Bottom knives, ledgers and counter knives for tobacco cutting stations
The bottom knife is the stationary part a tobacco cutter's drum knives cut against; ledgers and counter parts do the equivalent job at other cutting stations. Steellogy makes them, and the clamping parts around them, to your approved drawing or from a worn sample in our own plant in Poland, with dimensions, hardness and edge condition checked on a sample from each batch.
- SpecificationMade to your drawing
- ProductionOwn plant in Poland
- InspectionSample from each batch
What the part does
On a KT-class tobacco cutter the drum knives rotate; the bottom knife does not. Tobacco is cut in the gap between the two, and a closing mechanism holds that gap constant as the drum knives are sharpened in the machine and lose dimension. The bottom knife therefore has to hold its working edge and its position: the part is defined by its working face, its mounting and clamping features and the edge form that matches the cutting knife, not by its outline alone.
Bed knife and counter knife are the same family of part under different names, and both terms appear in tobacco-cutting patents and supplier listings. The name alone does not define the component: the same words are used at stations that work in quite different ways.
A ledger is the clearest example. In the historical Molins cut-off arrangement the ledger supports the cigarette rod while the rotating knife cuts it — a support role, not the stationary cutting edge of a primary cutter. Aftermarket manufacturer HMK lists Molins ledger tubes in its tobacco range, which shows how the term is used in the trade. The two applications also sit at opposite ends of the process: primary cutting handles tobacco before the rod is formed, while the maker's cut-off handles the formed cigarette rod. We establish which part you actually have from its drawing and its position in the assembly.
Machines and stations
Bottom-knife applications include Körber / Hauni KT-series tobacco cutters (KT 2, KT 4) and heritage primary lines. Hauni is the historic machine brand; the company is Körber Technologies. Ledgers and counter parts belong to the rod cut-off stations of cigarette makers such as Protos and Molins MK-series.
One maker family spans several variants and revisions, and no OEM publishes a variant-to-part mapping. Send the mating knife drawing with the counter part where you have it: the pair is what has to work together, and the edge angle of one is set against the other.
Machine names describe the intended application only; Steellogy is not affiliated with, authorised by or supplying original parts on behalf of the machine manufacturer.
How it wears and when to change it
A stationary counter part is worn by the material passing over it and by the contact conditions the station is set to, and public sources do not establish one removal limit that applies to every bottom knife, ledger or counter knife. The end-of-life criterion is therefore agreed with you from your line's records and the applicable machine instructions, and written into the order alongside the part specification.
Materials and hardness
UCUT, an aftermarket supplier, lists D2 and other tool steels for ledger blades and tobacco cutting parts, and offers TiN and TiCN coatings on circular and ledger blades, which it describes as raising surface hardness and reducing build-up. Those are supplier options, not a specification for your station.
The OEM grade and hardness for KT-series bottom knives are not published; we determine them from your drawing and a worn sample and state them on the quotation, together with any coating you want on the part. Heat treatment, grinding and finishing are done in our own plant. Working clearance and bevel stay with your drawing: we do not substitute a general value for the one your line runs.
Made to your drawing — quality and documents
The approved drawing identifies the counter part's working surfaces, mounting features and revision for the order. Where we start from a worn sample, the proposed reconstruction is agreed before manufacture, including the features that wear has removed. Mating and clamping parts can be quoted in the same drawing-defined scope, and each item's inclusion is stated in writing so the knife order stays distinct from the order for the parts around it.
Before dispatch, dimensions, hardness and edge condition are checked on a sample from each batch. Material documentation, hardness reports and dimensional inspection records are available on request; their scope is confirmed in the quotation. The finished-blade inspection description explains how finished knives are checked. Supplier information provides the qualification and documentation context.
Trial batch and comparison on one machine
We quote a paid trial batch, with quantity, price, lead time, acceptance criteria and the number of comparison cycles agreed in writing. It is not a free sample, not a guaranteed result. A cycle runs from fitting the new counter part to its removal at the agreed criterion, and the mating knife and its starting condition are identified on both sides of the comparison. The proposed measure is tonnes of accepted cut rag for a primary bottom knife, or accepted cuts or pieces for a maker ledger. You receive the comparison in writing, with interrupted runs kept separate from completed cycles, under our single-machine comparison protocol.
What to send for a quotation
- Machine manufacturer, model, revision and the exact cutting station.
- Bottom-knife, ledger or counter-part drawing, or a worn sample with its installed position identified.
- Mating knife drawing and available assembly detail, including mounting or clamping features.
- Required material, hardness, surface treatment and working geometry where specified.
- Replacement history, material cut, operating output, required quantity and inspection records.
Frequently asked questions
Not necessarily — the station decides. A primary cutter's bottom knife is the stationary counterpart to its drum knives, while the documented Molins arrangement uses a ledger to support the cigarette rod during the cut. Aftermarket manufacturer HMK lists Molins ledger tubes under that name, so we identify the actual component from its drawing and assembly position.
Yes. Both families are within our tobacco scope, and so are the clamping parts around them. Each part is defined by its own approved drawing, with the mating requirements identified in the order. Send both drawings if you have them: the edge angle of the cutting knife and the working face of the bottom knife are set against each other.
There is no standard coating on every part we make. Aftermarket suppliers list TiN and TiCN options for circular and ledger blades, and a coating can be specified for your order — but it belongs in the approved part specification and on the quotation.
Yes, and that is the cleaner comparison. The record identifies the mating knife and its starting condition, and if the cutting knife or the settings also change, those changes stay visible when the result is assessed.