Crafting dies

Abstract

The invention relates to a die for cutting a shape or pattern from a material, the die being composed of a base plate (1) comprising an upper surface (2) and a lower surface (3). The die comprises one or more raised edges (4) in the form of a pattern or shape to be die-cut or embossed, on each of the upper and lower surfaces, such that the die can be used to die-cut or emboss two sheets of material simultaneously.

Claims

1. A method for cutting and/or embossing a shape or pattern, comprising the steps of: providing a die composed of a base plate comprising an upper surface and a lower surface, wherein the die comprises one or more raised edges in the form of a pattern or shape to be die-cut, on each of the upper and lower surfaces; arranging a first sheet of material perpendicular to the one or more raised edges of the upper surface and a second sheet of material perpendicular to the one or more raised edges of the lower surface such that the die is sandwiched between the first and second sheets of material; and applying a force to the sandwiched die such that the one or more raised edges cut through or raise the first and second sheets of material to form the pattern or shape.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more raised edges in the form of a pattern or shape to be die-cut, on either of the upper and lower surfaces is a raised cutting edge.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more raised edges in the form of a pattern or shape to be die-cut, on each of the upper and lower surfaces is a raised cutting edge.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings where like parts are provided with corresponding reference numerals and in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a side-view of a double-sided die according to the present invention;

(3) FIG. 2 is a schematic showing a die-cutting sandwich including the die according to the present invention;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of a die according to the invention wherein the raised edges of the upper surface define a heart symbol and the raised edges of the lower surface define a flower.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(5) FIG. 1 provides a simplified schematic diagram of a die according to the present invention. The die comprises a base plate (1), which in the embodiment shown is a substantially planar thin metal plate. The base plate (1) comprises an upper surface (2) and a lower surface (3). Thin raised cutting edges (4) define a shape on each of the upper (2) and lower surfaces (3). In the embodiment shown, the raised edges have a width (W) of approximately 0.13 mm and a height (H) from the base plate of approximately 0.4-0.5 mm. In the embodiment shown, the plate also comprises a number of embossing protrusions (5). In this embodiment, the die comprises embossing protrusions (5) on both the upper and lower surfaces, however a skilled person will recognise that the protrusions are optional if embossing is not required, and so may not be provided on the die, or may be provided on one surface only. The embossing protrusions (5) are wider and shorter than the die-cutting raised cutting edges (4) and, in the embodiment shown have a width of approximately 0.45 mm and a height from the base plate of approximately 0.25 mm. The embossing protrusions (5) are gently rounded in shape. When pressure is applied to the die which has been placed against a material surface, the raised cutting edges (4) will pierce and cut through the material, while the embossing protrusions (5) can be used to emboss a pattern or shape on the material surface, without cutting or piercing the surface.

(6) Typically, the dies are produced by etching the required shapes of patterns onto the upper and lower surfaces and creating the raised edges. After etching, the remaining base plate material is no more than 0.1 mm-0.3 mm wide (not including the raised edges). The outer surfaces/edges of the base plate can themselves become sharp and as such typically include a bevelled edge.

(7) An exemplary method of using the die according to the present invention will now be described with reference to FIG. 2. A base cutting plate (6) is placed on a flat surface. A first carbon fibre plate (7a) is placed on top of the base cutting plate (6) and a first sheet of material (8a), in this case a sheet of cardstock, is placed on top of the carbon fibre plate (7a). The die (D) according to the invention is then placed on the sheet of material, positioned such that the surface comprising the pattern desired to be cut out on the first sheet of material (8a) is facing downwards. In this example, the upper surface (2) of the die defines a heart symbol, whereas the lower surface (3) of the die defines a flower pattern. A second sheet of material (8b), again a sheet of cardstock onto which the second shape or pattern is to be cut, is then placed on top of the die. A second carbon fibre sheet (7b) is placed on top of the second sheet, and a clear cutting plate (9) is placed on top. This completes the sandwich to be fed into a roller press (not shown), and the thickness of the sandwich ensures that the dies and paper are kept in position as they pass through the press. However, if required, a user can use a low tack adhesive tape to fix the die (or dies) into position on the cardstock. The roller press applies high pressure to the sandwiched die, and causes the shape or pattern raised on each side the die to be cut into the first sheet (8a) and second sheet of material (8b), respectively.

(8) In this illustrative example, the die also comprises one or more embossing protrusions (5). These protrusions are wider and more rounded in shape than the raised edges of the die cutting pattern, and in use, they serve to raise (emboss) a pattern on the material surface. To emboss using the die according to the present invention, a rubber mat may be included in the roller press ‘sandwich’, as is commonly used in the crafting community, to control the thickness of the sandwich and to ensure that the embossing protrusions raise or depress the material, giving a smooth finish.

(9) FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of a die (D) according to the invention wherein the raised cutting edges (4) of the upper surface (2) define a heart symbol and the raised cutting edges (4) of the lower surface (3) define a flower pattern. Cross-sections are shown with respect to the upper surface (2) and lower surface (3) of the die (D). The raised cutting edges (4) form a line with features such as the outer circumference of a heart or stem of a flower while embossing protrusions (5) allow for decorative elements of pattern to substantially simultaneously be embossed. Embossing patterns are not shown.

(10) As would be understood by one skilled in the art, the die cutting sandwich that is placed in the roller press can be adjusted to take account of a variety of factors, including the material being used, the thickness of the material, the pressure being applied by the press and type of press (e.g. electric, hand operated etc.), the desired effect to be achieved on the material and so on. Adjustments can be made by adding or removing layers in the sandwich, such as by including a shim, using an embossing plate etc., all within the remit of a skilled crafter. In this way, the desired effect of the die-cutting and/or embossing on the material can be achieved.

(11) While the die has been described above in the context of what is known as a thin metal die, one skilled in the art would appreciate that the invention is not so limited, and the die can be formed of alternative materials, or be adapted in terms of its dimensions, depending on the intended use.

(12) All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive. Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings) may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features. The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment(s). The invention extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.

(13) With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.

(14) It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to embodiments containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations).

(15) It will be appreciated that various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described herein for purposes of illustration, and that various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the various embodiments disclosed herein are not intended to be limiting, with the scope being defined by the following claims.