TMFWade

Titan 3 SE 53" (cuts are not lining up)

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So i just received the 53" cutter and the setup was fairly straight forward.

The issue I am having is that when i perform any cut (test cut, or job) the lines do no meet up when its done cutting.  I make a circle, it's off, square it's off etc. it leaves little tails and is blatantly off. Iv'e got it pretty close to where i can weed it, but the lines are still not meeting up.

I've calibrated the offset, verified the blade depth, cutting force and speed(high and low) . Pre fed the vinyl, made sure it's all straight. I called support twice! (very unimpressed so far) they had me repeat all the troubleshooting steps several times, they remote in to adjust the settings themselves, for some reason I'm apparently incapable of doing this.... of course it's the weekend now so Monday 8/6/18 they are supposed get back with to "resolve" this issue. they had me adjust the pinch roller tension (i marked them, before adjusting) I don't know what else there is to do?? i assume ill just get parts thrown at me until something is fixed or I have to send it back. Wasting more time and material.

For them to say that this cutter has upgraded ANYTHING compared to the other titans may just be a pipe dream, BUT enough with all the bashing for now. It is frustrating to get the SE and not have it perform after tweaking and tuning it.

TL;DR                The lines don't meet up when cutting? Iv'e tried all settings, adjustments and even called support.

Has anyone ever experienced this? Or are there any tricks to get this to cut right?

titan 3 cut.jpg

titan3.jpg

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Support techs come and go regularly and have very little experience to be honest.   Let’s start with the most common culprit, how are you setting your blade depth?

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The blade depth is fine. I set both the 45 and 60 degree blades. Adjusted the force to barely mark the backing I've done this a few different times. Even used the pen tool.  The carriage is and holder are tight. No wiggle room 

Thanks for the reply. 

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 we see so many people that adjust the blade holder out 1/2 credit card depth and cause the ends of the cuts not to meet because the drag knife system is working as if the blade tip is closer to the center point than where it really is.  guess if you have done this before I really don't have any other thoughts on the matter - didn't realize you was an experienced user


by the way did you add a little to the overcut in your cutting software if it has that feature like flexi, vinylmaster, etc ?

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6 hours ago, TMFWade said:

The blade depth is fine. I set both the 45 and 60 degree blades. Adjusted the force to barely mark the backing I've done this a few different times. Even used the pen tool.  The carriage is and holder are tight. No wiggle room 

Thanks for the reply. 

We are asking how did you set your blade depth?  This is the correct way to set it below Just because it is barely making a mark on the backing means nothing.  You can have the blade too far out and still do that.  You should just barely see and feel the blade tip out of the blade holder.  Most sign vinyl is 2-3 mil, you only cut with the very tip of the blade. 

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. 

Also to use the pen tool the blade offset has to be at zero.

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7 hours ago, Dakotagrafx said:

 we see so many people that adjust the blade holder out 1/2 credit card depth and cause the ends of the cuts not to meet because the drag knife system is working as if the blade tip is closer to the center point than where it really is.  guess if you have done this before I really don't have any other thoughts on the matter - didn't realize you was an experienced user


by the way did you add a little to the overcut in your cutting software if it has that feature like flexi, vinylmaster, etc ?

 

1 hour ago, MZ SKEETER said:

We are asking how did you set your blade depth?  This is the correct way to set it below Just because it is barely making a mark on the backing means nothing.  You can have the blade too far out and still do that.  You should just barely see and feel the blade tip out of the blade holder.  Most sign vinyl is 2-3 mil, you only cut with the very tip of the blade. 

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. 

Also to use the pen tool the blade offset has to be at zero.

That makes sense about the blade being centered in the holder, I have adjusted the over cut from 0 - .60. (Vinyl Masters, but I import everything from Ai) Yeah I dont use the credit card "trick" I do it like MZ SKEETER said. I barely have the blade exposed test in on some vinyl before loading it in the cutter. 

-MZ SKEETER

Yes, I've set the blade exactly like that, because thats usually the issue with most of the problems people have on here. 

 

Thanks for the replies.

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Have you checked the blade and made sure that the tip is not broken off? Put it under a magnify glass etc.   It doesn't take much to break a tip off. Just looking at your cuts, it does not look like it  is cut with the blade tip. The cuts do not look sharp.  Have you taken apart the blade holder and made sure there is not any small pieces of vinyl in it?  You can add a drop of fine oil,  sewing machine 3-1, in the blade holder. Blade must turn freely. 

What do you have the blade offset at?  You should start at 0.25mm   Then go plus or minus   .05 to see which gets worse. 

I hope that your not letting the machine pull the vinyl from the roll, Always have enough slack in the vinyl to do the order.  Slow your machine way down until you get it set up correctly. I never run my cutter fast for doing any cutting. 

