deegram 1 Posted April 13, 2018 Good evening!! I'm very new to the bigger vinyl machine and the program that's being used. I have the MH 871MK2 and we're using vinyl master. Ive been reading through this forum and saw that a keyspan adapter is best for this application instead of USB, it will be arriving tomorrow. Ive been playing with the offset and overcut, I started with the blade but that got old very fast so I switched to the pen. The belt tension seems to be good, there's no debris on the track, I checked the blade housing and then switched over to the pen. It doesn't matter how I make it a vector, it doesn't matter how much I play with the offset I keep getting these incomplete cut that seem like "skips" on the cuts. I've slowed down the cutting speed and played with the pressure and still get them. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!! Thank you!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
haumana 1,220 Posted April 13, 2018 Check the cutting strip. When my vinyl starts getting 'perforated' type of cutting like that, it's typically time to change the cutting strip. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MZ SKEETER 4,709 Posted April 13, 2018 10 minutes ago, deegram said: Good evening!! I'm very new to the bigger vinyl machine and the program that's being used. I have the MH 871MK2 and we're using vinyl master. Ive been reading through this forum and saw that a keyspan adapter is best for this application instead of USB, it will be arriving tomorrow. Ive been playing with the offset and overcut, I started with the blade but that got old very fast so I switched to the pen. The belt tension seems to be good, there's no debris on the track, I checked the blade housing and then switched over to the pen. It doesn't matter how I make it a vector, it doesn't matter how much I play with the offset I keep getting these incomplete cut that seem like "skips" on the cuts. I've slowed down the cutting speed and played with the pressure and still get them. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!! Thank you!!! If you did not set your blade depth like below, then you need to. Blade offset should start at 0.25,, If needing adjusted,, start 0.05 + or Minus until correct. Corners square on test cut. To start with, you should set your blade depth correctly, by taking the blade holder out of the machine, and firmly cut across a piece of scrap vinyl, you will be cutting. You should only be cutting the vinyl and barely a mark on wax paper backing, Adjust blade to get there, Then put the blade holder back in machine, and use the force of the machine to get there, same results, only cutting the vinyl and barely a mark in wax paper backing. You should barely see and feel the blade tip out of the blade holder. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
haumana 1,220 Posted April 13, 2018 54 minutes ago, deegram said: Good evening!! I'm very new to the bigger vinyl machine and the program that's being used. I have the MH 871MK2 and we're using vinyl master. What is your smaller vinyl machine, and which software were you using for that? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
deegram 1 Posted April 13, 2018 @haumana the machine is less than two weeks old!!! Already giving me trouble lol @MZ SKEETER I did set my blade depth and used all 3 blades that came with the machine in an attempt to get it to work. I did start at 0.25 and increased it until it just looked like a jumbled mess. @haumana I have a silhouette, and it's using its own program. Crazy thing is, is that I can upload any file to silhouette and cut it fine. Not the case with VM. I stopped using the blades and I'm sticking to the pen until I can figure it out. Here's a picture of the calibration test and a better look at the skips. They're random. I did notice that the machine will not cut one shape all the way through at once. It'll cut let's say a line and a curve, then pick up and move elsewhere then comes back to finishing the part of the shape. On my silhouette it would fully cut a shape and move to the next piece. It's really weird. The Cutting strip is smooth no damage. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dakotagrafx 7,297 Posted April 13, 2018 can you post your file so someone can look at it Here is a simple vector to use for testing. I moved you thread to the vinylmaster area as they quite frequently visit the forum and if in that area they will see it hawaiianflower.eps Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
haumana 1,220 Posted April 13, 2018 The ears (at the corners of the text) are caused by blade offset. I am not sure where to adjust that number in VM. Try starting the blade offset at 0.0 How, or what order the cutter does its task can usually be (somewhat) configured in the software. (i.e. clockwise or counter-clockwise, best tracking or fastest path, etc.). I am most familiar with Sign Blazer. I would recommend you download that and give it a try. It's totally free, and while many say that it's old or outdated, it's lasted longer than a lot of other cutter software. It doesn't hurt to try something free, it only cost a little time and effort. http://forum.uscutter.com/index.php?/forum/43-signblazer/ The fact that you're getting your design from your computer to your cutter tells me that the connection is good, you really don't need to use a keyspan at this point, but if it makes you feel better to add that to the mix, then go ahead. Hang tight, we will do our best to get this all straightened out for you. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dakotagrafx 7,297 Posted April 13, 2018 the offset being off in the picture is because the pen offset is 0 - and it is probably set for a blade which will be .25 give or take 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
