... to production.

Modernisation of the production facilities has not necessarily rendered the process of manufacturing a forged knife any easier, but what is has done is make the process more reliable, by enabling the manufacturers to supply products of constant quality, because more frequently produced according to the same parameters.

This increasing automation of the production lines can be seen at various stages in the manufacturing process:

Working the blade:

The smiths can now be integrated in the High Speed Machining (HSP) line. This technical development allows them notably to obtain constant quality, dimensions and flatness for the forged products, thanks to regular maintenance of the tools and forging moulds.

The quest for maximum quality also means the cutlers are investing in more and more automation for the production of the bolster and back of the blade. Thanks to numerical controls the bolster can be calibrated better, and there is greater scope for the final form of the back of the blades.

The grinding phase is also becoming increasingly automated. The results obtained justify this step, because this technological progress offers not only greater liberty for the shape of the blade, but also saves considerable time. Improvements in the grindstones, that are the essential tool for grinding, are partly responsible for these good results. Today the grinders have a complete range of grindstones available, with a wide variety of different grains, density and porosity...

Work on the handle:

We cannot really talk about turning the handles today, because they are more often made of plastic than wood or precious materials. The reason why plastic dominates is due in large part to the standards directives with respect to food hygiene.

Whether the handle in question is "full" or with "sides", the most wide-spread manufacturing technique is plastic injection moulding. Little balls of plastic are heated to a high temperature, when they melt and the plastic is poured into moulds of predefined size and shape. The advantage of this technique is that it offers tremendous flexibility for the design, colour etc.
It is also encouraged by research into mould design. The goal is to make the joint planes (the marks left where the two parts of the mould join together) and the injection points (where the plastic enters the mould) as difficult to detect as possible.

Through the years, the SABATIER Diamant production lines have also been automated (bolster stand, blade back, etc). However, it would not be true, nor fair either, to say that the hand of man has been completely replaced by machines. The assembly et de finishing steps are still carried out by hand, by highly skilled workers.