subject: All About Punching Die Maintenance [print this page] All About Punching Die Maintenance All About Punching Die Maintenance
Binding machines are popular office devices because they allow you to punch and bind documents of varying sizes. If you have this type of device, you're going to want to keep an eye on the punching dies so you can recognize when they're becoming dull. Here's some information about how to recognize a dull die and how to prevent this from happening.
One of the best ways to keep your machine's dies in good shape is by only punching 2 plastic covers at a time. This is true even if your device has a large punching capacity. Plastic just isn't the same as paper and trying to punch a lot of it at once is just asking for trouble. Your device simply won't be able to handle it.
There are some things that should never be punched and that includes cardboard and wood as well as plastic covers that are thicker than 30 mil. Your binding device wasn't designed to handle these materials and punching them is a good way to ruin the dies.
Emptying the chip tray is a vital part of maintaining your device. Doing this may be a bit messy, but it will improve the performance of your machine and it will reduce wear and tear on the dies. If you have an electric machine, emptying the tray regularly will help reduce the chance of the motor burning out.
Whether or not you follow the maintenance tips listed above, you should make sure you keep an eye on the dies regularly. This will help you notice when they're getting dull. Here's how you can identify an aged die:
The first clue you might get is noticing that the holes aren't punched as cleanly as they used to be. You'll probably see deformed holes that lacks the crisp appearance of holes that have been properly punched. This is true even of sheets that were punched singly.
You may notice that your documents have little bits of paper still attached to them. These are called "chads" and if you want your work to look its best, you'll need to remove them by hand. That can be very time-consuming and monotonous to say the least.
If you're working with plastic covers, you may still see deformed holes when the dies are getting dull. And you'll probably notice that the covers get all stressed out. This essentially ruins them so you'll have to start all over again and throw out the ruined covers.
If you're experiencing any of these problems, you're pretty much out of luck and will have to purchase a new die set for your machine. This can be pretty expensive so the best way to avoid this situation is to prevent it by not punching certain items as well as never working with more than 2 plastic covers at a time. Maintaining the dies is pretty easy, so you owe it to yourself to do so. You'll be glad you did.
