CONTENTS

1.0 HISTORY ......................................................................................................................................... 2

1.1 TYPE OF SCISSORS ................................................................................................................... 5
1.1.1 GARDENING AND AGRICULTURE ................................................................................ 5
1.1.2 FOOD .................................................................................................................................... 6
1.1.3 GROOMING ......................................................................................................................... 6
1.1.4 MEDICAL ............................................................................................................................ 7
1.1.5 SEWING AND CLOTHES-MAKING ................................................................................. 8
2.0 RAW MATERIALS ....................................................................................................................... 10
2.1 CARBON STEEL ....................................................................................................................... 10
2.1.1 ADVANTAGES OF CARBON STEEL............................................................................. 11
2.1.2 DISADVANTAGES OF CARBON STEEL ...................................................................... 11
2.2 PLASTIC .................................................................................................................................... 11
2.2.1 ADVANTAGES OF HIGH DENSITY POLYETHYLENE(HDPE) ................................. 12
2.2.2 DISADVANTAGES OF HIGH DENSITY POLYETHYLENE(HDPE)........................... 12
3.0 CUTTING/SHAPING PROCESS .................................................................................................. 13
3.1 LASER CUTTING ..................................................................................................................... 13
3.2 FORGING ................................................................................................................................... 14
4.0 THERMAL PROCESS (HEAT TREATMENT)............................................................................ 15
5.0 GRINDING AND POLISHING ..................................................................................................... 17
6.0 HANDLE MOLDING .................................................................................................................... 19
7.0 ASSEMBLING ............................................................................................................................... 20
8.0 INSPECTION (ADJUSTMENT & PACKAGING) ....................................................................... 21
9.0 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................... 22

1|SCISSORS
1.0 HISTORY

Scissors are cutting instruments consisting of a pair of metal blades connected in such a way that
the blades meet and cut materials placed between them when the handles are brought together. The
word shears are used to describe larger instruments of the same kind. As a general rule, scissors
have blades less than 6 in (15 cm) long and usually have handles with finger holes of the same
size. Shears have blades longer than 6 in (15 cm) and often have one small handle with a hole that
fits the thumb and one large handle with a hole that will fit two or more fingers.
Scissors and shears exist in a wide variety of forms depending on their intended uses. Children's
scissors, used only on paper, have dull blades to ensure safety. Scissors used to cut hair or fabric
must be much sharper. The largest shears are used to cut metal or to trim shrubs and must have
very strong blades.
Specialized scissors include sewing scissors, which often have one sharp point and one blunt point
for intricate cutting of fabric, and nail scissors, which have curved blades for cutting fingernails
and toenails. Special kinds of shears include pinking shears, which have notched blades that cut
cloth to give it a wavy edge, and thinning shears, which have teeth that thin hair rather than trim
it.

Figure 1

The earliest scissors known to exist appeared in the Middle East about 3,000 or 4,000 years ago
and were known as spring scissors. They consisted of two bronze blades connected at the handles
by a thin, curved strip of bronze. This strip served to bring the blades together when squeezed and
to pull them apart when released. Steel shears of a similar design are still used to cut wool from
sheep.

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 Figure 2

Pivoted scissors of bronze or iron, in which the blades were connected at a point between the tips
and the handles, were used in ancient Rome, China, Japan, and Korea. Despite the early invention
of this design, still used in almost all modern scissors, spring scissors continued to be used in
Europe until the sixteenth century.
During the Middle Ages and Renaissance, spring scissors were made by heating a bar of iron or
steel, then flattening and shaping its ends into blades on an anvil. The center of the bar was heated,
bent to form the spring, then cooled and reheated to make it flexible. Pivoted scissors were not
manufactured in large numbers until 1761, when Robert Hinchliffe of Sheffield, England, began
using cast steel to make them. Cast steel, recently invented at the time by Benjamin Huntsman,
also of Sheffield, was made by melting steel in clay crucibles and pouring it into molds. This
resulted in a more uniform steel with fewer impurities.

