Adjusting the Cut-Off Knife

The knife assembly cuts each package at the seal — its position, clearance and timing decide cut quality. Adjustment is a lockout-first procedure with verification at low speed before any production release.

Updated Sep 27, 2026

Safety First

Knife adjustment happens only with the machine fully stopped and energy isolated under the lockout procedure in your machine manual. Never adjust a knife on a running machine or with residual energy in the system. Cutting components are an amputation hazard — treat them accordingly.

Knife Adjustment, Step by Step

STEP 1Isolate the machine completely.You should see the lockout applied and verified before hands approach the cutting area.
STEP 2Inspect the blade before adjusting.You should see an undamaged edge free of chips — a damaged blade is replaced, not tuned.
STEP 3Check the fixture.You should see holder fixings torqued to the manual's values with no debris under the mounting faces.
STEP 4Set the cutting clearance.You should see the blade-to-anvil relationship set to the machine manual's specification — even on both sides, never by feel.
STEP 5Verify lateral position.You should see the blade aligned to the sealing-jaw centerline so the cut lands centered on the end seal.
STEP 6Re-phase at low speed.You should see cut timing re-verified after any mechanical change, per the phasing procedure in the manual.
STEP 7Test on sample packages.You should see clean, complete cuts at the correct position over a sample run — then record the adjustment in the maintenance log.

Technical Note

Cut position errors that survive a verified adjustment usually trace to timing or registration — see Why Is the Cutting Position Incorrect? For blade wear and damage, start at Knife Damage: Causes and Prevention.