Guillotine machines for sheet metal
A guillotine machine shears sheet metal along a straight line. The upper blade closes against a fixed lower blade. The hold-down clamps the plate before the stroke begins. The edge comes out straight and almost free of burr, without heat input. Nothing is consumed but the blades, so running cost stays low. In most workshops the guillotine works ahead of the press brake and the welding bay. The wider family sits under Sheet Metal Processing.
Treadle, motorised and hydraulic guillotines
South African workshops use three drive types, and the local names differ from catalogue wording.
- A treadle guillotine is worked by foot pedal or hand lever. Treadle simply means foot operated. These machines suit thin plate, small formats and single parts.
- A motorised guillotine runs an electromechanical drive with a flywheel. Robust, light on maintenance and quick between cuts.
- A hydraulic guillotine builds its force with hydraulic cylinders. It handles thick plate and wide sheets, and it adjusts more finely.
Thick plate and steady volume point to a hydraulic machine. Light fabrication is well covered by a treadle or motorised guillotine.
What drives the price of a guillotine machine
Here is what moves the price. Cutting length weighs heaviest, because the whole frame grows with it. Plate thickness comes next, since it sets the drive and the cutting force. Then the control level, from a hand wheel back gauge through NC to CNC. Blade material, plate support and stacking equipment add to the figure. We publish no list prices, because the specification decides. Send us material and formats and you get a written quotation.
Guillotine machine, guillotine shear or shearing machine?
The terms all describe one machine type. Guillotine machine is what most buyers here ask for. Guillotine shear and plate shear are the words in catalogues and quotations. The KNUTH design is a swing-beam shear. Its blade beam pivots through the cut rather than dropping flat, which holds the cutting force down. A metal guillotine cutter means the same machine again.
Cut quality, rake angle and hold-down
Three settings decide the edge. The rake angle controls how far the plate twists as the blade travels. A flatter angle protects the edge, a steeper one lifts cutting capacity. The hold-down has to grip the plate from the first moment. Plate support and stacking systems make large sheets manageable for one operator.
Where guillotine machines are used
Guillotine machines cut blanks wherever plate is worked. Mining suppliers, oil and gas fabricators and heavy engineering shops are the typical users. Structural steelwork and tank fabrication follow. Materials run from mild steel and stainless to aluminium and copper alloys.
Choosing the right size of guillotine
Five questions lead to the answer. What thickness, and in which material, since stainless steel needs more force than mild steel. What cutting length, based on the widest sheet in the store. How much output per shift, and how clean the edge has to be. And what blades and service cost over the life of the machine. Working at the thickness limit daily means taking the next size up.
Shear blades and wear parts
The blades are the cutting tool and the first part to wear. Shear blades have several cutting edges and can be reground. A blunt blade leaves burr and pulls the edge over. Blades and wear parts are supplied by KNUTH.
Safety on a guillotine machine
Operated and maintained as intended, a guillotine machine is safe to work on. Depending on the series it carries a cut line guard, an emergency stop and rear guarding. Foot pedal or two hand release keeps hands away from the blade line. Light barriers interrupt the cut if anything reaches into the danger zone. What a given machine carries is listed in its documentation.
Alternatives to a guillotine
A guillotine cuts straight lines only. Contours and cut-outs need another process. Laser cutting machines follow complex outlines to tight tolerances. Plasma cutting machines work out cheaper on thick plate. Forming rather than cutting happens on folding machines and plate rolling machines. Weld preparation runs over an edge beveling machine.
Why KNUTH
KNUTH supplies machine tools, it does not build them. We select the series, check them in Germany and deliver them. Every machine is tested with documentation before delivery. Machines are checked against European testing standards, and we supply that documentation on request. Several drive types and machine sizes come from one supplier, and we advise which design fits your plate.
Service, spare parts and availability
Our regional base is Germiston near Johannesburg. Local service partners look after work on site. Common wear parts ship from stock, and special parts come directly from the manufacturers of the components. Each machine carries a ten year spare parts supply guarantee. Availability and pricing for a guillotine machine come on request.
Further Machine Categories at a Glance
Here is an overview of our machine range. Select a category to learn more about individual machines and their technical data.
