The cutting edges of sprue cutters have one of three types of chamfer: micro, flush, or ultra-flush.
micro bevel
Micro-beveled gate cutters have a bevel on the back (flat side) of the cutting edge of the jaw. Microbevels are commonly found on thicker jaws that are designed to cut thicker or harder materials where this relatively large bevel is needed to sharpen the cutting edge of the thicker jaws.
Due to the thickness of the jaws and the angle of the bevel, micro-beveled cutting edges leave the largest lip on the part after cutting it out of the sprue, so the lip needs the most grinding and finishing to achieve a smooth, smooth surface on the part. Part.
Microbevels retain their cutting ability longer than other bevels.
Better cutting edge for thicker or very hard material
Leaves the largest protrusion on the part removed from the sprue.
As with thicker jaws, it cannot be used to remove small complex parts from sprues.
More force is required to make a cut with micro-beveled jaws.
Leaves less protrusion than microbevel
The cut requires less force than a microbevel.
The most versatile bevel that can be used to cut a wide variety of materials and thicknesses.
The cutting edge does not hold as long as on a microbevel
Not as good for cutting thick or hard materials as micro bevel.
Leaves the smallest ledge and therefore requires the least amount of sawdust
The incision requires minimal force, which reduces user fatigue.
On thinner jaws, small thin details can be cut from sprues.
The cutting edge does not last as long as other bevels, so more frequent sharpening will be required.
It is not possible to cut thick or hard material as it is only available on thin jaws.
What type of bevel should I choose?
The best type of sprue bevel depends on what you plan to use it for. If you are going to use it for model making and it will only be used on soft, thin material such as photo-etched parts, then the extra flat bevel is best as it will minimize or even eliminate any extra sanding of the part once. it is removed from the sprue.
If you are going to use a gate cutter to cut thick, hard material, you will need a cutter with micro-bevels on its jaws. This will give the jaws the strength they need to do the job, although it will mean you have to file more into the piece to remove the remaining ridge.
If you will be using the cutter to sprue on a variety of materials of varying thickness, you should choose a flush bevel as this will give you the best compromise between strength and cut quality.
