OldFatBald

Newbie with SC2 and AutoCAD for creating Paint Stencils

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Hello all from sunny Northern California, I am very new to vinyl cutting as I have never done it.  I basically got tired of ordering stencils for automotive paints online and waiting for them.

 

I have purchased directly from USCutter a refurbished 34” SC2 that I plan on running off of my Windows 10 PC. 

 

I will be using it to cut out vinyl stencils for painting automotive graphics using typical automotive solvent based paints.  This is just my weekend hobby and not my profession.

 

I have loaded and activated the VinylMaster CUT software. And I am currently going through the different video tutorials.  The software communicates with the SC2 and I only have the pen loaded up for now as my stand is coming in a separate box (hopefully tomorrow as UPS didn’t ship it with the cutter???)

 

I have also purchased;

  1. 12” & 24” wide rolls of Oramask 813

  2. 12” & 24” MT80P Transfer Tape

  3. 36”x48” Cutting Mat

 

Since I am just digging into this, I have a lot of questions;

 

  1. Are there any limitations to using the USB cable vs the old style Serial cable

  2. I have a lot of AutoCAD experience and would like to design in AutoCAD if possible, then transfer the files to the SC2.

    1. From AutoCAD, I can plot to a PDF, save as a .DXF or export to an .EPS

    2. Which file type is the easiest to convert to a cut file starting with AutoCAD?

  3. For cutting stencils out of the Oramask 813 material

    1. What “Speed” should I start with? 400?

    2. What “Pressure” should I start with? 100?

 

Thank you for any help!

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Serial cable or a Tripp-lite Keyspan adapter that is the brand name, is always better over the cheap Chinese USB  of a value cutter which the SC2 is.  It is not TRUE USB like higher end vinyl cutters. 

I don't know anything about auto cad.   Force is determined by the vinyl you are cutting and having the blade depth set correctly.  First you have to set the blade correctly.  This is how. below.    Always start slow with your vinyl cutter until you learn how to run it.  No reason to go fast. 

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 just barely see and feel the blade tip out of the blade holder.  

.eps files would be the most common file to import into Vinyl Master.  

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set the blade depth properly. take as much time as you need to do this.

you can export to .eps, provided that the export is a vector file and not raster.

speed and pressure can vary from machine to machine as well as vinyl type and color.

speed: typically, the smaller the graphics and detail, the slower you'll want your machine to cut.

pressure: as long as you have the blade depth set properly, you'll want to test cut to get through the vinyl and adhesive, faintly indenting the paper backing, but not scoring it - because then you had too much pressure.

*I would love to be able to shot my stuff from AutoCAD direct to the cutter ... that's just not happening, since AutoCAD in not a cutting software and doesn't have the configuation-ability to control some of the settings on the cutter, and while you can stick a pen in the cutter to have it plot - you still will not be able to go from CAD to cutter.

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On the auto cad files they should work fine BUT you will need to be sure that the lines are all connected. I used to do file conversions for a guy who designed in auto cad and most of the time the ones he sent me each little line segment was actually a different line. They all touched but cutting software will stop and lift at each node I think. I have a feeling there is a way to export so they are all connected/welded but he didn't evidently know how. I am not an auto cad designer but it seems to have something to do with auto cad's use of a "spline" vs vector artwork using lines and curves. Export as EPS is the option you will want to use for file version.

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For fun build a simple file and post if up in EPS and we can take a look and make sure it's cut-ready.

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If the eps files can't be saved so that all the lines are actually connected, you might try the plot to PDF. The fact that it says plot would indicate to me it is "drawing" the PDF and therefor the lines might be connected.

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Here's a some shapes done in AutoCAD both saved as a dxf and "plotted / printed" as a pdf.  I don't have an option in AutoCAD Light to create an eps file.  I'm curious as to whether these can be used as well as I have used AutoCAD for a long time and would be easy for me to use to design certain things.

test.dxf

test.pdf

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The PDF is connected so assuming Vinyl Master Cut will import the PDF it should cut. I'm not sure how the high node count will affect the cut. That's the one issue with auto-cad it uses a bazillion small straight lines to create a curve. May not b a factor you'll just have to test some cuts. See the attached screen shot showing all the nodes.