Figure 3

3|SCISSORS
During the nineteenth century, scissors were hand-forged with elaborately decorated handles. They
were made by hammering steel on indented surfaces known as bosses to form the blades. The rings
in the handles, known as bows, were made by punching a hole in the steel and enlarging it with
the pointed end of an anvil.
By the beginning of the twentieth century, scissors were simplified in design to accommodate
mechanized production. Instead of being forged entirely by hand, blades and handles were now
formed by using drop hammers. Powered by steam, these large, heavy devices used dies to shape
the scissors from bars of steel. Modern versions of drop hammers are still used to manufacture
scissors today.

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 1.1 TYPE OF SCISSORS

1.1.1 GARDENING AND AGRICULTURE

TYPE IMAGE DESCRIPTION/PURPOSE

Hedge Trimmers trimming hedges

Grass Shears for trimming grass

for trimming small branches

Pruning shears or
secateurs

for cutting through

Loopers large branches

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 1.1.2 FOOD

TYPE IMAGE DESCRIPTION/PURPOSE

For food preparation, but often
used for a variety of other
Kitchen scissors or purposes. Today, kitchen
kitchen shears scissors are usually made from
stainless steel for food hygiene
and oxidization-resistance
reasons. They often have
kitchen functionality (other
than cutting) incorporated,
such as bottle-cap, to fish
scale, to crack nuts and bottle-
openers built into the handles.

1.1.3 GROOMING

TYPE IMAGE DESCRIPTION/PURPOSE

Hair-Cutting Shears
for trimming hair

Thinning Shears for thinning thick hair to

avoid a bushy look

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 for cutting hair
by barbers, hairdressers,
Hair Clippers and pet groomers

Nail Clippers for

cutting finger- and toenails

1.1.4 MEDICAL

TYPE IMAGE DESCRIPTION/PURPOSE

Trauma shears, or for use in emergency medical
"tuff cuts" response and rescue. The
rounded tips are designed to
slide across human flesh
without harm, allowing quick
removal of clothing

Surgical Scissors for cutting flesh in surgery

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 1.1.5 SEWING AND CLOTHES-MAKING

TYPE IMAGE DESCRIPTION/PURPOSE

With long blades and pointy tips,
designed to cut long, straight, smooth
All purpose, cuts in a variety of materials, as well
or Crafting scissors as to get into small areas with the tips.
In sewing applications, they are
primarily used for non-fabric cutting
applications, such as cutting out paper
patterns.

Button hole scissors Adjustable, short-bladed, heavy-duty

scissors for opening button holes.

for cutting cloth and producing a

Pinking shears serrated edge so that the fabric does
not fray.

Designed to cut through heavy-duty

materials like leather or multiple
Tailor's scissors layers of fabric. Generally shorter in
length (5″ blades are typical), with
thicker blades that feature precision-
ground knife-edges which cut all the
way to the tip.

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 DON’T KNOW JUST KNOW INITIALLY KNOW

1. The manufacturing 1. There are seven types 1. Most of the scissor are
process involved of specialized scissors coated
human work which is: 2. Scissor blade was
2. There is calculation - Agriculture, made of stainless steel
for laser cutting animal husbandry which is from iron,
according material and gardening about 1% carbon, and
used - Food and drug at least 10%
- Grooming chromium
- Metal work
- Medical
- Ceremonial
- Sewing and cloths
making
2. There two types of
scissor screw which is
rivet and adjustable
screw

9|SCISSORS
2.0 RAW MATERIALS

Scissors are usually made of steel. Some scissors used for special purposes are made from other
metal alloys. Scissors used to cut cordite (an explosive substance resembling twine) must not
produce sparks. Scissors used to cut magnetic tape must not interfere with magnetism.
Steel scissors exist in two basic forms. Carbon steel is used to make scissors in which the blade
and the handle form one continuous piece. Carbon steel is manufactured from iron and about 1%
carbon. It has the advantages of being strong and staying sharp. Scissors made from carbon steel
are usually plated with nickel or chromium to prevent them from rusting.
Stainless steel is used to make scissors in which a plastic handle is fitted to the metal blade.
Stainless steel is manufactured from iron, about 1% carbon, and at least 10% chromium. It has the
advantages of being light and rustproof. The handles of stainless steel scissors are made from a
strong, light substance such as ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) plastic.

