4. Selection of knife and grinding angle

A very important decision is made with the selection of the knife material and the grinding angle. Both factors are crucial for the cutting quality and the number of cuts with a sharp knife. The different kinds of materials to be cut and the production requirements are playing an important role.

Types of knives

The following knives are employed:

• Standard steel knives (5% share of alloy),
• HSS-knives (superspeed steel knives, 18% tungsten as an alloy share),
• Carbide-tipped knives (75 – 95 % tungsten carbide, pressed in a powder metallurgy procedure).

You should calculate not only the price of the new knife, the average number of cuts (service life), the resulting knife changes, the price for grinding (per meter) and the average grinding of the blade in millimeters.