Dies (Flexo)

Dies is a post-printing process used to create a shape in a substrate, be it a hole, a border, a crease or a perforation. In Flexographic printing Dies are also used to calculate imposition.

For more on Flexographic printing, click here.

Discover Dies (Flexo)

Dies (Flexo) Data Grid

Navigation

Main Menu > Setup > Dies (Flexo)

Press - This allows you to select which presses you wish to view. If you want to create a new Die, you must first select the Press, before clicking New.
ID - This is a unique ID generated by BOSPrint for the cylinder.
Description - This shows the Description for the Die.
Code - This shows the unique Code for the Die.
Shape - This shows the Shape of the Die.
Stock - This shows if the Die is in Stock.
Press - This shows the Press the Die is linked to. This determines the available Cylinders.
Type - This shows the Die Type.
Cyl - This shows the Cylinder the DIe is linked to. When a Flat Die Type is selected, the Cylinder field will be left blank.
Width - This is the Width dimension of the Die.
Depth - This is the Depth dimension of the Die.
Across - This is the amount of labels across the Die.
Around - This is the amount of Labels Around the Die.

Remember to first set up the following:

Presses

Dies (Flexo) Setup

Navigation

Main Menu > Setup > Dies (Flexo) > New/Edit

The following fields are important and worth mentioning:

Press - This field will be populate because you had to first select the Press before creating a Die, however you can change the Press here. This determines the list of available Cylinders to choose from.
Calculate - When you click on the Calculate button a Cylinder Calculator window will appear. This is to determine which cylinder is best suited to this Die. See image below:

Enter the Label depth, Minimum Gusset dimensions and select a desired Cylinder gear size and click Calculate.

The below fields will populate. You can then select the a Cylinder for the Die by simply clicking on the Best, In Stock or Selection buttons.

Select Best and the remaining fields in Die Setup will auto-populate with the calculated settings.

Note

The Cylinder field only applies to Rotary and Magnetic Die Types and not to Flat-bed Dies, so the Cylinder field can be left blank when a Flat Die Type is selected.

How to Set-Up a Die

Watch this short video on how to set-up a Die:

Flexo Die Types

There are three main Die types in Flexographic printing:

Rotary
Magnetic
Flat

1. Rotary

A Rotary Die Cutting Unit comprises of a tool holding cylinder, mounted with a solid die, and an anvil cylinder. The anvil acts as a cutting plate, allowing the cutting knives to penetrate the corrugated substrate and the creasing rules to create well defined creases.

2. Magnetic

This type is similar to Rotary dies, but in this case the cylinder is wrapped with a flexible steel die. The die is held in place on to cylinder with electro-magnets.

3. Flat

A Flat-bed Die cutting unit uses a flat die to punch the substrate in a reciprocating motion.

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