2.1 CARBON STEEL

Carbon steel is just an alloy that has a combination of two constituents, which is iron and carbon.
There are different types of carbon steel that contains different percentages of carbon which may
vary based on the requirement.
Mild steel (0.05 - 0.3% carbon) is the cheapest but heaviest and weakest of them all
Medium carbon steel (0.3 - 0.6% carbon) balances ductility and strength with good wear resistance.
High carbon steel (0.6 – 1% carbon) is very strong.
Ultra-high carbon steel (1 – 2% carbon) can be tempered to great hardness.
Different types of scissors use different grades of carbon steel, but mild steel is almost never
used as it is far too weak and prone to wear to be used as a cutting tool. Low quality scissors
mostly use medium carbon steel as it is inexpensive and provide enough wear resistance to cut
soft material such as paper. While high carbon steel is used for higher quality scissors and sheers
usually used for cutting thicker materials such as cloth. Ultra-high carbon steel is used for heavy
duty and very sharp scissors, such as ones used for gardening or even in hospitals.

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 2.1.1 ADVANTAGES OF CARBON STEEL

Carbon steel is a light material, the greater the carbon content, the lighter. This makes it a great
material to make a portable, easy to carry cutting tool such as a pair of scissors.
Carbon steel is also greatly affordable. Even ultra-high carbon steel is more affordable than other
strong metallic materials such as Aluminum alloy or Titanium.
Carbon steel is also easy to work with as it is easy to bend, cut and shape. This means that in
industry, the cost of manufacturing is reduced. Meanwhile in homes, carbon steel scissors are
easily sharpened and/or repaired.

2.1.2 DISADVANTAGES OF CARBON STEEL

There is no such thing as a perfect material. And even something as widely used in low and high-
quality products as carbon steel have their flaws.
Mild steel is weak and heavy, making in only suitable for decorations or small parts and products
that do not experience high stress.
Comparatively to other metallic materials such as aluminum alloy and titanium, carbon steel is
still weak and heavy, which is why they are limited to smaller products and cannot be used to make
heavy appliances or transportation.
Carbon steel is also quite limited to heat treatment. There are few other ways and mostly it is not
very effective to harden carbon steel for high stress uses or for large scale products.

2.2 PLASTIC

There are many types of plastic, but the main 6 types we see are:
- Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)
- High Density Polyethylene (HDPE)
- Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE)
- Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
- Polypropylene (PP)
- Polystyrene (PS)
But for making handles for scissors, high density polyethylene (HDPE) is chosen. However high-
quality scissors do not have plastic handles are their handles are directly connected to their blades
because all plastics are synthesized by chemicals, release chemicals and have effects on the human
body.

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 2.2.1 ADVANTAGES OF HIGH DENSITY POLYETHYLENE(HDPE)

HDPE is one of the low-hazard plastics which means that compared to other plastics they release
less chemicals and are less harmful. Typically, HDPE is used to make bottles for milk, juices, as
well as detergents and shampoos.

2.2.2 DISADVANTAGES OF HIGH DENSITY POLYETHYLENE(HDPE)

Like most plastics HDPE releases estrogenic chemicals which are chemicals that effect human
hormones that are involved with the reproductive system, though it releases them in relatively low
volumes. Other than that, HDPE isn’t resistant to heat and have a low melting point.

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3.0 CUTTING/SHAPING PROCESS

3.1 LASER CUTTING

Laser cutting is suitable for almost all materials such as metal, plastic, wood, cardboard
and even ceramics. Laser cutting will have caused material to melt and an inert gas or at
least nitrogen forces the melt out of the gap which achieves smooth shiny edges and clean
cuts with almost all metals. The robotic handling unit and the nozzle are movable in various
directions, not only straight cuts can be performed but also any kind of further contours.
For this task angle adjusting elements and circular axis work together in a wrist like motion
mode. The outstanding characteristics of laser beam cutting are from 3 to 0.1 mm, reduced
heat input and less distortion are attainable. Punching of the hole is the initial step of cutting
sheets. Furthermore, laser cuts can be produced free of burr. The laser beam will cut the
steel as design in the computer program. Firstly, laser beam cut the hole at the center of the
steel before cut into shape for screw when assemble the two-blank scissor.

Laser beam is a thermal cutting process. The laser beam was created in the laser device and
passed on through the nozzle in the direction of the workpiece. The material blown out by
the cutting gas which is additionally include through the nozzle of workpiece form the
intended cutting growth. Laser beam procedure are different from other heat manufacturing
process. The laser beam must be acts affected by the surface of the workpiece which mean
the beam must be absorbed. The degree of the absorption depends on the material and the
wavelength of the respective laser light. For example, the degree of absorption for plastic
is high. All the energy coupled in, therefore acrylic glass can be cut extremely well but
metals are completely different matter. The surface refuse to cooperate, normally almost
the entire beam is reflected. Only with the very high concentration of power is it possible
to loosen the binding forces between the atoms and materials.

Figure 4

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 3.2 FORGING

Figure 5

Heat the steel into the furnace. This will make the steel in high temperature to easy it to shape.
When the steel has the suitable temperature move it using steel holder and continue the shaping
process at the forging machine until get the wanted shape. If the steel become hard to shape heat
it again in furnace and repeat the process until get the scissor shape.

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4.0 THERMAL PROCESS (HEAT TREATMENT)

The metal then goes to a Heat treatment process which is a controlled process used to alter the
microstructure of metals and alloys to impart properties which benefit the working life of a
component, for example increased surface hardness, temperature resistance, ductility and strength.
Heat treatment involves the use of heating or chilling, normally to extreme temperatures, to achieve
a desired result such as hardening or softening of a material. Heat treatment processes includes
annealing, quenching and tempering.
Annealing consists of heating a metal to a specific temperature then cooling at a rate that produce
a refined microstructure, either fully or partially separating the constituents. The rate of cooling is
generally slow. Tempering is a process of heat treating, which is used to increase
the toughness of iron-based alloys.
Quenching is a process of cooling a metal at a rapid rate. This is most often done to produce a
martensite transformation. In ferrous alloys, this will often produce a harder metal, while non-
ferrous alloys will usually become softer than normal. Depending on the alloy and other
considerations (such as concern for maximum hardness vs. cracking and distortion), cooling may
be done with forced air or other gases, (such as nitrogen). Liquids may be used, due to their
better thermal conductivity, such as oil, water, a polymer dissolved in water, or a brine.
Tempering is usually performed after hardening, to reduce some of the excess hardness, and is
done by heating the metal to some temperature below the critical point for a certain period of time,
then allowing it to cool in still air. The exact temperature determines the amount of hardness
removed and depends on both the specific composition of the alloy and on the desired properties
in the finished product. For instance, very hard tools are often tempered at low temperatures,
while springs are tempered to much higher temperatures.

Figure 6

15 | S C I S S O R S
In manufacturing a scissor, the shaped metal is put through a conveyer belt that travels inside a
furnace heated to 1000 °C. This toughens the blade, so they don’t bend or break by accident. After
the metals exits the furnace, its immediately cooled in cold air, water, oil, or another substance,
quenching process. The temperature to which they are heated and the medium in which they are
cooled varies depending on the type of steel from which they are made and the desired
characteristics of the blade. The hardened blanks are heated again and allowed to cool slowly in
air.
This second heating, known as tempering, gives the blank a uniform hardness. If the blades of a
pair of scissors did not have uniform hardness, the harder places on one blade would soon wear
out the softer places on the other blade. In addition, annealing the blade at 180ºC gives it tenacity
as well as hardness.

Figure 7

16 | S C I S S O R S
5.0 GRINDING AND POLISHING

Figure 8

After going through hardening via heat treatment, the scissor blades undergo a series of grinding
processes. The scissor blades go through a conveyor belt where they will be grinded against a
series of abrasive belts. The gap between the conveyor and the abrasive belts grind the blades down
to desired thickness. After that, a face is carved into one side of each blade, this isn’t sharp yet, but
it will be where the sharp side of the blade will be carved out.

Figure 9

If the scissors have a metallic eye directly attached to the blade, the eye of the scissors will be
thoroughly ground. It is obviously important to rid of any rough edges and to smoothen out the
inside of the eye as it will be where the scissors is held. If the scissors will use a plastic or a separate
handle to be attached, then of course this part is skipped.
Small abrasive belts are threaded through the eye, the blade is then held in place, while the small
belts are pulled away, against the inside of the scissors. The blade is then rotated quickly while the
threads remain stationary grinding the inside of the eye.

