Mingbai Machinery Tool Technology Successfully Develops High‑Hardness Stainless Steel Ultra‑Thin Slitting Circular Knife, Breaking the 0.08mm Thickness Limit

Recently, the R&D center of Mingbai Machinery Tool Technology Co., Ltd. reported good news: after nearly six months of continuous efforts by the technical team, an ultra‑thin high‑precision stainless steel slitting circular knife with a thickness of only 0.08mm has successfully passed internal testing and has been delivered to three precision electronics and medical device enterprises for on‑machine trials. The launch of this new product marks a significant step forward for Mingbai in the field of ultra‑thin precision circular knife R&D and manufacturing, and lays a solid technical foundation for the company's expansion into the precision slitting markets of high‑end electronic materials, medical thin‑walled tubing, and other sectors.

Targeting New Demands in Precision Manufacturing, Solving Ultra‑Thin Slitting Challenges

With the rapid development of consumer electronics, medical devices, precision instruments, and other industries, the demand for slitting ultra‑thin stainless steel strips, precision tubing, and flexible circuit board substrates is growing rapidly. These materials place extremely high demands on knife thickness, precision, cutting edge sharpness, and durability. If the knife is too thick, it causes large slitting losses and material waste; if it is too thin, it lacks rigidity and is prone to deformation and fracture. Mainstream ultra‑thin circular knives on the market typically have a thickness of 0.15mm or more, making it difficult to meet the ultimate slitting requirements of high‑value‑added materials. The Mingbai R&D team formally initiated the project at the beginning of this year, determined to break through the manufacturing bottleneck of ultra‑thin knives below 0.1mm.

Multiple Technical Breakthroughs Achieving the 0.08mm Thickness Limit

The difficulty in manufacturing ultra‑thin circular knives lies in maintaining high hardness, good toughness, excellent flatness, and consistent edge quality at an extremely thin thickness. The R&D team achieved technical breakthroughs in three areas. The first is material innovation, using ultra‑fine grain high‑nitrogen stainless steel as the substrate, with a grain size grade of 13 or higher, combining high hardness (≥58 HRC) with good corrosion resistance, eliminating the need for coating in clean environment slitting applications. The second is the precision grinding process. By optimizing the grinding parameters and grinding wheel selection of the ultra‑precision CNC grinder, and adopting a double‑side alternating grinding + stress relief process, the team achieved stable processing of 0.08mm thick blades, with thickness tolerance controlled within ±0.0015mm and flatness better than 0.002mm. The third is internal stress elimination. Through multi‑step stress‑relief tempering and precision leveling treatment, internal stress in the ultra‑thin blade was effectively eliminated, ensuring no deformation or warping during use.

Excellent Test Data, Performance Comparable to World‑Class Standards

In internal simulation tests, the new ultra‑thin stainless steel circular knife was used to continuously slit 0.05mm thick stainless steel foil strip for over 30,000 meters. After operation, there was no visible edge wear, the cut edge burr height was less than 2μm, the blade flatness remained within 0.002mm, and the thickness deviation did not exceed ±0.0015mm. In extreme bending tests, the 0.08mm thick blade could withstand elastic bending of approximately 20 degrees without plastic deformation or fracture, demonstrating an excellent balance of rigidity and toughness. Evaluated by a third‑party testing institution, the overall performance of this product has reached the advanced level of similar imported products.

Customer Trials with Encouraging Feedback

Currently, the ultra‑thin circular knife has been delivered to three precision electronic material enterprises and one medical device company for on‑machine testing. Among them, the technical manager of a precision stainless steel strip slitting company commented, "Mingbai's 0.08mm ultra‑thin knife is amazing! Previously, the thinnest imported knife we could get was only 0.12mm, and we couldn't reduce slitting losses. Mingbai's knife is not only thinner but also more precise. It has run stably for two consecutive days, fully meeting our quality requirements. We will fully switch over to it for our new production lines." Another medical thin‑walled tubing processing company said that the smoothness of the cut surface exceeded their expectations, saving significant time in the subsequent polishing process.

Broad Market Prospects, Ready for Import Substitution

With the rapid development of domestic high‑end manufacturing, the market demand for ultra‑thin precision knives continues to grow. For a long time, such products have mainly relied on imports from Japan and Germany, which are expensive and have long delivery lead times, becoming a bottleneck restricting the development of related domestic industries. The successful development of Mingbai's ultra‑thin stainless steel circular knife provides customers with a more economical and faster domestic alternative, offering broad market prospects.

Continuous Innovation, Never Stopping

The company's R&D director said, "The 0.08mm thickness is not just a number; it is a breakthrough in the boundaries of Mingbai's capabilities in precision manufacturing. We will continue to deepen our work in the material system and manufacturing processes of ultra‑thin knives, with the goal of breaking the 0.05mm thickness limit within this year, providing customers with even more competitive products." The company's general manager also emphasized that Mingbai will continue to be driven by customer needs and technological innovation, constantly expanding product boundaries and contributing to the advancement of China's precision manufacturing to higher levels.

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