Punching

Processing by punching is used less often than "quadretti". Operators have to resort to it on planks (or pieces of plank) that are particularly uneven.

A cork strip is punched in its thikness by a cylindrical blade.

  Punching (file wmv, 328 KB)

Before any other processing, raw cylinders are sent to the dryer room, until they reach a humidity level not higher than 6-7%.

Drying is done in order to avoid flourishing of any kind of mould or yeast, as weel as granting its good mechanical behaviour.

Once they've been dried, stoppers have to be dimensionally rectified, that is the process of polishing stoppers end and side, in order to ensure dimensional specifications of cork stoppers.

Daily dimensional and humidity checks are realized all through the cutting and polishing process, in order to grant the regularity of stoppers dimensions .

Dimensional check of stoppers.