Why Do I Need a Die Cut Trial?

Imagine going to the store to buy a mug, but instead of selling you one off the shelf, the workers whip out a pottery wheel. Despite being impressive...

…why should you pay a business to test their production method?

A die cut trial may seem unnecessary if you’ve already received rapid prototyping samples. However, trial production runs help protect customers by confirming process feasibility BEFORE they place larger orders. This could save you time and money by avoiding an unsuccessful process.  

Trials are often essential for building successful products, as skipping them may lead to costly production issues later.

If your designs are complex enough to make you fret over manufacturability, then this article is for you: Let’s talk about why you need a die cut adhesive trial for a successful pilot run.

4 Reasons You Need a Trial Production Run (and the Issues it Resolves)

A trial proves assumptions made during the design phase and ensures that your initial quote matches the actual production cost.

The following list will explain why trials matter and the consequences of skipping them.

#1: TO TEST THE FEASIBILITY

Die cut feasibility is the likelihood of successfully building your part based on the design, materials, and specified tolerances.

When Strouse evaluates your product drawing, our first step is to assign your sketch to one of our engineers so we can get a better sense of its die cutting achievability. Depending on the complexity of your manufacturing plan, the engineer may recommend a trial run to assess feasibility.

#2: TO CHECK PART TOLERANCES

A trial allows your converter to refine the production process until the die cut tool slices the material well enough to meet your ideal tolerances and produce the parts you need.

Your die cut’s tolerances often indicate how difficult the design is to build given the chosen material, and whether a trial is necessary.

Complex designs, challenging materials, and tight tolerances increase your chances of needing a trial. Thick materials, like foam, curl inward as the blade sinks into them, which means we typically have to run them at slower speeds. However, running material on the press at a slower speed allows us to meet tighter tolerances.

#3: TO PROVE THE PROCESS

Trials determine whether your converter has adequate plans and tools to build your part.

Every job we run is custom-made for our customers. Although Strouse has been converting adhesives for ~4 decades, many projects are still complex enough that we want to run a proof-of-process. While we may have seen something similar, we’ve never run this exact product.

Proof of process involves building your prototype on a production die cutting press rather than using sampling methods to better represent the final process.

THE LIMITS OF PRODUCT SAMPLES

Laser cutting samples can cause burnt edges or melt materials such as foam or plastic, which may not meet production quality standards. Similarly, flash cuts aren’t as precise and generate tiny, jagged edges that don’t meet your quality control expectations.

Rotary die cut trials create the part as it’ll be in your final product, which is necessary if your part must undergo testing, such as validation and verification, to ensure it can function in the real world.

#4: TO PERFORM VALIDATION AND VERIFICATION

Validation and verification are often required to confirm the legitimacy of medical products. In short…

A product needs prototypes of the actual parts it’ll be using to obtain valid validation and verification. Therefore, if the final product will be a rotary die cut, a rotary die cut trial is necessary before proceeding with validation and verification.

What Are the Consequences of Refusing a Trial?

Skipping the die cutting trial process might result in non-functional parts that we can’t supply under our ISO standards.

Die cut production always includes some level of trial and error, which a converter must address—whether through an official trial or your valuable project run time. Often, there are hundreds of tiny details to address before your project is ready for full-on production, such as adjusting the die position or calibrating the material speed.

Your converter needs to sort the process details before a full-scale run to ensure that your parts are fully functional.

What Else Should I Know About Die Cut Trials?

Although trials are necessary for certain applications and part quantities, not every project requires a trial when transitioning to production. If you’re not yet at the stage of running a trial but still want to test your design, die cut samples will allow you to test different materials and small changes.

If you ARE ready for a trial, you might wonder how many prototypes you’ll receive. Truthfully, however, the number of parts we get from a trial depends on whether the trial is successful. Due to process uncertainty, we can’t guarantee an exact amount for the initial trial, but we will try to get as many as we can.

Ultimately, trials are a crucial step in complex product development to ensure successful production. For more information on die cut prototypes or the cost of a trial, contact us or learn more about die cutting costs today.  

Originally published: January 30, 2023