Method of making rotary cutting dies

Abstract

A method of making a pair of rotary die cylinders with lands having coacting cutting edges which cut blanks from a web of material passing through the nip of the rotating dies. In cross section each land has an outer face and a pair of spaced apart side faces which are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the chord of the outer face to provide a clean cut and facilitate release of the cut blank from the cutting blades as it emerges from the nip of the dies. The die cylinders are journalled for rotation by recesses with frusto conical locating surfaces in their opposed ends. Each die cylinder is made by machining the recesses in the opposed ends of a generally cylindrical workpiece of tool steel and then utilizing the recesses to locate and orient the workpiece relative to a cutting tool to produce a cylindrical surface on the workpiece concentric with the axis of the recesses and then to machine away portions of the periphery of the cylindrical surface to form the cutting blade lands thereon. After machining is completed the cutting blade lands may be hardened by heat treating utilizing a laser beam directed onto the lands to heat them at an elevated temperature so that upon quenching they are hardened without any substantial hardening and resulting distortion of the core or body of the workpiece.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. A process of making a rotary die cylinder having a body and an integral elongate severing blade thereon comprising: machining in a workpiece of steel in opposed ends of the workpiece a pair of recesses with tapered surfaces on essentially the same axis and each surface tapering inwardly of its associated end of the workpiece, utilizing said recesses and tapered surfaces to locate the workpiece while machining thereon a generally cylindrical peripheral outer surface essentially coincident with said axis of said tapered surfaces, utilizing said recesses and the said tapered surfaces to locate and turn said workpiece relative to a rotating metal cutting tool to machine away metal from the periphery of said generally cylindrical outer surface to form at least one cutting blade thereon having an elongate land which has an outer face and a pair of spaced apart side faces, at least one of said side faces being essentially perpendicular to said outer face if said outer face is linear or a chord of said outer face if said outer face is arcuate, and said one side face intersecting said outer face to define a cutting edge of said land, a portion of said peripheral outer surface being the outer face of said land, and thereafter hardening at least the periphery of said land by heating said land to an elevated temperature and cooling said land without substantially hardening the body of the die cylinder. 
     
     
       2. The process of claim  1  wherein the workpiece is of unhardened tool steel and which also comprises utilizing said recesses and tapered surfaces thereof to accurately locate and position said land of said workpiece relative to a laser to direct a beam of electromagnetic radiation produced by said laser onto and along said land for heating said land to an elevated temperature from which said land is cooled to harden said land without substantially hardening the body of the die cylinder. 
     
     
       3. The process of claim  2  wherein the elongate land of the cutting blade is machined in the workpiece utilizing a CNC machining center with multiple axes. 
     
     
       4. The process of claim  3  wherein when machining said one side face of said land of the cutting blade the cutting tool has an axis of rotation which is essentially perpendicular to said outer face if said outer face is linear or the chord of said outer face if said outer face is arcuate and is skewed to a radius of the workpiece which intersects the plane of said one side face being machined by the cutting tool. 
     
     
       5. The process of claim  2  wherein when machining said one side face of said land of the cutting blade the cutting tool has an axis of rotation which is essentially perpendicular to said outer face if said outer face is linear or the chord of said outer face if said outer face is arcuate and is skewed to a radius of the workpiece which intersects the plane of said one side face being machined by the cutting tool. 
     
     
       6. The process of claim  1  which also comprises machining a keyway in at least one of said recesses which opens into the tapered surface thereof and through the associated end of the workpiece. 
     
     
       7. The process of claim  6  wherein the elongate land of the cutting blade is machined in the workpiece utilizing a CNC machining center with multiple axes. 
     
     
       8. The process of claim  7  wherein when machining said one side face of said land of the cutting blade the cutting tool has an axis of rotation which is essentially perpendicular to said outer face if said outer face is linear or the chord of said outer face if said outer face is arcuate and is skewed to a radius of the workpiece which intersects the plane of said one side face being machined by the cutting tool. 
     
     
       9. The process of claim  6  wherein when machining said one side face of said land of the cutting blade the cutting tool has an axis of rotation which is essentially perpendicular to said outer face if said outer face is linear or the chord of said outer face if said outer face is arcuate and is skewed to a radius of the workpiece which intersects the plane of said one side face being machined by the cutting tool. 
     
