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ShadowHawk

How to line up vinyl perfectly when feeding into cutter?

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I've got the Desay (Master) Tiger 1000 cutter...  On longer runs (i.e. 36" or more), I've got a problem with the vinyl (or butcher paper when I'm testing), getting slightly off kilter through the friction rollers.  I don't think that it's a problem at all with the cutter.. I think that it's simply very hard to perfectly line the vinyl/paper up at a perfectly straight path for feeding.  And over the distance of 3' - the variance in loading becomes very apparent.

Has anyone on list come up with a way to feed the vinyl perfectly on these machines that don't have a feed-guide?  I was thinking of something along the lines of a carpenter's square mounted to the input side, and have it be on the origin-side of the entry, so that I could line it up correctly and straight every time - always perpendicular at a perfect 90 deg. to the cutter-head track.  Any other ideas or suggestions?  I believe that an easy add-on could take some headache out of using some of the machines.

Thanks,

Res S.

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Load the material as straight as possible. Put your thumb next to the material and manually feed it forward and back, checking for drift. Adjust the material accordingly if there is drift, then run it again. Might take a few runs before you get it as straight as possible.

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I'll add to mark the edge of the vinyl on the cutter when you get it right both front and back of the feed. Creating your own alignment marks. It works provided your cutter feed drive is working properly. Use the manual feed function to run out the vinyl and set the alignment. Then mark it. Use a piece of scrap. My 2cts ;D

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There is no such thing as lining up the vinyl perfectly. Even the tiniest fraction of an inch off,and you will get drift on long cuts. Pressure on the pinch rollers would have to be exactly the same...again,almost impossible.

My brother measures from the edge of the vinyl to the cutter both front and back,and tries to get it exactly the same. He says it helps.

Sprocket fed cutters are what you want if you need a perfectly straight cut.

I've had vinyl drift as much as 3/4 inch on a long cut but I allow for it and seldom waste an inch of vinyl.

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Guest fivestar

My brother measures from the edge of the vinyl to the cutter both front and back,and tries to get it exactly the same. He says it helps.

I do the same thing, I even had it marked like the previous post suggested, but now I just measure it with a tape measure and get it as close as I can.  I cut a peice of vinyl today, 23.8"x48" and it made the cut without drifting off, that was with a 24" wide roll.

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If using the method I described does not work, your feed is not working properly and is in need of service.

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Alignment: throw your right pinch roller down on to the vinyl and have the far right on the pinch wheel right on the edge of the vinyl. Then throw your left roller in about a little over a quarter of the way inward from the left side of the vinyl.  In manual mode on your machine feed the vinyl in and out manually. Keep your eye on the pinch wheel when you see the vinyl drift one way or the other, feed the vinyl back to where you were when you started and release the left pinch roller and slide the vinyl just a bit to the left ot right (which ever way it needs) and the throw the left pinch roller back down on the vinyl and start feeding it in and out watching the right pinch wheel adjust over and over till you get it to run right down the edge for atleast the length you plan to cut to. It sound like a lot but it takes just a few seconds and it stops the drifting and you will get better at setting the alignment up each time.  I can run a 23.75" wide cut for 10 foot from edge to edge by setting it up this way on 24" X 10' vinyl. ( if the vinyl was trully 24" to the T I could do it even closer but the vinyl itself tends to run in and out about 1/16th" (.125) and the 24" rolls I have been getting are about 1/16 from being a full 24")

Anyways lol hope this might help. 

Eric

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I've had my Pcut and Bridge cutters tracking within 1/32" in 25' for months now using the method I described. Many years at other shops.

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Alignment: throw your right pinch roller down on to the vinyl and have the far right on the pinch wheel right on the edge of the vinyl. Then throw your left roller in about a little over a quarter of the way inward from the left side of the vinyl.  In manual mode on your machine feed the vinyl in and out manually. Keep your eye on the pinch wheel when you see the vinyl drift one way or the other, feed the vinyl back to where you were when you started and release the left pinch roller and slide the vinyl just a bit to the left ot right (which ever way it needs) and the throw the left pinch roller back down on the vinyl and start feeding it in and out watching the right pinch wheel adjust over and over till you get it to run right down the edge for atleast the length you plan to cut to. It sound like a lot but it takes just a few seconds and it stops the drifting and you will get better at setting the alignment up each time.  I can run a 23.75" wide cut for 10 foot from edge to edge by setting it up this way on 24" X 10' vinyl. ( if the vinyl was trully 24" to the T I could do it even closer but the vinyl itself tends to run in and out about 1/16th" (.125) and the 24" rolls I have been getting are about 1/16 from being a full 24")

Anyways lol hope this might help. 

Eric

this is the method i use. only i will set my pinch rollers in about an eighth of an inch, to make sure the rollers stay on the material.

bb

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Set the pinch rollers in aprox 2" in from the edges and run out the vinyl a few feet at at a time and you'll see.release one roller, adjust and repeat. It's very simple but can be time consuming if done wrong.

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