Rules for setting up an optimum cutting sequence

When dealing with printed paper, the operator should orientate towards the lay guide of the sheet in the press. The first two cuts in a sequence are the initial cut and the angular cut opposite the lay guide. The long side should be cut first. In this way the gripper margin is positioned against the backgauge and the side mark (pull lay) against the side gauge. This positioning of the material is very similar to the position of the sheet in the printing press. During the following cutting sequence, try to avoid any unnecessary turns of the material being cut. 90° turns should be preferred to 180° turns. This saves time and strength and reduces the strain on the spinal column. Moreover, when turning the material you should always keep to one side in the course of a cutting program, i. e. either turn to the left or to the right. This helps to avoid unintentional cutting errors. The backgauge can automatically approach and cut parallel positions one after the other. The additional function meant for automatic cutting is termed "automatic knife". The active restriction: For large labels and/or material with a smooth surface this additional function can only be applied to a limited extent. There is a risk that the material will "float away" from the backgauge and this results in measuring deviations. Any programming of parallel positions is facilitated by the repeat function. When splitting up narrow strips try to make sure that the resulting strips are short, because it is very time-consuming and difficult to align long, narrow and therefore instable strips.