Serrated Knives

At Precision Edge, we supply machine knives of all types to business across all production, processing and packaging industries, including bespoke knives.

 

 

Many of the knives we are commissioned to create are serrated blades, due to the fact that this type of product has many variables in its design, and therefore every solution is potentially different.  But how are serrated blades different from straight blades, and what are they used for?

 

A serrated knife is any cutting device with teeth, rather than a continuous smooth edge to the blade.  The breadknife in your kitchen is an example of a serrated knife.  The teeth of a serrated blade can be large or fine, flat or bevelled, and take numerous shapes including triangular or rounded.  Different specifications are optimised to different tasks, however all serrated blades work in a similar way:

 

Imagine cutting a loaf of crusty bread.  Use a knife with a smooth blade and as you apply pressure, the loaf will compress and twist.  You are likely to end up with a lump of flattened, doughy bread with a few marks in the top where your fine chef’s knife tried – and failed – to penetrate the tough but deformable outer layer.  Instead of remaining airy and light, the bread will now have a thick texture and its taste will be impaired.  Dividing a loaf into convenient slices is almost impossible using this method.

 

However, if you take a breadknife with its serrated blade, slicing the loaf becomes easy.  The individual teeth grab and tear at the crust of the bread, just as the teeth in your mouth would do.  As each tooth breaks through the surface, the inner layer of the loaf is divided by the blade.  As the knife is drawn back and forth, the gaps between the teeth draw away crumbs which might otherwise clog up the cutting process.

 

This is how toothed knives allow for the cutting of materials which would cause problems for straight blades, be they hand held or part of an industrial process.  Hence, serrated machine knives are commonly used for the following applications:

 

• Cutting materials with a tough outer layer. Returning to the kitchen, serrated knives are often found to be the best choice for any food with a tough outer membrane, for example, squashes and many types of fruit.  The incisors break through the initial resistance allowing for a more controlled cut.

 

• Cutting fibrous materials. From meat to wood, many natural products are typically processed using serrated machine knives.

 

• Cutting material which may stick to a straight blade. Some types of plastic packaging film will adhere to the edge of a straight blade and stretch rather than dividing in two.  Before long, this usually results in the process becoming clogged and requiring intervention, which is the last thing you need when trying to run an efficient high-volume packaging operation.

 

At Precision Edge, we have the skill base and equipment to not only design bespoke serrated knives so your requirements, but also to manufacture them and help create a complete process solution too.  To discuss custom serrated knives, contact our team today.