glossary
Dead Zone — Industry Glossary Entry
Definition of dead zone in industrial slitting: the area immediately around the cut where the substrate is unsupported and can wrinkle, tear, or lift.
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Dead Zone is the area immediately around the cut where the substrate is no longer supported by the anvil or the parent web. In the dead zone, the substrate can wrinkle, lift, or tear, producing cut-surface defects that are not the knife’s fault.
How to identify
- Cut surface defects that do not correlate with knife wear
- Wrinkles or lifting near the cut edge, not at the cut itself
- Pattern depends on web tension and anvil geometry, not on the knife
Fixes
- Increase web tension within OEM spec
- Adjust the anvil geometry to support closer to the cut
- Add a lay-on roller or an anti-wrinkle bar before the slitter
- Check that the substrate is within caliper and surface spec
See also.