Can you show bigger pictures , standing further back, so we can see how you have your pinch rollers on the vinyl, and how you have your vinyl in the machine.   Nothing more I can offer. 

 

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I will double check the blade. Everything is brand new.  I tried using both the 45 and 60 degree blades. I have some time today so ill get some better pics. As for the rollers. I have had them all over to the right(above the rollers, leaving the one on the left empty) and i have had the rollers all the way to the left(leaving 1 of the 2 that are close to each other empty.

I pre feed all my cuts, I even tried using a just a large sheet to ensure it was being pulled through in anyway. With the sheet i still moved it back and forth to make sure it was feeding even. I have had the machine run as slow as 160 and up to 400.

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Just because the blade is brand new does not mean that it didn't get broken off trying to set it. They can get broken off very easily.   How wide is the vinyl that your using and how many pinch rollers do you have on top of that vinyl?    I run a 30"  Graphtec and only use 2 pinch rollers on 30" vinyl. (The cutter only has 2 pinch rollers) I place each pinch roller approx 1 inch from the edge of the sides of the vinyl. Pulls the vinyl great and tracks great. 

 

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24" for testing, and I have tested 3 roller on it and 4.  I line up all the pinch rollers above the roller. I can try 2, I know much isnt needed. Plus it has the "vacuum".  If I'm cutting 48" rolls I would need to use all of them, so the amount of rollers in it shouldn't matter, I would think. Here are some pics 20180805_121738.thumb.jpg.f758e032c531ccae5f63f28c45fbef72.jpgScreenshot_20180805-121912_Gallery.thumb.jpg.e1d9e0347c0e8fb11923bd2c2d9e4a0e.jpg20180805_123037.thumb.jpg.92553fec88e0ceda22dac427427f0f10.jpg20180805_121223.thumb.jpg.46218a0b3013d8a51bc429dd6c7d525b.jpg

56 minutes ago, MZ SKEETER said:

Just because the blade is brand new does not mean that it didn't get broken off trying to set it. They can get broken off very easily.   How wide is the vinyl that your using and how many pinch rollers do you have on top of that vinyl?    I run a 30"  Graphtec and only use 2 pinch rollers on 30" vinyl. (The cutter only has 2 pinch rollers) I place each pinch roller approx 1 inch from the edge of the sides of the vinyl. Pulls the vinyl great and tracks great. 

 

 

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That blade is out a zillion times too much!!!   You should just barely even see the blade tip, out of the blade holder. None of the shaft should be showing. .   You said you set it to my instructions.  Not possible. 

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I'm pressing the back so you can see the full 45 degrees lol. Yeah that would be bad cutting like that 

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15 minutes ago, MZ SKEETER said:

That blade is out a zillion times too much!!!   You should just barely even see the blade tip, out of the blade holder. None of the shaft should be showing. .   You said you set it to my instructions.  Not possible. 

 

20180805_121234.jpg

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Ok  much better.  You didn't say that.   Believe me, people do set their blades like that. And they think it is right. 

Try taking the 2 middle pinch rollers off to the side,  and only use 2 Pinch rollers. . See if anything changes.  Only use 2 on the edges of the vinyl.   Also, try a different cutting software.    Make sure the grit rollers are both moving at the same time and that they are not loose, causing the vinyl to shift.    If your using the same spot on your cutter to cut.  try further to the left and see if anything changes.  Look at the teflon cutting strip and make sure there are no gouges in it.   Nothing more that I can add.  

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9 minutes ago, MZ SKEETER said:

Ok  much better.  You didn't say that.   Believe me, people do set their blades like that. And they think it is right. 

Try taking the 2 middle pinch rollers off to the side,  and only use 2 Pinch rollers. . See if anything changes.  Only use 2 on the edges of the vinyl.   Also, try a different cutting software.    Make sure the grit rollers are both moving at the same time and that they are not loose, causing the vinyl to shift.    If your using the same spot on your cutter to cut.  try further to the left and see if anything changes.  Look at the teflon cutting strip and make sure there are no gouges in it.   Nothing more that I can add.  

Thanks I'll try that, I'll see how it goes.

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On 8/5/2018 at 1:02 PM, MZ SKEETER said:

Ok  much better.  You didn't say that.   Believe me, people do set their blades like that. And they think it is right. 

Try taking the 2 middle pinch rollers off to the side,  and only use 2 Pinch rollers. . See if anything changes.  Only use 2 on the edges of the vinyl.   Also, try a different cutting software.    Make sure the grit rollers are both moving at the same time and that they are not loose, causing the vinyl to shift.    If your using the same spot on your cutter to cut.  try further to the left and see if anything changes.  Look at the teflon cutting strip and make sure there are no gouges in it.   Nothing more that I can add.  

