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Precision slitting of roll stock to custom widths, with rewinding and spooling onto cores to your specification, across 687+ engineered materials and 50 chemistries. Tight width control and clean edges on tapes, foams, films, foils, adhesives, and gasket rolls, supplied as slit rolls, pancakes, or traverse-wound spools, or fed straight into die cutting. Converted to your spec in Winsted, Connecticut.
Built for: tape converting to narrow widths, gasket and sealing tape rolls, traverse-wound spools for automated dispensing, and slit-to-width feedstock for in-line die cutting.
Precision slitting & spooling at H-O Products takes wide master rolls, slits them to custom widths, then rewinds and spools the result onto cores you specify. Lane slitting uses rotary score or shear knives for clean edges; log slitting cuts wound logs to length.
The shop slits tapes, foams, films, foils, adhesives, and gasket rolls from the same 687+ material inventory across 50 chemistries kept for converting, including AFTC acrylic foam tapes, PSAs, BISCO® sponge, PORON®, and Kapton®. Output ships as slit rolls, pancakes, or traverse-wound spools, or feeds in-line into die cutting, wound to your core ID, length, and OD. All under an ISO 9001:2015 certified quality management system in Winsted, Connecticut.
See the process strip for lead-time and ordering details.
Slitting takes a wide master roll and cuts it lengthwise into narrower rolls at the widths you specify. Spooling rewinds that slit stock onto cores, in the format your line needs. H-O performs both in Winsted, with width and edge control matched to each material, and can feed the slit stock straight into die cutting in the same workflow.
What makes the operation different is the depth of the material inventory and the material knowledge behind it. The same roll stock we slit, from AFTC acrylic foam tapes and PSAs to BISCO® sponge, PORON®, foils, and Kapton®, is stock we already convert, so we know how each chemistry behaves under a knife: which materials shear clean, which need a score knife, and which need controlled tension to wind flat without telescoping.
Slitting, rewinding, spooling, and slit-to-width feed into die cutting are performed in Winsted, CT. When a part is better served as a die-cut shape than a slit strip, we run flatbed die cutting instead, or feed the slit roll into the die in-line. See the process comparison below.
A rotary score knife presses the web against a hardened anvil to part it. Well suited to films, foils, and thin tapes, where it gives a clean, straight edge at tight width control.
Opposed rotary knives cut the web like scissors. The method for thicker and tougher stock, including foams, sponge, and gasket rolls, where it holds a clean edge on heavier material.
A wound log of material is cut to length across its diameter, producing rings or narrow rolls. Common for adhesive transfer tapes and foam logs where lane slitting is impractical.
Master roll is slit to width and fed directly into die cutting in one pass, so the converted part is cut from correctly sized stock without a separate slitting handoff.
The knife and method are calibrated per material. A 0.002″ Kapton® film slits cleanest on a rotary score knife; a 0.125″ BISCO® sponge or a heavy gasket roll needs shear slitting to hold the edge. Tell us the material, thickness, and adhesive, and we will set the method and the tension so the roll winds flat.
Every slit roll starts with a choice of knife. The method sets the edge you get, the width tolerance you can hold, how fast lanes can be changed, and whether the adhesive stays where it belongs. These are the five method families, what each is suited to, and where each one stops being the right answer.
Method 01
A single-edge blade held in a fixed holder parts the web in an unsupported span between two rolls. Tooling cost is the lowest of any method and changeover is the fastest — move the holder and you have moved the lane.
Method 02
The same blade, but the web is carried on a grooved roll and the blade tip runs down into the groove. Supporting the web right at the cut line tightens width control and cleans up the edge on limp or stretchy film.
Method 03
A hardened circular knife is loaded against a smooth anvil roll and parts the web by compression rather than by shearing. It is simple to set and tolerant of thickness variation across the web.
Method 04
Two rotary knives overlap like scissors, held in contact by a controlled side load. The cut happens where the two edges cross, so the web is sheared rather than torn or crushed. This is the method that carries the widest range of materials.
Method 05
The material is first wound into a log on a core, then a circular blade cuts across the log’s diameter and slices off rings — the way you would slice a sausage, which is where the shop name comes from. It is the common route to very narrow widths.
| Method | Commonly used on | Edge character | Lane changeover | Main watch-out |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Razor, in airBlade parts an unsupported span | Thin films and liners | Clean on stable film; degrades as the blade dulls | Fastest — slide the holder | Loosest width control of the five |
| Razor, in grooveBlade enters a groove in a support roll | Thin, limp or stretchy films | Cleaner and straighter than razor-in-air | Set by groove positions | Blade-to-groove register |
| Score / crushKnife compresses the web against an anvil | Nonwovens, tissue-grade webs, some foams | Compressed and densified | Moderate | Edge appearance; adhesive squeeze-out |
| ShearTwo knives overlap and shear the web | Foams, sponge, laminates, foils, gasket stock | Cleanest across the widest material range | Slowest — overlap and side load per lane | Setup time and tooling cost |
| Log / latheBlade cuts across a wound log | Transfer tapes, foam logs, narrow widths | Sawn face, not a slit edge | Blade indexing sets width | Log must wind square and stable |
| In-line slit-to-widthSlitting integrated ahead of the die station | Stock feeding straight into die cutting | Matches whichever knife the material calls for | Set with the die job | Only worthwhile when the part is die cut anyway |
Cut action is shown under each method name. On a narrow screen the table scrolls sideways.