     
       10. The process of claim  1  wherein the elongate land of the cutting blade is machined in the workpiece utilizing a CNC machining center with multiple axes. 
     
     
       11. The process of claim  10  wherein when machining said one side face of said land of the cutting blade the cutting tool has an axis of rotation which is essentially perpendicular to said outer face if said outer face is linear or the chord of said outer face if said outer face is arcuate and is skewed to a radius of the workpiece which intersects the plane of said one side face being machined by the cutting tool. 
     
     
       12. The process of claim  1  wherein when machining said one side face of said land of the cutting blade the cutting tool has an axis of rotation which is essentially perpendicular to said outer face if said outer face is linear or the chord of said outer face if said outer face is arcuate and is skewed to a radius of the workpiece which intersects the plane of said one side face being machined by the cutting tool. 
     
     
       13. A process of making a rotary die cylinder having a body and an integral and elongate severing blade thereon comprising: machining in a workpiece of steel in opposed ends of the workpiece a pair of recesses with tapered surfaces on essentially the same axis and each surface tapering inwardly of its associated end of the workpiece, utilizing said recess and tapered surfaces to locate the workpiece while machining thereon a generally cylindrical peripheral outer surface essentially coincident with said axis of said tapered surfaces, utilizing said recesses and the said tapered surfaces to locate and turn said workpiece relative to a rotating metal cutting tool to machine away metal from the periphery of said generally cylindrical outer surface to form at least one cutting blade thereon having an elongate land extending through more than one quadrant and which has an outer face and a pair of spaced apart side faces, at least one of said side faces being essentially perpendicular to said outer face if said outer face is linear or a chord of said outer face if said outer face is arcuate and said one side face intersecting said outer face to define a cutting edge of said land, a portion of said peripheral outer surface being the outer face of said land, and thereafter hardening at least the periphery of said land by heating said land to an elevated temperature and cooling said land without substantially hardening the body of the die cylinder. 
     
     
       14. A process of making a rotary die having an elongated substantially cylindrical body defined at least in part by having an outer continuous non- segmented arcuate surface and having an integral elongate severing blade projecting from said surface of said body, comprising the steps of:    
       
         forming said blade from said body by removing selected portions of said body leaving said blade projecting from said arcuate surface, said blade having an elongate land which has an outer face and a pair of spaced apart side faces, at least one of said side faces being essentially perpendicular to said outer face if said outer face is linear or to a chord of said outer face if said outer face is arcuate, said one side face intersecting said outer face to define a cutting edge of said land, wherein said blade is formed with a thickness substantially less than the diameter of the body of the die; and  
       
       
         thereafter hardening at least the outer face of said land by heating the outer face of said land to an elevated temperature with a laser beam having relative movement with respect to said land in a direction along the elongate severing blade and then cooling said land without substantially hardening the body of the die. 
       
     
     
       15. The process of claim  14 , comprising heating at least the outer face of said land to a temperature of between about  1000 ° F. to about  1200 ° F. with said laser beam. 
     
     
       16. The process of claim  14 , wherein said land is cooled by air cooling. 
     
     
       17. The process of claim  14 , wherein said land is cooled by quenching in a liquid medium. 
     
     
       18. The process of claim  17 , wherein said land is cooled by a method selected from the group consisting of spraying, pouring and directing a stream of said liquid medium onto said land. 
     
     
       19. The process of claim  17 , wherein said and is cooled by immersing said land in said liquid medium. 
     
     
       20. The process of claim  14 , comprising hardening the outer face of said land and the one side face of said land intersecting said outer face and defining the cutting edge by heating said side and said outer faces of said land to an elevated temperature with a laser beam and then cooling said land without substantially hardening the body of the die cylinder. 
     
     
       21. The process of claim  20 , comprising heating said side and said outer faces of said land to a temperature of between about  1000 ° F. to about  1200 ° F. with said laser beam. 
     
     
       22. The process of claim  20 , wherein said land is cooled by air cooling. 
     
     
       23. The process of claim  20 , wherein said land is cooled by quenching in a liquid medium. 
     
     
       24. The process of claim  23 , wherein said land is cooled by a method selected from the group consisting of spraying, pouring and directing a stream of said liquid medium onto said land. 
     
     
       25. The process of claim  23 , wherein said land is cooled by immersing said land in said liquid medium.