Thanks for all the help and comments(everyone who replied). Software looks good, most likely a mechanical issue. nobody knows. OH WELL.

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Do you make sure that the X and Y are 0 0  before cutting?  Does it show  0 0 for X Y on your cutter screen?  Just in case you are not aware of it. You have to push the  ORIGIN button before cutting. That makes your cutter at 0 0. Just throwing that out there.   Have you tried calibrating the software? 

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You probably already did this but try seeing if there is any slop in the grit rollers. Hold one and wiggle another and see if you notice any movement. I would check through your setting again. Your blade offset looks pretty good in the test cut (corners). Typically if your cutter needs over-cut added it shouldn't need much more than the blade offset value. Most cutters don't need it. Your cuts do definitely look like they are not lining up from the start to the end. I agree with Skeeter on the pinch rollers. For normal cutting I don't think you need all the rollers involved. Potential off-tracking from one being out of whack could be a factor. Don't mess with the pressure of those things either, we see a lot of people have issues and then find out they were cranking on them trying (in vain) to adjust their tracking. I would run a piece of vinyl though without cutting just manually run a good length like 4ft and then back a couple of times and see if it stays true. A lot of the Chinese cutters suffer from off tracking but I think the Titan 3 is getting up where this should be less likely. 

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A drop of oil in your blade holder could help too and eventually try out some higher end blades. The cheap blades don't cut nearly as well as good quality. 

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On 8/8/2018 at 10:09 AM, MZ SKEETER said:

Do you make sure that the X and Y are 0 0  before cutting?  Does it show  0 0 for X Y on your cutter screen?  Just in case you are not aware of it. You have to push the  ORIGIN button before cutting. That makes your cutter at 0 0. Just throwing that out there.   Have you tried calibrating the software? 

I will go ahead and try this, I am pretty sure it was set up correctly. I also, don't think it will cut until you push the ORIGIN button.

On 8/8/2018 at 10:45 PM, Wildgoose said:

You probably already did this but try seeing if there is any slop in the grit rollers. Hold one and wiggle another and see if you notice any movement. I would check through your setting again. Your blade offset looks pretty good in the test cut (corners). Typically if your cutter needs over-cut added it shouldn't need much more than the blade offset value. Most cutters don't need it. Your cuts do definitely look like they are not lining up from the start to the end. I agree with Skeeter on the pinch rollers. For normal cutting I don't think you need all the rollers involved. Potential off-tracking from one being out of whack could be a factor. Don't mess with the pressure of those things either, we see a lot of people have issues and then find out they were cranking on them trying (in vain) to adjust their tracking. I would run a piece of vinyl though without cutting just manually run a good length like 4ft and then back a couple of times and see if it stays true. A lot of the Chinese cutters suffer from off tracking but I think the Titan 3 is getting up where this should be less likely. 

I moved the grit rollers and made sure there was nothing stuck to them and that they weren't stuck. I didn't notice any slow. good looking out! I have tracked a couple yards back and fourth, because i thought the rollers were the problem.

The only reason i adjusted the pinch rollers was, because thats what the tech said i should do. I marked them and went in full rotations so I could get it back the "factory" if needed. NO HELP.

Im just gonna send it back, I am done messing with it.

 

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16 minutes ago, cardudenc said:

im actually just started having this issue.

on the other topic I see we have a new member Support@USCutter   interested in what this changes

You have a Titan 3 now? 

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23 minutes ago, cardudenc said:

im actually just started having this issue.

on the other topic I see we have a new member Support@USCutter   interested in what this changes

so far a lot of direction for people to call support . . . . at least we did get some postings today :)

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14 minutes ago, MZ SKEETER said:

You have a Titan 3 now? 

no, right now just my 54" SC and that GCC Expert 24 I traded for.  but a couple days before my surgery the almost perfect deal for me came up on CL the state below me. It was a 28" titan 3, the guy stated he ordered from USC the week before , did a couple cuts and decided it was too small for him . he wanted the 53" or 54" titan 3 . not sure which they make it in. everything was in the pics, so it looked all legit. and the deal of the da was he would take $650 shipped to me. surgery was in 2 days, my post op track record is terrible , so I felt I had no choice but to pass.

I might be picking up that Mimaki ive been talking/asking about for awhile next week.  end goal is to have a 24-30" cut servo cutter at the shop. the big sc at the house in what 1 of my friends is calling the "woodys graphics world headquarters' lol!!  Then last Im wanting to set up an enclosed trailer to go to events/car shows and just whatever.

back on topic.  im cutting flowers out of the library that came with scalps4 . the Gcc is at the shop . I do a cut and the center circle of the flower cuts as it should. come home where I have the surfboard sc 54" , just plug in , change over cutters in scalps, and no clean cut. the cuts in the circle don't meet.

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