haumana 1,220 Posted April 13, 2018 15 minutes ago, Dakotagrafx said: the offset being off in the picture is because the pen offset is 0 - and it is probably set for a blade which will be .25 give or take totally forgot about the pen offset :o( (or non-offset) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
arty-rc 719 Posted April 13, 2018 This might sound basic but have you checked to see if the blade carriage is in/on the track and there is no debris on the track? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
deegram 1 Posted April 13, 2018 @haumana the manual stated that the offset be set to zero when using the pen tip. I will definitely try using the program you recommended!! @arty-rc yes I did check the to ensure that the carriage is on the track and debris! I want to thank you all for your help!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
deegram 1 Posted April 13, 2018 Is the bracket supposed to tilted that way? Seems as if it's leaning left. It's full seated in too. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slice&dice 2,450 Posted April 13, 2018 Double-check to make sure the bracket arm is not cracked (broken). The MH cutters are notorious for having that arm snap due to over-tightening pressure of the knurled knob/locking nut. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
darcshadow 1,626 Posted April 13, 2018 The pin should be straight up and down so you certainly have a problem with the holder some where. I had one where the holes were not true so that as you tightened up the thumb screw it would cause the blade to tilt, much like in your photo. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
haumana 1,220 Posted April 13, 2018 @deegram Nice catch on that tilt! Definitely get that checked out. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
deegram 1 Posted April 13, 2018 So would my offset be in the negatives? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
deegram 1 Posted April 13, 2018 Unfortunately trying to level out the holder did produce much better results. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
haumana 1,220 Posted April 14, 2018 offset should not be negative. when using the pen, offset is 0, when using blade, typically 0.25 (sometime it can vary 0.23 - 0.28). could you post the file that you're cutting? the rest of us can take a look at it. if you do a test "cut" from the cutter's onboard control panel, what does that look like? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
deegram 1 Posted April 14, 2018 sorry its taken so long. I havent been around my computer. I tried the test cut with the square and the star? it left skip marks at some of the edges. Here is the file. Thank you again!!!! Hexagon Shape Ready to Cut.dxf Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MZ SKEETER 4,709 Posted April 14, 2018 why are you using dxf files? Eps. is the best for vinyl cutting programs and vinyl cutting. .. Convert that file to an .eps and then try cutting it.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
haumana 1,220 Posted April 14, 2018 Am I missing something? This is what the dxf gives me. Lots of gaps. The file is also a little big - there's a LOT of nodes. Try cutting or plotting the file that Dakota posted and see how that goes. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dakotagrafx 7,297 Posted April 14, 2018 actually it opened fine for me in graphtec pro studio - file is huge. Did the simple file I posted cut ok or did it have problems with that? trying to figure out if we are tracking down a hardware issue with the carriage like some stated above with possible crack in carriage arm, memory overload because of the huge file , blade holder issue, if your blade holder retainer has two holes like most mh series is the holder in the back hole, we need to eliminate things to have a better idea as support is now closed till monday - a systematical troubleshooting is our best bet this weekend 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
haumana 1,220 Posted April 14, 2018 4 minutes ago, Dakotagrafx said: actually it opened fine for me in graphtec pro studio - file is huge. I was wondering if SB was going to choke on the file size, but it managed to open it ... not very well if you're getting complete lines in GPS Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dakotagrafx 7,297 Posted April 14, 2018 that and using my design computer with 8 core processor and 64gb ram Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
deegram 1 Posted April 16, 2018 Thank you all for your help!!! I'm really sorry for not responding sooner, we went out of town. Thankfully this cutter is under warranty. I am going to attempt to cut the other file in the morning. @MZ SKEETER it took me a minute to figure the file format question. Since I was previously using silhouette it was easier for me to vectorize the file in Inkscape and save it as desktop plotter cutter which ended in .dxf On a slightly related subject - should I keep this machine? Or should I invest in something different? My ability to use stencils for painting is what has given my business the ability to expand and grow (finally). I need something reliable. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites