engs0062

Cuts across vinyl when moving

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I am getting extremely frustrated - after changing the force 3 times, the blade STILL cuts through the vinyl when the head is moving from one spot on the vinyl to the other.  I have ruined 2 pieces of 12 x 25 mirror chrome vinyl because the text has lines all over it due to the cutter moving across it.  What is going on. 

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Could be static electricity that is harming the carriage's ability to lift when it should. Do you have the cutter grounded?

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If it is static, find a local offset printing supply house they carry a anti staic spray that may work,here is a link http://dayintlsales.com/uploads/Varn__Antistatic__Spray.pdf  also there is a copper tinsel that can be draped  and laying slightly on top of the chrome vinyl and grounded to the plotter frame this may be your best bet here is a link on the tinsel  http://www.generalgraphic.com/tinsel.htm  I have a small print shop and I use it on my printing press. I have not had any static problems with my cutter yet,  so I have not had to try the spray or the tinsel. Kenimes may be able to tell you if this is a viable option or not.

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One last thought about static, that I have not seen listed on the forun yet it is room humidity. You could also try installing a small humidifier and keep it up between 50 and 60% that will help alot. The higher the humidity the lower the chance of static.

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I have heard of temperature and humidity causing the problem as well in another post. Customer cooled the room and the problem disappeared. I have also had machines come in for service with this issue, and the issue does not happen on my tech bench.....really frustrating and tough to troubleshoot when it does not happen here. I am in a warehouse that is really cool in temperature and no carpet.

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:angry:

I had the same thing happen and after many attempts to solve the problem (moving the machine, getting rid of carpet under the machine, grounding the machine etc etc etc) I ordered a new carriage.  Its not that hard to install, you will need a mini soldering iron but I used a hot glue gun which worked great.  Now my machine is working better than ever.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/arhash/sets/72157594482100956/

-arthur

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:angry:

I had the same thing happen and after many attempts to solve the problem (moving the machine, getting rid of carpet under the machine, grounding the machine etc etc etc) I ordered a new carriage.  Its not that hard to install, you will need a mini soldering iron but I used a hot glue gun which worked great.  Now my machine is working better than ever.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/arhash/sets/72157594482100956/

-arthur

Indeed, if nothing else seems to help, a carriage replcement should do the trick.

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I am having the same problem with my LaserPoint. It has done this on different files, graphics and lettering, and it does not do it all of the time. I can cut something out like a flame, and it will be fine and then I will cut another one and it will just take off down the vinyl and mess the whole thing up.

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I am having the same problem with my LaserPoint. It has done this on different files, graphics and lettering, and it does not do it all of the time. I can cut something out like a flame, and it will be fine and then I will cut another one and it will just take off down the vinyl and mess the whole thing up.

With the same file? I would try another USB cable.

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Ken, I tried another USB cable and it still did the same thing. I was cutting out the letters that are on the picture that I posted in my other post, and had a pair of them in the workspace to cut and every time it would just take off cutting across the vinyl. After it did this twice, I removed one of the lines of text and it cut just fine. So I dont know if it is me, my computer or the cutter. :notsure:

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If this is happening consistantly, try this for a quick easy diagnostic...  very lightly lay your finger on the vinyl while it is cutting (keep your fingers and hair away from any moving parts!).  This will help dissapate any static build up on the moving vinyl through your body.  If you still have the slashing problem then it probably isn't static.  Mine was a static problem and this technique helped prove it to me..

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Also, if you removed a line of text, and the problem did not occur, it could be a problem with the file you were cutting. Anyway you could post a copy of the file with all lines of text when the problem happened?

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Hello All,

There are 4 other things that cause this problem.

No one has mentioned them.

I certainly don't pretend to have all the answers however these are the other things that can cause this.

Here they are, i am sure you have checked these things as well.

However all these can cause your problem.

      a. Cutting strip.  This is the plastic strip under the blade point.  This has to be FLAT with no buckles.  Also it has to be undamaged.  If there cut marks in it then it has to be replaced immediately.

      b. Buckled vinyl.  The vinyl is NOT FLAT. Often the vinyl backing paper is super thin. It has buckled upwards allowing the blade to cut it as it moves around in the blade up position.

      c. Wrong cutter driver being used.  It might work most of the time however it will not work all the time.  There is another post here about some one whose work was being cut backwards, guess what? Wrong cutter selected.

      d. Cheap vinyl.  It is best that vinyl has uniform thickness.  However some nasty cheap stuff can vary in thickness hugely.  How do you know?  Hold it up to the light of a window and if the color is uneven then it the thickness is uneven.  So how on earth can you ever get even cutting?  You adjust the blade pressure for one thickness and in another area it is only a fraction of the thickness then of course it is going to cut through the backing paper.

Let me know if any of these points helped?

Jerry from SignBlazer.

 

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Good points Jerry but this problem is caused by the blade not lifting when it should and cutting across the vinyl.  Someone pinned the term "Slashing" at one point which is a good definition of the results.  I fought this problem for a while and getting a good ground from the cutter to the frame seemed to fix it for me.  I believe that the points you are covering would cause the vinyl and backing to be cut through.

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Well, I chipped the powercoat off under the ground and also added a star washer under the wire so it would get a good bite into the bare metal.  I'm not sure grounding to the power coat or paint... whatever it is really gives you a solid ground.  It might not make any difference but that is how I did it.  Haven't had a slash since.

If I am standing there and running something long, I will touch the vinyl every once in a while to discharge it.  Don't know if that helps or not but it makes me feel better.

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How did you properly ground it? I did it but still have the problem  :notsure:

If it was not grounded to begin with, it may be too late for some. Worst case scenario, we may need to replace a part.

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You are most likely covered by warranty, but if not, they are only around $25

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Sounds great! Well Kenimes, I re-grounded my plotter, I didnt have it well done I called a friend and told me how to do it properly, Ill make a test and let u know.

Thanx

Joe

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