Q: What are flexible dies?
A: Flex dies are thin metal cutting dies with a raised, sharpened cutting blade. This is achieved by etching away the metal from the plate but not the image. Apple Die can then sharpen the image to the desired height and angle depending on the substrate being converted.
Q: What are the advantages?
A: The biggest advantage is a flex die does not have any joints and has a tight tolerance +/- .002″. The maximum blade height is .059″ so ideally the material being cut should be less than .035″. Flex dies can be used in a flatbed or rotary press. If running a flatbed flex die, Apple can produce different bases like magnetic, steel, or wood to mount the flex die in order to bring the cutting height up to standard .937″. If running on a rotary press we distort the images depending on the repeat of the magnetic cylinder.
Q: So what type of flexible die should you be using on your next project?
A: Ideally flex dies are suited for very tight tolerance jobs, intricate jobs with tight bends, thinner material, kiss cutting, and multiple up cavities. If your project cannot be made with a standard steel rule die, ask us about a flex die. We can also offer different heights on the same plate, add nicks, security cuts and perforation, in addition to laser hardening and special non-stick coating.