How can PVC die-cutting machines make production more efficient and consistent?
blog 2026-01-22 19:46:41 44
The printing industry has long been plagued by problems such as low efficiency in mass production and difficulty in unifying product standards when producing products such as board game cards and playing cards. This is the main application scenario of PVC die-cutting machines. Traditional die-cutting machines have difficulty in taking into account small batches, multiple specifications and batch standardisation. However, the technical characteristics of the PVC die-cutting machine make it perfectly solve these two major problems.
When mass production is carried out, the number of cards in a single batch, such as board game cards and playing cards, can reach tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands. Traditional die-cutting machines often have problems such as inaccurate feeding, difficult cleaning, and difficult collection of finished products. There are many downtime adjustments and less effective working hours. For example, old-fashioned machines require manual assistance in feeding and cleaning waste during mass production. The effective efficiency per hour is only 1500-2000 sheets, and changing the mould is even more painful. It takes more than 30 minutes to change a set of moulds, which makes it difficult to meet the delivery needs of multi-specification and small-batch orders.
Another important requirement for making board game cards is standardisation and unification. Export products have a low tolerance for size changes. For example, the deviation of a single card cannot exceed ±0.1 mm, and the edge of the card should be smooth. Traditional die-cutting machines use ordinary motor drives, and the feeding is easy to slip and shift. The batch defect rate is as high as 5% to 8%, and the nail mouth and connection point must be at the edge of the card. After that, the products need to be trimmed manually, which increases the cost and easily changes the product quality.
The PVC die-cutting machine has achieved the main advantages of “short, flat and fast” for the above problems. Precise stepping feeding to ensure foolproofness; automatic waste removal to reduce downtime; nail-free and connection-free to save trimming time. Moreover, it only takes 15 minutes to change the single-machine adjustment, and it only takes 2-3 minutes to replace the lightweight wooden mould. This means that it can easily adapt to different order changes and solve the production problems of the printing industry.
PVC die-cutting machines are used to make many different types of cards, such as business cards, smart cards, game cards, etc. It is suitable for many different raw materials, such as paper, film and soft magnetic sheet. It can also consider how to die-cut small boxes for packaging. Its precise feeding, automatic collection, automatic waste removal and other functions completely get rid of the problem of low efficiency of old equipment. The visual correction of the layout, the high precision of the finished product, and the guarantee of the standard.
The working mode of the PVC card die-cutting machine is “online” and “single sheet”.
There are two main ways that PVC die-cutting machines work: “in-line” and “sheet-fed”. They are manufactured to meet different production needs, and each has its own technical advantages. In printing businesses, they can be easily changed to accommodate different types of orders and situations while still remaining efficient and accurate. From a technical perspective, the following details the characteristics of both and when they can be used.
The single-sheet operation mode is designed for small-batch orders and proofing requirements, which is in line with the positioning of the equipment as “small-batch stepping feeding”. The main idea is to send a single sheet of raw material into the die-cutting mechanism each time and then die-cut after precise positioning through step-by-step feeding. The finished products are automatically collected, and the waste is cleaned up immediately. Printing companies prefer to use it for small-batch proofing and customisation.
The advantages are high accuracy and strong flexibility. It can quickly make samples for customers, reduce the cost of proofing, and ensure that the proofing products are consistent with the batch products. The order switching is easy, and the 15-minute machine adjustment is matched with the 2-3 minute mould replacement. In this way, it is easy to switch products of different specifications. The machine is very suitable for making customised and small-batch products, such as star cards and animation cards.
The single-sheet operation mode also has a very high level in terms of finished product accuracy. The stepping feeding is matched with the visual correction system to correct the offset of raw materials in real time. The position accuracy of the finished product is ±0.1 mm, and the edge of the card is smooth. It allows you to collect things in two ways: by category or in order. It can be flexibly selected according to the needs of the order, making production more efficient.
The inline operation mode is designed for mass production of the same standard products. The main goal is to connect the PVC die-cutting machine with the front and rear end equipment so that the whole process of printing, die-cutting, waste removal, collection and packaging can be automatically completed without manual intervention. The rear end adopts an integrated packaging scheme to form a closed-loop production. This method is suitable for products with large batches and standard specifications, such as playing cards and game cards.
The online operation mode is highly automated and runs well, which can save a lot of labour and errors. The raw materials are directly sent to the PVC die-cutting machine after the front-end printing. The 7.5 kW servo punching power is perfectly matched with the stepping precision feeding. The punching speed is 300-400 sheets per minute, and the effective efficiency per hour is 18000-24000 sheets, which is 6-8 times that of traditional equipment. The automatic waste removal efficiency is more than 99%, which reduces the loss of raw materials.
