Method of making a composite utility blade

A method of making a composite utility knife blade,

• the method comprising:
• providing an elongated wire formed of wear-resistant steel, and an elongated backing strip formed of steel and defining a first side, a second side, and opposing lateral edges extending between the first and second sides;
• placing the wire in contact with a lateral edge of the backing strip;
• applying thermal energy to an interface between the wire and the backing strip to weld the wire to the backing strip, and forming a composite strip defining a first metal portion formed by the steel backing strip, a second metal portion formed by the wear-resistant steel wire, and a weld region joining the first and second metal portions and extending from approximately one end of the second metal portion to approximately the other end of the second metal portion;
• forming a plurality of apertures in the first metal portion that are axially spaced relative to each other;
• heat treating the composite strip;
• forming at least one facet into the second metal portion and, in turn, forming an approximately straight wear-resistant steel cutting edge on the composite strip;
• and
• separating the composite strip at a plurality of axially spaced locations between axially spaced apertures in the first metal portion to thereby form a composite utility knife blade from the composite strip including an aperture in the first metal portion thereof for engaging a blade holder, or the blade actuating mechanism or locator of a blade holder.

A method of making composite utility knife blades, the

• method comprising:
• providing an elongated wire formed of wear-resistant steel, and an elongated backing strip formed of steel and defining a first side, a second side, and opposing lateral edges extending between the first and second sides;
• placing the wire in contact with a lateral edge of the backing strip;
• applying thermal energy to an interface between the wire and the backing strip to weld the wire to the backing strip, and forming a composite strip defining a first metal portion formed by the steel backing strip, a second metal portion formed by the wear-resistant steel wire, and a weld region joining the first and second metal portions and extending from approximately one end of the second metal portion to approximately the other end of the second metal portion;
• heat treating the composite strip;
• forming at least one facet into the second metal portion, and forming an approximately straight wear-resistant steel cutting edge on the composite strip;
• and
• die cutting at least one of the first and second metal portions along shear lines axially spaced relative to each other to thereby form a plurality of utility knife blades from the composite strip.

A method of making composite utility knife blades, the

• method comprising:
• providing an elongated wire formed of wear-resistant steel, and an elongated backing strip formed of steel and defining a first side, a second side, and opposing lateral edges extending between the first and second sides;
• placing the wire in contact with a lateral edge of the backing strip;
• applying thermal energy to an interface between the wire and the backing strip to weld the wire to the backing strip, and forming a composite strip defining a first metal portion formed by the steel backing strip, a second metal portion formed by the wear-resistant steel wire, and a weld region joining the first and second metal portions and extending from approximately one end of the second metal portion to approximately the other end of the second metal portion;
• heat treating the composite strip;
• forming at least one facet into the second metal portion, and forming an approximately straight wear-resistant steel cutting edge on the composite strip;
• and
• die cutting the composite strip at a plurality of score lines to thereby separate the blades from the composite strip.

A method of making composite utility knife blades, the

• method comprising:
• providing an elongated wire formed of wear-resistant steel, and an elongated backing strip formed of steel and defining a first side, a second side, and opposing lateral edges extending between the first and second sides;
• placing the wire in contact with a lateral edge of the backing strip;
• applying thermal energy to an interface between the wire and the backing strip to weld the wire to the backing strip, and forming a composite strip defining a first metal portion formed by the steel backing strip, a second metal portion formed by the wear-resistant steel wire, and a weld region joining the first and second metal portions and extending from approximately one end of the second metal portion to approximately the other end of the second metal portion;
• forming a plurality of notches axially spaced relative to each other in the first metal portion of the composite strip;
• heat treating the composite strip;
• forming at least one facet into the second metal portion, and forming an approximately straight wear-resistant steel cutting edge on the composite strip;
• and
• die cutting the composite strip at a plurality of axially spaced locations to thereby form a plurality of composite utility knife blades from the composite strip.

