On a sheet-fed label die the aim is to cut the face paper and adhesive while leaving the siliconised carrier (liner) intact. When the liner is cut the sheet tears during stripping, the label rips on application and the job is cut again from the start. The fault has no single cause; it shows itself when rule height, press pressure, liner thickness and adhesive behaviour are checked together.

Liner cutting has more than one cause

When a cut mark shows on the liner the first suspect is the rule; yet the rule may be too high, the pressure may be too high, or the liner may have arrived thinner and weaker than expected. Most of the time the fault is a combination: the right rule becomes the wrong one on a new batch of material.

Diagnosis starts by recording where the symptom is. If the cut mark is the same everywhere on the sheet, rule height or overall pressure is examined; if it appears only in one area or one position, the seating of the die, local pressure distribution or the rule joint in that area is looked at.

  • Face paper and liner thickness are shared with the maker’s name.
  • Adhesive type (acrylic, hotmelt) and any lamination are stated.
  • Whether the fault covers the whole sheet or one position is noted.

Rule height is set finely

On labels the cut depth is set within a band thinner than a sheet of paper: face and adhesive are cut through, the liner is only touched. A deeper cut seems to make stripping easier but weakens the liner; in the production run that weakness comes back as a sheet that tears during stripping.

Rule selection is therefore made not to a standard height but to the behaviour of the material that will be used in production. When a new material, a new liner or a new adhesive arrives, the old setting loses its validity and a short trial cut is made on the real stock.

  • The behaviour of the real material replaces a standard height.
  • The trial cut is repeated when material or liner changes.
  • The trial is made on production stock; similar material misleads.

Adhesive bleed affects the cut

Adhesive squeezed out along the cut line changes how the rule behaves: adhesive building up on the rule edge fouls the next strokes, makes the label harder to release and pushes the operator to raise the pressure. As pressure rises the liner gets cut; that is how the vicious circle starts.

For that reason a liner-cutting complaint also includes a photo of the adhesive bleed, and the material’s storage time, storage temperature and how tightly the stock was stacked or wound are asked about. Periodic cleaning of the rule line and running at the lowest pressure that gives a clean release reduce both bleed and liner cutting.

  • Adhesive bleed is photographed; the storage time is noted.
  • The rule line is cleaned periodically on long runs.
  • Pressure is set to the lowest value that releases cleanly, never raised “to be safe”.

A checklist reduces waste

On the first cut four things are checked together: is the face paper cut cleanly, does the liner show a cut mark when held to the light, does the waste matrix strip off in one piece, is there burr or adhesive on the edges. That round takes a few minutes and removes the tear that would otherwise appear in the run.

The approved setting is recorded with material name, liner information and pressure step. On a repeat order with the same stock, production starts from that record; if the lot or supplier has changed, the check round is briefly repeated.

  • The liner is held to the light; a visible cut line means a deep setting.
  • The waste matrix is tested for stripping without breaking.
  • The approved setting is archived with material and pressure information.

Quote details we clarify together

When the file, material, quantity and deadline are clear, the quote conversation moves faster and with less back-and-forth.

  • Current revision file
  • Material and quantity details
  • Critical dimensions or production notes
  • Deadline expectation and delivery preference