mattcanpaint

Hello my fellow cutters, I am happy overall with my SC 34 plotter, I've been using it for over a year to cut highly detailed stencils out of .005 mm Dura-Lar film with outstanding results up until recently. I just recently started cutting 32" x 42" stencils that are more intricate and it has not been working out well for me. The tracking is off by a huge margin. It's so bad that it leads me to believe that the system is simply going haywire due to larger file sizes as opposed to this being a mechanical issue. Here are my system specs and details -Windows 7 with 8 GB of Ram -I connect to my SC cutter using a USB cable run to one of my USB 2.0 hubs (Might switch to standard USB hub if this is sending too much info too quickly) -I use Sure Cuts A-Lot Pro 3 -I only use expensive Roland Blades and I steer clear of cheap knockoffs -My speed is at 200 and my pressure is set to 600 -I use minimum blade depth -These take hours to cut and I usually change the blade out every 1 1/2 hrs -The material is .005 Dura-Lar. The carrier sheet I use is a .007 sheet of Dura-Lar that I adhere using spray adhesive. -The two outer pinch rollers are as tight as can be and are 2-4 inches in from the edges. The center roller is only at half strength because I don't want to add too much uneven tension on one side of the machine. Here are the steps I have already completed to try and remedy the issue I have tightened the grit roller using an Alan Wrench. Cleaned the pinch rollers using the rough side of a sponge to get the stencil bits off Tightened the carriage belt and ensured that the carriage was on track. Lubed the blade holder to ensure proper swivel. The offset is good. The cutting strip is a little rough but it has been since my first time using it. I doubt that is the issue. I support the stencil and carrier sheet with two tables on either side of the plotter to ensure the carrier sheet doesn't hang and get too heavy for the rollers to move them back and forth. I believe the culprit is not enough system on either the Sure Cuts A-Lot Pro 3, The SC cutter, or my PC. Can any of you guys provide some feedback? Thanks guys! -Matt

How do I get Signblazer to not cut the outline or tile? I just want it to cut the image inside. I thought skip tile would work but it definitely does not.

I owe you a beer or 3 because this seems to be a big step in the right direction.

It's installed and it says it's on Comm 7 but com 7 doesnt show up in my sign blazer. It also says the keyspan is located on Port_#0002.Hub_#0003 Down in the USB section. Should I go with port 3?

It is in my device manager but it's not showing up in Sign Blazer

and for the output device?

Theres Li-Yu SF-631 and Li-Yu HF-1202 Which one do I choose? The keyspan adapter port is not showing up in Sign Blazer.

Hey Guys, I'm trying to use the Signblazer to plot because SCAP 3 is still shitting the bed when I try to use my keyspan adapter. I installed the uscutter drivers but the SC 34 isn't showing up in the cutter setup window. Also, how do I know which output device to select? Thanks for your help. -Matt

I'll give that a try. Thanks again!

Ok, I got a Null Modem Cable and am ready to try cutting a new piece with the following stats. I will try signblazer and signcutpro if these current settings fail SCALP3 with triplite keyspan and Null Modem Adapter Speed: 300 Pressure: 400 The file size is about 7 mbs and should take 7 hours to cut I can't afford to not work on my freelance design work while these are cutting so I'll work on light files during the cutting process. Thanks again everyone, You've been a great help!

Thanks for the advice, Signblaster freezes up every time I try to import a file. I tried using my keyspan adapter with SCALP3 and the program freezes up, doesn't recognize the connection, etc. What should I do now?

Hey guys, One more question. Could using my computer for Ram hogging tasks during the plotting cause issues as well? I often design large files during the cutting process and was wondering if that could be causing issues with the communication from my PC to my SC. Thanks again for all your help!

Thanks! Sorry you guys deal with jerks all the time. Hopefully they'll wise up!

Is this one a good choice?

Thanks for all the help guys. I just ordered this off of amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000VYJRY?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00 Will attempt cutting another 42" x 32" stencil tomorrow with the new keyspan, lower pressure and a file size that is under 5mb Could using my computer for Ram hogging tasks during the plotting cause issues as well? I often design large files during the cutting process and was wondering if that could be causing issues with the communication from my PC to my SC.

The pinch rollers pick up a lot of crap during the cutting process of an intricate piece. I'll try cleaning them one by one during the process to see if that helps at all. I don't mind tracking marks on the material so adding another pinch roller and tightening them up might be a good option to buying a titan 2

Adding a card?

That is what my guess is. One of the only variables since my machine stopped working properly is that the files have gotten a lot bigger. Are there any other steps to remedy the Memory Limit?

I use a thicker sheet of .007 Dura-Lar as a backing sheet for the .005 sheet of Dura-Lar that gets cut. I glue them together with spray adhesive and weed the thin sheet of Dur-Lar from the thick backing Sheet.