process flexible materials with extreme precision. Based in La Pocatière, Quebec, this department complements our laser capabilities, ensuring that we can cut practically any material - hard or soft - needed for your project.

Unlike laser cutting which uses heat, or die cutting which uses physical force, our digital cutting tables utilize a rapidly vibrating blade (tangential knife) guided by CNC. This "cold cutting" process is the ideal solution for materials that are sensitive to heat or too thick for standard laser processing.

The "Cold Cutting" Advantage

For many advanced industrial materials, heat management is a challenge. Lasers can leave hardened or discolored edges on white foams and certain rubber compounds. Graphie’s oscillating knife technology eliminates these thermal risks entirely.

Pristine Edges: We achieve clean, soft edges on foams, felts, and rubber. There is no carbon deposit or hardening of the edge, which is vital for gaskets that must compress evenly to ensure a seal.

Material Versatility: We process materials that are difficult to laser cut efficiently, such as thick rubber mats, cork, and multi-layer composites.

Complex Geometry: The tangential control of the blade allows us to cut intricate shapes, sharp corners, and small holes in soft materials that would typically deform under the pressure of a traditional die press.

Prototyping and Production Efficiency

Oscillating knife cutting is a "die-less" technology. This offers a significant economic advantage over traditional die-cutting (punching) for low-to-medium volume runs common in the transportation and specialized equipment sectors.

Zero Tooling Costs: There is no need to manufacture a physical steel die. We simply load the CAD file and start cutting. This saves you hundreds or thousands of dollars in startup costs.

Instant Design Changes: If you need to move a hole or change the diameter of a gasket, we simply update the file. There is no waiting for a new die to be machined.

Nesting Efficiency: Our software automatically nests parts on the raw sheet or roll to maximize material yield, reducing waste on expensive technical foams and rubber.

Master of Sealing: Custom Gasket Manufacturing

One of the primary applications of this service is the production of custom sealing gaskets. An industrial enclosure manufactured in our metal shop is only IP-rated if its seal is perfect.

Material Variety: We regularly process high-performance sealing materials including Neoprene, EPDM, Silicone, Cork, and specialized engineered foams like Poron Urethane and Bisco Foam.

Precision Fit: Because we cut digitally, we can produce gaskets with complex bolt-hole patterns that match your metal chassis to within a fraction of a millimeter.

Adhesive Backing: We can kiss-cut materials with Pressure Sensitive Adhesive (PSA) backings, delivering gaskets that are "peel-and-stick" ready for your assembly line, speeding up production.

Integration with Digital Printing: The "Print-to-Cut" Workflow

This service works hand-in-hand with our Digital Printing department. We seamlessly transition projects from the print floor to the cutting table to produce finished graphic components.

Fleet Graphics and Decals: We print high-durability vinyls on our roll-to-roll printers and then use the oscillating knife to precisely "kiss-cut" the individual stickers. This creates easy-to-apply decal kits for vehicle fleets or machinery.
Printed Magnets: We can print directly onto magnetic material and cut it into custom shapes for removable signage or warehouse racking labels.
Packaging Prototypes: We can cut and crease corrugated cardboard to create custom packaging prototypes for your products, ensuring the box fits the part perfectly before ordering in bulk.