A method of making a composite utility knife blade, wherein the blade comprises a first metal portion forming a backing, a second metal portion defining a cutting edge, and a weld region joining the first and second metal portions, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing a wire formed of wear-resistant steel, and a backing strip formed of steel and defining a first side, a second side, and opposing edges extending between the first and second sides;
• placing the wire in contact with an edge of the backing strip;
• applying thermal energy to an interface between the wire and the backing strip to weld the wire to the backing strip, and forming a composite strip defining the first metal portion formed by the steel backing strip, the second metal portion formed by the wear-resistant steel wire, and the weld region joining the first and second metal portions and extending from approximately one end of the second metal portion to approximately the other end of the second metal portion;
• forming a plurality of apertures in the first metal portion that are axially spaced relative to each other and configured for engaging a blade holder, or the blade actuating mechanism or locator of a blade holder;
• heat treating the composite strip;
• and
• forming at least one facet into the second metal portion and, in turn, forming an approximately straight wear-resistant steel cutting edge on the composite strip.

A method of making a composite utility knife blade, wherein the blade comprises a first metal portion forming a backing, a second metal portion defining a cutting edge, and a weld region joining the first and second metal portions, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing a wire formed of wear-resistant steel, and a backing strip formed of steel and defining a first side, a second side, and opposing edges extending between the first and second sides;
• placing the wire in contact with an edge of the backing strip;
• applying thermal energy to an interface between the wire and the backing strip to weld the wire to the backing strip, and forming a composite strip defining the first metal portion formed by the steel backing strip, the second metal portion formed by the wear-resistant steel wire, and the weld region joining the first and second metal portions;
• heat treating the composite strip;
• forming at least one facet into the second metal portion, and forming an approximately straight wear-resistant steel cutting edge on the composite strip;
• forming a plurality of registration apertures extending through the first metal portion and axially spaced relative to each other;
• and
• separating from the composite strip at least one of the first and second metal portions with reference to a registration aperture by inserting a positioning device in the respective aperture to position the composite strip relative to a separating apparatus.

A method of making composite utility knife blades, wherein each blade comprises a first metal portion forming a backing, a second metal portion defining a cutting edge, and a weld region joining the first and second metal portions, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing a wire formed of wear-resistant steel, and a backing strip formed of steel and defining a first side, a second side, and opposing edges extending between the first and second sides;
• placing the wire in contact with an edge of the backing strip;
• applying thermal energy to an interface between the wire and the backing strip to weld the wire to the backing strip, and forming a composite strip defining the first metal portion formed by the steel backing strip, the second metal portion formed by the wear-resistant steel wire, and the weld region joining the first and second metal portions and extending from approximately one end of the second metal portion to approximately the other end of the second metal portion;
• heat treating the composite strip;
• forming at least one facet into the second metal portion, and forming an approximately straight wear-resistant steel cutting edge on the composite strip;
• and
• die cutting at least one of the first and second metal portions along shear lines axially spaced relative to each other to thereby form a plurality of utility knife blades from the composite strip.

A method of making composite utility knife blades, wherein each blade comprises a first edge portion, a second edge portion defining a cutting edge, third and fourth edge portions extending between the first and second edge portions, a first metal portion defining the first edge portion and forming a backing extending from approximately the third edge portion to the fourth edge portion, a second metal portion defining the second edge portion and extending from approximately the third edge portion to the fourth edge portion, and a weld region joining the first and second metal portions, the method comprising:

• providing an elongated wire formed of wear-resistant steel, and an elongated backing strip formed of steel and defining an approximately planar first side, an approximately planar second side, and opposing lateral edges extending between the first and second sides;
• placing the wire in contact with one of the opposing lateral edges of the backing strip;
• applying thermal energy to an interface between the wire and the backing strip to weld the wire to the backing strip, and forming a composite strip defining a first metal portion formed by the steel backing strip, a second metal portion formed by the wear-resistant steel wire, and a weld region joining the first and second metal portions and extending from approximately one end of the second metal portion to approximately the other end of the second metal portion;
• heat treating the composite strip;
• forming at least one facet into the second metal portion, and farming an approximately straight wear-resistant steel cutting edge along the lateral edge of the composite strip defined by the second metal portion;
• and
• separating at least one of the first and second metal portions at axially spaced locations relative to each other to thereby form a plurality of utility knife blades from the composite strip.