Razor-in-groove or shear. Supporting the web at the cut line is what buys the width control; an unsupported razor cut will not hold the same tolerance on limp stock.
Shear slitting. Thicker and more compressible webs need a true shearing action to keep the edge square; crush cutting densifies the cell structure at the cut.
Score / crush cut. These webs tolerate a compressed edge, and the method is forgiving of caliper variation across the width.
Log slitting. Below the width where lane slitting stays practical, winding a log and slicing rings is usually the cleaner route.
Method selection is made per material, not per part. Send the material and grade, caliper, whether there is an adhesive or liner, and the finished width and tolerance, and we will confirm the knife, the wind, and the core before any tooling is committed. Where a slit strip is not the right answer, we will say so and quote the part as a die-cut shape instead.
Cutting the web is only half the job. How the slit stock is rewound decides whether the roll arrives flat, whether it telescopes in transit, and whether it feeds cleanly on your applicator. Rewind architecture is where the roll gets its structure; wind format is what you actually order.
Architecture 01
Torque is applied to the driven core and the roll builds from the inside out. Nothing touches the outside of the roll, so the face and any exposed adhesive stay untouched. Tension and taper set how hard the roll winds.
Architecture 02
A driven drum contacts the outside of the roll, so winding force is applied at the surface instead of through the core. Roll hardness stays consistent regardless of how big the roll gets, which suits long lengths.
Architecture 03
Alternate slit lanes are sent to two separate shafts, so neighbouring rolls never touch. As slit width gets narrow relative to caliper, this is what keeps adjacent rolls from rubbing and marking each other’s edges.
The default: master roll cut lengthwise into narrower rolls at the widths you specify, each wound on its own core. Specify width and tolerance, core ID, length per core, and the maximum OD your line accepts.
A single flat wind on a large core, typically wider than it is deep. Common where the roll is unwound by hand or fed into a press rather than an automated applicator.
A narrow strip laid back and forth across a spool, which fits far more length into one package than a pancake of the same width. Usually the right call when an automated dispenser is doing the work and changeovers cost you.
The output of log slitting: rings cut off a wound log. The normal format for adhesive transfer tape and for widths below where lane slitting stays practical.
Wind direction matters as much as format. Call out which face leads and whether adhesive winds in or out if your applicator cares — it is a cheap thing to specify up front and an expensive one to discover on the line. A sample of the roll you run today is the fastest way for us to match width, wind, and core exactly.
Specifying slit stock means describing the width, the wind, and the core. Getting these right up front keeps the roll running on your equipment; our team reviews every spec for manufacturability before slitting.
If you have the slit width, core, and wind format, send the spec or a sample roll. Engineering selects the method, sets the tension, and comes back with a quote.
Slit tapes, sealing-tape rolls, dispensing spools, and slit-to-width feedstock ship into medical, aerospace, defense, electronics, industrial, energy, and transportation programs.
AFTC 5344 acrylic foam tape slit to a 0.500″ sealing-tape width and traverse-wound onto dispensing spools across 4 part numbers, slit at controlled tension to keep a clean, anti-ooze edge for automated application. Quality systems are built for medical, aerospace, and defense programs, with lot traceability typically retrievable in under 2 hours.
Common questions from engineers speccing slit roll stock.
Score slitting presses a rotary knife against an anvil to part the web, suited to thin films, foils, and tapes. Shear slitting uses opposed rotary knives like scissors, suited to thicker foams, sponge, and gasket rolls. Log slitting cuts a wound log across its diameter into rings or narrow rolls, common for transfer tapes and foam logs. We pick the method by material, thickness, and edge requirement.
We slit to custom widths with tight width control, tighter on thin films using a score knife than on thick foams using shear knives. Give us the finished width and the tolerance the application needs, and we will confirm what the material and method can hold. Specify a tight tolerance only where it matters to keep converting cost down.
Slit rolls on a core, pancakes (wide, large-diameter rolls of narrow stock), and traverse-wound spools that fit very long lengths for automated dispensing. We can also feed slit stock in-line into die cutting instead of supplying a separate roll. We wind to your core ID, roll length or footage, and maximum OD.
