Spinning dies turn a profit

Smith also noted that solid dies are available with specialty applications, like air-eject and vacuum dies, that allow converters to remove pieces of waste from the web to prevent die damage.

On the other hand, flexible dies permit multiple carton layouts on a single set of mandrels, Lee said. "This equals more flexibility with less capital invested. Large rotary dies can cost $100,000 for a single set of cutting tools. Magnetic cylinders can be purchased for significantly less and allow converters to use them for virtually any layout that will fit the press repeat or sheet size," he added.