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Knife cutting of cores and tubes: no dust, no chips

ROLL Lab · updated 24 October 2026 · sources at the end of the page

In shortA smooth disc blade is pressed into the spinning core and parts it under pressure: no chips, little or no dust, no material lost. It is the most common method for board, usually up to a 20 mm wall and up to 25 mm on some machines; with a worn blade or too fast a feed, the edge gets crushed.
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Knife cutting: what happens The disc presses and parts, removing nothing core wall, in cross-section inward lipcore spinsno dust papercores.info · ROLL Lab

How it works

The core spins on a mandrel; a smooth disc blade is pressed against the wall and scores it turn after turn until it parts. Nothing is removed: the core keeps its measured length and no dust is produced.

Strengths and limits

  • Strengths: no dust or chips, fast cutting, no material loss, suited to clean areas.
  • Limits: with a worn blade or an aggressive feed, the board is crushed: an inward lip forms (the inside diameter shrinks) or the plies delaminate. On plastic, manufacturers state lower maximum walls (about 11 mm) and the quality is below that of a saw or lathe.
  • Crush-cut variant: for large cores, some machines cut against an anvil, with stated accuracies of ±0.3 mm.

When to choose it

Paper cores for film, tape, labels and textiles, areas where dust is a problem, high volumes. Two precautions: a support mandrel matching the inside diameter of the core, and a blade that is always sharp. Then check that the edge does not hinder loading onto the shaft.

Three ways to cut a core Saw, rotary knife, lathe Sawremoves materialdust and chips · any wall Knifescores and pressesno dust · thin and medium walls Lathetool on the spinning coreclean edge · precision, plastic papercores.info · ROLL Lab
The saw cuts anything but makes dust; the knife makes no dust but crushes the edge; the lathe gives the cleanest edge.

← All cutting technologies

Sources

  1. ISO 11093-9
  2. ISO 13542
  3. ROLL Lab calculation
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