Yes. We wind to the core ID your dispensing equipment uses, to the roll length or footage you specify, and to the maximum OD your line accepts. Tell us those three numbers, plus wind direction if your applicator needs adhesive in or out, and we wind and label to that spec.
Roll-form materials from the same 687+ SKU inventory we convert: AFTC acrylic foam tapes (126+), acrylic, rubber, and silicone PSAs and transfer tapes (28+), films and foils including Kapton® and conductive foil, BISCO® silicone sponge (100+), PORON® and cellular urethanes (80+), and rubber and cork-rubber gasket rolls. Tell us the grade and thickness in roll form.
Telescoping (the roll walking sideways off the core) and dishing (a cone-shaped face) both come from how the roll was wound, not from how it was cut. Winding tension that does not taper as the diameter grows, a core that is not square to the web, uneven caliper across the master roll, and rolls rubbing against each other on a full shaft all contribute.
The fixes are tension and taper control through the wind, choosing the right rewind architecture for the material, and gap or duplex winding when the lanes are narrow enough to interfere. If a roll you receive today telescopes, send us a photo of it — the failure pattern usually tells us what to change.
It depends on the material more than the machine. Caliper, stiffness, and whether there is an adhesive or a liner all set the point where a lane stops standing up on its own and the wind gets unstable. Below that point, winding a log and slicing rings is usually the cleaner route than lane slitting. Send the material, the caliper, and the width you want, and we will tell you which method it calls for before you commit to a drawing.
Yes. Customer-supplied master rolls are routine. We need the master roll width, diameter and core ID, the finished width and tolerance, and the quantity, and it helps to know whether this is a one-off or a repeat so we can plan the setup. Material is inspected on receipt, and we will flag anything — caliper variation, edge damage, an out-of-round core — that will show up in the finished roll before we run it.
Mostly the method and the blade. A crush cut fractures the web rather than shearing it, which generates more debris than a shear cut on the same material; a dull or chipped blade does the same. Filled and abrasive stock is harder on blades and so generates more. If your assembly is sensitive to particulate — optics, electronics, anything going into a controlled environment — say so on the RFQ. It changes which knife we specify and how often it gets changed.
Adhesive is the reason knife choice and tension matter. Squeezing an adhesive at the cut line makes it ooze at the edge, which then blocks against the next wrap and makes the roll hard to unwind. Shear cutting, correct side load, and controlled winding tension are what keep the edge clean. Tell us whether the liner runs on one side or both, and whether your applicator needs the adhesive winding in or out.
Rolls are wound on the core ID you specify, labelled with part number, lot, width and length, and packed so the edges are protected in transit — edge damage in shipping looks exactly like a slitting defect when the roll arrives. If you have a labelling or barcode standard your receiving process depends on, send it with the RFQ and we will label to it.
Yes, and it is usually worth asking about. When a part is going to be die cut anyway, slitting the master roll to width in the same workflow feeds the die directly and removes a handoff, a separate wind, and a second round of material handling. It only makes sense when the finished part is a die-cut shape — if you need a slit strip on a core, a dedicated slitting run is the right answer.
When changeovers cost you. A traverse wind lays a narrow strip back and forth across the spool, so it holds far more length in one package than a pancake of the same width. On an automated dispenser, that means fewer stops to reload. On a hand-fed operation, the extra length usually is not worth the packaging, and a pancake or a plain slit roll is simpler to handle.
Slitting sits inside a connected set of in-house converting capabilities. These pages cover the adjacent processes that often share the same roll.
Capability overview
Converting & Fabrication
The parent hub: how die cutting, waterjet, laser, rotary, slitting, and profiling fit together, and which process suits which part, material, and volume.
Read the overview
Related capability
Rotary Die Cutting
High-volume roll-fed converting of acrylic foam tapes and thin foams.
Read the page
Related capability
Precision Die Cutting
Flatbed die cutting for discrete gaskets.
Read the page
For an accurate quote, include the following with your drawing or sample:
Send your slit spec, a sample roll, or a description of the part. Engineering selects the method, sets the tension, and comes back with a quote.
Material data & standards. Material properties, temperature ranges, widths, and slitting parameters referenced on this page are taken from the source manufacturers' technical data sheets and the cited industry references. H-O Products converts and slits these materials; we do not independently re-certify them against the standards unless explicitly stated on the quote. Achievable width tolerance is material- and method-dependent.
Verify against your application and the vendor TDS for your specific construction. Lot-specific documentation is available on request.
Capability scope. Slitting, rewinding, spooling, and slit-to-width feed into die cutting are performed in-house in Winsted, CT. Lead times and minimums vary by material, width, and wind format; expedited handling can be arranged.
