Machine Knives manufacturing process
Shear blades, machine knives and guillotine blades operate in a demanding environment and require precise metallurgical and engineering specifications to perform dependably.
The performance life of any machine knife starts with the correct selection of tool steel. Equally as important is the specification of the heat treatment process which will give the appropriate properties to that tool steel. These together with the capability to process these engineering tasks to the required accuracy will produce a blade to give true cost effective performance.
Manufacture and heat treatment is undertaken in our Sheffield UK custom built facilities with dimensional and metallurgical control to our proven quality requirements.
Video of one of our knives being manufactured at our facilicies in Sheffield
Order Processing and Manufacture
Shear blade being straightened
All machine knife orders are subjected to our thorough order review. This considers all available information including that specified on the order and quotation. This is then checked against specifications contained in SBT’s database of over 1500 different shear blades we have manufactured previously.
Our manufacturing specification considers the material types, strength and thickness to be sheared, maximum shearing capacity of the machine, type of machine and any work piece temperature considerations.
We will then produce a metallurgical program to heat treat the chosen tool steel to provide the required balance between wear resistance and toughness and give optimum shear blade performance.
Process temperature control and hardness checks at each stage of the hardening process ensure this vital stage is actioned correctly. The type of tool steel is the beginning of this process and final hardness is the end but the intermediate parameters can have a major influence on blade properties and performance.
The tool steel will be supplied to us with a certificate of chemical analysis and machined into a blank of appropriate dimensions. Holes, countersinks, keyslots, threads and other details are CNC machined prior to the blade being heat treated.
Precise straightening is performed before finish grinding gives dimensional accuracy to the blade. Next the blade is inspected, measurements retained for our records and threads cleaned out.
Machine knife inside protective packaging
Packaging and Shipment of Machine Knives
We take great care to ensure your machine knives reach you in perfect condition. The finished blade is then coated in rust preventative and enclosed in a plastic sleeve and custom built wooden protection case, ready for despatch.