Making Aluminium Foil Lids In-House: Three Sizes, One Machine
Short answer first: a foil lid is a die-cutting job, not a forming job. One die-cutting machine — LIKEE's LKD-970 — cuts lids on a 970 × 640 mm table. The catalogue gives reference output values for three lid sizes, from 800 to 3,780 pieces per minute depending on lid size and cavity count. If you already run a foil container press line, adding lids in-house is one extra machine, not a second workshop.
Why lids are the last thing converters bring in-house
Containers and lids are made by two different processes
A container is formed. A press line draws foil into a mould — three cavities on the LK-T63, four to six on the LK-T80 — and the finished container comes off the stacker.
A lid is cut. A die-cutting machine takes aluminium foil paper and punches the lid outline out of it, counting each piece as it goes.
That difference is the whole reason lids stay outsourced. Owning a press line does not give you the ability to produce the lid that sits on top of the container.
What buying lids in does to your schedule
When lids come from outside, lid supply follows the supplier's line-up: their sizes, their roll widths, their delivery dates. Anything outside that line-up turns into a special order.
What changes when you cut your own
Size, volume and timing move back inside your own production. LIKEE supplies both the lids themselves and the machines that make them, so a converter can start by buying finished lids and move to cutting in-house later without changing supplier.
What the LKD-970 does
The LKD-970 aluminium foil paper lids machine is used in the printing, packaging and paper products industries. It combines a micro-computer and human-machine control interface with servo positioning, an alternating current frequency converter, automatic counting, a manual pneumatic lock plate, a photoelectric correcting deviation system, an electromagnetic clutch with centralized oil lubrication, and overload protection.
The table and the cut
- Working table: 970 × 640 mm (L × W)
- Maximum cutting area: 940 × 610 mm
- Cutting precision: 0.20 mm
- Paper gram weight: 134–400 g/m²
- Maximum cutting pressure: 280 tons
- Working speed: 100–180 strokes per minute
- Maximum mother roll diameter: 1,600 mm
- Air pressure: 0.5 MPa, air consumption 0.25 m³/min
- Total power: 12 kW connected load
- Machine dimensions: 5,500 × 2,000 × 1,800 mm
Why servo positioning and photoelectric correction matter here
A lid that is cut half a millimetre off centre is scrap, and at 100–180 strokes per minute there is no time for an operator to correct it by hand. Servo positioning holds the cut position stroke after stroke. The photoelectric correcting deviation system tracks the web, so a drifting mother roll is corrected rather than followed. Automatic counting tells the operator exactly how many lids have left the machine, which is what makes handover between shifts and packing claims verifiable.
The key parts and controls of the machine are imported, which is what the design rests on for steady cutting pressure, precise positioning, smooth movement and reliable operation.
Three reference lid sizes and their output values
The catalogue lists these three lid sizes as reference output values — a reference for what the LKD-970 can produce, not a fixed product list. Actual output depends on the lid size, cavity layout and tooling you run.
|
Lid size (mm) |
Piece weight |
Max cavities per cut |
Reference output |
Pieces per ton |
|
198 × 135 × R32 |
7.3 g |
12 pcs/cut |
1,200–2,160 pcs/min |
136,360 |
|
258 × 188 × R30 |
13.1 g |
8 pcs/cut |
800–1,440 pcs/min |
76,335 |
|
138 × 118 × R19 |
4.4 g |
21 pcs/cut |
2,100–3,780 pcs/min |
227,272 |
Read the table in two directions.
Across a row, cavity count sets how many lids leave the machine per stroke. The small 138 × 118 × R19 lid runs 21 cavities per cut and reaches up to 3,780 pieces a minute. The large 258 × 188 × R30 lid runs 8 cavities per cut and peaks at 1,440 pieces a minute.
Down a column, piece weight sets how far one ton of material goes. The same small lid yields around 227,000 pieces per ton; the large lid yields around 76,000. That is a threefold difference in material efficiency between two lids that sit on the same shelf.
This is why the lid range should be decided before the machine is specified. Cavity layout and tooling follow the lid sizes you actually sell.
FAQ
Q: Does LIKEE supply lids as well as lid machines? A: Yes. Both the lid products and the equipment are provided.
Q: What is the maximum cutting pressure of the LKD-970? A: 280 tons.
Q: What paper weight can it handle? A: 134 to 400 g/m².
Q: What is the cutting precision? A: 0.20 mm.
Q: How fast does the machine run? A: 100–180 strokes per minute. Output depends on lid size and cavity count; the three sizes above are the catalogue's reference output values.
Q: Does it count the pieces automatically? A: Yes. Automatic counting is part of the control system.
Q: Which industries is the machine used in? A: Printing, packaging and paper products.
Q: What is the power requirement? A: 12 kW connected load.
The bottom line
Making lids in-house comes down to one question: do your three highest-volume lid sizes sit within the LKD-970 range? Compare the cavity count and the reference pieces per minute for each size, check the pieces per ton against the material you buy, and the answer takes an afternoon — not a factory visit.
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