Lets address cross cutting first. When you cut across Hardwire uni-directional tape, you need to cut all the wires, and the wires are best cut with a very close tolerance shear. You have several options for this operation. A large, tight tolerance sheet metal shear works great. Don’t even try one that is small (with any blade deflection) or does not have a close tolerance. The result will be bent wires that seem to laugh at your efforts to cut them! We have found the best sheet metal shears are the big old industrial ones or a new well made production sheet metal shear. Again the blades must be sharp and set to a close tolerance….believe us you will know when they are not correct.

BEST: The second option and the one we use the most in our facility is an electric hand held sheet metal shear. This tool is somewhat unique and you can only find them from a few vendors and tool stores, but this is a must have item for working with Hardwire in any type of production environment. The blades are carbide and last forever, they can be rotated 4 times and even re-sharpened. The tool is a bit pricey ($499), but it is very durable, easy to use, and versatile for straight and curved cuts. The blades must be set so that they are snug to each other for a good cut (contrary to the directions!). When the blades are not tight, the result is bent wire, not cut wire.

The last option is hand cutting. There are a few shears that will do the job, but it will take some muscle. The best shears are tin snips from Weis. You can find them at most hardware stores and at Home Depot. Pick the shears with serrated blades, as the serrations help keep the wires from slipping out of the tool. Most of these type of shears are set to open with a spring once they have been closed. To cut Hardwire you must tighten the screw adjustment to the point where the spring will not open the shears. Again, the key here is to get the blades really tight, or the result will just be bent, un cut wires and real frustration.

Compared to cross cutting, slitting is a breeze. In fact, slitting Hardwire is better and easier than slitting any other commercial fiber system. Slitting can be accomplished with any sharp blade, but a long box cutter blade works best. Just get the blade started between two wires and then the wires will become the guide for the blade. This method can be used by hand or you can mount a blade between wires and run a continuous process to slit the Hardwire material down to size.