The online mode ensures the consistency of products, and the full-process automation avoids human errors. Through visual correction and a servo system, the batch defect rate can be controlled at 0.2%. It can also be directly connected to the packaging equipment at the back end to form a complete production system. For example, a large number of playing cards can be produced at one time, which can shorten the cycle by more than 30% and deliver goods faster.
The two operation modes can be easily switched. Printing enterprises can choose according to the size of the order, the complexity of the specifications, the speed of delivery and other factors. The single-sheet mode can be used for proofing and small batch customisation, and the online mode can be used for mass production. It can be seen that the PVC die-cutting machine is widely used.
How do servo drives ensure that each card is the same size?
The most important quality requirement for card products is consistent size. The 7.5 kW servo drive system on the PVC die-cutting machine ensures that the size of each die-cut card is consistent. The system is equipped with visual correction and step-feeding functions to form a closed-loop control system. The entire process is precisely controlled to ensure dimensional accuracy, which is the main advantage of the system over the old equipment.
The servo drive system is the “power core” of the PVC die-cutting machine. It makes the feeding, die-cutting and receiving mechanisms work. It has the characteristics of being more precise, having a faster response and being more stable than ordinary motors. It can also precisely control the speed and torque. The 7.5 kW power output is stable, and the punching force can be automatically adjusted according to the thickness and hardness of the material. It ensures the stability of the die-cutting process and avoids the generation of dimensional changes and edge burrs.
The servo system is matched with the stepping precision feeding to ensure the accuracy of feeding. Step feeding decomposes the feeding process into several steps. The servo system accurately controls the speed and length of each step. The position feedback signal comes in immediately, and closed-loop adjustment is performed. The error of each step is no more than ±0.05 mm, so that the size error of a single card is kept within ±0.1 mm, reaching the industry standard.
The connection between the servo system and the visual correction system makes things more consistent. The signal is given to the servo system, and the servo system is based on the offset of the raw materials found by the visual correction system. Second, the response speed is fast, and the mobile device corrects the deviation within 0.1 seconds, avoiding the change of batch size due to the deviation of the coil material and ensuring the correct alignment of the die-cutting position and the pattern.
The servo drive system adopts pulse control technology to precisely control the angle and speed of the motor. It has overload and overcurrent protection functions to ensure the long-term stable operation of the equipment. Its positioning accuracy and response speed are far better than traditional motors. High-precision stamping of hard materials such as thin films and soft magnetic sheets avoids edge burrs and dimensional changes.
The PVC die-cutting machine does not require nail holes or connection points. The precise control of the servo system avoids the size problem caused by inaccurate nail holes. Very precise and can be used in many different situations. Servo systems can also help ensure that each card has the same die-cutting effect.
The servo system of the PVC die-cutting machine adopts a high-quality motor and controller, which has a strong anti-interference ability. This means that voltage changes and equipment vibration will not affect the machine. It can also monitor the running status in real time and send any strange signals, which makes it easier to quickly fix problems and ensure that each card is the same size in single and online modes.
Conclusion
The PVC die-cutting machine is the most important equipment for the printing industry to produce card products. Its precise technology and flexible operation mode solve the two major problems of efficiency and standards in the industry. The range of cards and small packaging boxes that can be produced is wide, and full-process automation can be realised.
PVC die-cutting machines have many advantages in terms of production efficiency: 15 minutes of machine adjustment is 75%-87.5% more efficient than traditional equipment (1-2 hours); 2-3 minutes of mould replacement is 90%-93.3% more efficient than traditional metal moulds (more than 30 minutes); the efficiency of the online mode is 18,000-24,000 sheets/hour, which is 6-8 times higher than traditional equipment, and the single-sheet mode is 3,000-4,000 sheets/hour, and the proofing cycle is shortened to 1-2 hours; the waste removal efficiency is more than 99%, reducing raw material loss by 3%-5%.
The 7.5 kW servo system and visual correction ensure the consistency of products. The accuracy of finished products is ±0.1 mm, and the size deviation is kept within ±0.1 mm. The accuracy is 80% higher than that of traditional equipment (±0.5 mm or more). The batch failure rate is kept below 0.2%, and the pass rate is 96%-97.5% higher than that of traditional equipment (5%-8%). The burr-free rate of the card edge is 100%, which can save 30%-40% of labour costs, and the card collection efficiency of finished products is increased by more than 50%.
Its characteristics of “short, flat, and fast” and step-by-step feeding make it highly adaptable to the needs of different orders. The linkage with the back-end packaging can make the production process more efficient, and the cycle time can be shortened by more than 30%. This is perfect for meeting the delivery needs of foreign markets. The optimisation of the non-porous process further reduces costs and time.
In short, the PVC die-cutting machine solves the problem of card production efficiency and consistency in the printing industry with its core technology and flexible operation mode. At the same time, it also helps printing companies to improve their competitiveness, meet the diversified and high-quality order needs of overseas countries, and provide technical support for the transformation and upgrading of the industry.