17 | S C I S S O R S
 Figure 10

The scissor blades are then all put into a vibrating tub full of small abrasive stones and coolant.
This ensures that any imperfections are smoothened and effectively polishes the blades. When they
are done, a magnetic conveyor is lowered into the tub and picks up the blades while leaving the
stones behind.
After that, the blades receive their sharp edges. Depending on what the scissors are used for, edges
may vary, typically the blades are clamped in place against a grinder and showered with coolant.
The process is usually done by machines as they can be programmed to always hold the blades at
a consistent place for a consistent amount of time.
Depending on the type of scissors, the blades may have to be serrated, meaning they have tiny
teeth to prevent slipping while cutting, usually these are made to cut fabric. In this case the blades
go through grinding a second time against a specially made wheel with the surface made to create
these teeth clamped by a magnetic chuck to ensure the teeth are constant.
At this point the scissor blades are nearly done, they go through conventional polishing, meaning
they are put between 2 rolls of cloth and polished. They go through 2 more polishing processes.
One as they are after they receive their edges, and then a final more thorough polishing after
assembly.

Figure 11

18 | S C I S S O R S
6.0 HANDLE MOLDING

Figure 12

If the handle is steel and is part of the blank, it is welded. But if the handle is a separate plastic
piece that is attached plastic the process is as follows:
A plastic resin is poured into the injection barrel. Then, it will forwardly driven by the screw
rotation. The screw was powered by a hydraulic motor. While the resin moves forward, it will be
heated and become melted as it heads towards the nozzle end which we called as drag flow. It
caused the plastic molecules slides over each other and create frictional heat. It will be heated until
it reaches a desired temperature. The temperature was controlled by three thermocouples in the
barrel and one in the nozzle. The screw consists of three zones which are called feed zones (parts
of the screw) which is has constant flight depth that will force the materials together and rids it of
air.
Secondly, melt zone which is decreases the flight depth to reduce the plastic volume. This causes
the plastic molecules to rub harder against each other plasticizing the material further. Lastly,
metering zone which has the constant flight depth same as the feed zone, but much smaller, will
acts as a pump the tip of the screw, it has one-way valve which lets the material through only in
one direction. Then, the material will shoot into the mold through the injection cylinder. When the
plastic completely fills the mold, the screw will stop and pull back to decompress the material. The
process repeats.

19 | S C I S S O R S
7.0 ASSEMBLING

Figure 13

Two blades which are sharply edged are fastened with screws or rivet through the previously
drilled holes. Rivet, which cannot be adjusted by the consumer, are used to make less expensive
scissors while adjustable screws are used to make more high-end scissors. Bending the blades
slightly towards each other makes it so that the two blades make contact only at 1 point at a time.
This increases the scissors cutting potential and creates gap between two blades for material to
pass through. Then, the contact between the two blades is finely adjusted to make sure they don’t
wear each other out too much. Finally, two blades are adjusted to be exactly aligned by grinding
the tip of scissors. This work is called edge adjustment. Then, the scissors are adjusted to ensure
that the two blades work together correctly. They may be painted or plated with nickel or chrome
to protect them from rust.

Figure 15(Rivet scissors)

Figure 14(Screw scissors)

20 | S C I S S O R S
8.0 INSPECTION (ADJUSTMENT & PACKAGING)

Figure 16

All scissors are finally checked for sharpness by expert inspector. They are carried out by doing
hand tool inspection procedure. Examples, deformations for steel-based tools, visual damage,
loose components, and pre-production anomalies. The inspection is carried out for checking
sharpness of them manually by cutting the piled of eight clothes. Then, the scissors are inspected
for flaws, the screw or rivet is lubricated. The scissors that pass these adjustment and inspection
are packed after proper care.

Figure 17(Cutting a pile of cloth)

The scissors that pass these adjustment and inspection are packed after proper care.

21 | S C I S S O R S
9.0 REFERENCES

I. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqFt3OLkb38
II. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrJyhBGDgcY
III. http://www.madehow.com/Volume-3/Scissors.html
IV. http://www.scissors.jp/fs/scissors/c/process
V. https://www.kai-group.com/global/en/kai-factory/process/scissors/
VI. https://metalscut4u.com/blog/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-carbon-steel-mild-
steel.html
VII. http://www.processindustryforum.com/article/advantages-disadvantages-metals-
commonly-used-manufacturing
VIII. https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/04/11/plastic-use.aspx

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