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Solving Cut Quality Issues

Cutter Just Isn’t Cutting It Anymore?

When you first received your Appleton core cutter, did it seem to provide more cuts before you had to change knives? Were the cuts cleaner with less slivering? If your answer is yes, you may have a “cutting edge” problem.

Your core cutter was supplied with the knife our research and experience had proven to be best suited to your core. If you are cutting fiber cores, that blade was a double-sided, double-bevel knife. This design provides the long taper that minimizes the wedging action while giving the cutting edge the material it needs to minimize chipping and breakage. These blades are characterized by their two differing angles on each face as shown in the drawing below. Single bevel knives won’t provide as many cuts and are more prone to cause slivering. Often our field service staff find they can fix a cut quality problem simply by changing to Appleton knives.

Other Core Cutter Adjustments That Affect Cut Quality

1- Mandrel Position

Before making any adjustments, check the mandrel position. Slowly advance the support rollers toward the mandrel. If they do not both contact the mandrel at the same time, use the two jack bolts at the back of the mandrel to make the adjustment. When the two rollers are touching the mandrel at the same time the mandrel is in its proper location. Also reference Mandrel adjustment section of your maintenance manual

2- Support Rollers

With a core on the mandrel, the support rollers should be advanced until they cause about 0.010" to 0.020" deflection of the mandrel (or until a slight resistance can be felt). This provides the support necessary for the mandrel during the cutting cycle. Diameters under 2" may require slight contact by a knife side roller.

3- Knife Vertical Plane (Bevel)

The knife should advance at a 90° angle to the core when viewed from above. This can be readily checked by placing two cores end to end as cut and observing the gap at the outer edges. Then reverse one of the cores and re-check the gap. If it has increased or decreased, the knife should be adjusted by swinging the dovetail right or left until the mated cuts are balanced both ways.

4- Knife Skew

When the core exhibits slivering, first check the blade for damage. If the edge is in good condition and you are using an Appleton knife, the knife is not perpendicular to the centerline of the core on a horizontal plane . Depending on the model of cutter, this skew adjustment is made by:

All hydraulic models:

1. adjusting the toolbar (if cutter has a swivel on the toolbar), or
2. shimming the tool post

All pneumatic models:

1. adjusting one of the rod ends. Make several test cuts to verify that the slivering is corrected

5- Cutting Pad Contact

The cutting pad supports the inner ply during the cutting cycle. Each pad is built to within 0.010" of the diameter to be cut. This size is stamped on the pad mounting cup. If you are getting torn inner liners (dog ears), the problem may be that the pad is worn or the core is out of tolerance. Measure the core ID and check it against the pad size.

6- Rate of Stroke Advance

The speed at which the knife advances into the core needs to be regulated to prevent the knife from plunging into the core. In extreme cases, the knife can actually stall the core. Advancing the knife too slow can result in excessive heat - burning the knife. You’ll need to check your Operator's Manual for your model of cutter for these instructions, as they are very specific to the model.