Screen Shot.PNG

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I tried the DXF and it actually looks like it could work. Does not have all them nodes.

Used corel.

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you have to be careful with DXF files, they don't always come out correct. Complex designs can loose odd details.

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Day 2;  

Thank you for the responses!

I will try a couple different methods of file transfer once I actually get the cutting down!

I now have my stand and it has been assembled with the SC2 mounted and loaded with the 12” wide Oramask 813.

I have set my cutter blade depth – hopefully correct – it cuts the vinyl by hand and just leaves a mark in the backing.

Still going through the videos and have made my first test cut.

I set my origin manually to just inside the right edge of the vinyl.

 

  1. Will the cutter now use that new origin and cut from there to the left and up only?  I don’t want the knife going off of the vinyl!!  That is what it seems to be doing
  2. Should I set the “Media Width” under: Vinyl Spooler/Cut Options from 34” to 12” (for my 12" roll)? 

    1. And then would I change that value to 24” when loading up the 24” wide roll of vinyl?

  3. Are the horizontal indents on the SC2 meant as a guide for cutting off the vinyl in a straight line?  My Plotter has that feature and it looks like that’s what the SC2 indents are for.

  4. I made my first test cut with some fonts and an arrow! (Yeah!) But I had unchecked the “Advance After Plot” box and of course it did not “Advance After Plot” – Is there a way to advance the vinyl at the SC2’s control screen or from VM Cut?

  5. What is and what is the difference of the:

    1. Under the “General Options”

      1. Auto Speed-Weed?

      2. Auto Weed-Box?

    2. Under the “Text Options”

      1. Speed-Weed Text Only” does this override the “General Options/Auto Speed-Weed”?

  6. I am assuming that the program assumes that I am cutting out and wanting to keep the objects whether it be the letters or the arrow.  This may not be the case since I am using it for stencils and I may want to remove the text vinyl and leave the surrounding vinyl as the stencil – hope this makes sense.

    1. If that is the case, would I just leave all of those “Auto Weed” settings off?

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Your software  has a user manual.  A lot of these questions can be answered there. Take some time and learn your software. Also many youtube videos. 

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thems lots 'o questions :P

hmm ... i'm not a regular user of VM, so someone else might chime in about that.

my only input is that i tend to adjust the media width settings in the software so that i can actually know where I should, and more importantly, should not be putting some of my layout :lol:

there have been more than a few times (sigh) that I have not done that, and have let the design go off the vinyl and into the cutting strip. a) that totally jacks the vinyl when the carriage wanted to go back over the vinyl; and b) totally jacked my cutting strip ... which just expedites the need for replacement :angry:   i encourage you - please learn from the err of my ways.

i cannot speak for the SC, but if the indent you speak of is like how it is on my LP, then it's nothing ... literally nothing. i did not find a function for it when loading the vinyl, nor cutting the vinyl. but that could just be me. :blink:

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Uh, gee thanks. I have been reading it and watching videos.  This is new to me as far as vinyl cutting goes.

Day 2.2

 I made my first test cut at speed = 100, Press = 99

  1. My SC2 seems to make a LOT of grinding noises, not like the high pitched examples that I have seen in videos and experienced with plotters – Is this normal?   I know, that is a very subjective thing to ask.

  2. I got what looks to be some edge lifting of the vinyl around the letters

  3. Is this due to some setting or a function of the material?  I have circled some of these areas in yellow

  4. The font was Ariel and is has pretty squared off edges on the computer, but the cuts ended up with some extra curves (?) – see my examples in the red circles

1218573755_MyFirstCut(5).thumb.jpg.ecd3de654290da16c89afb68eaa3036a.jpg

194708651_MyFirstCut(8).thumb.jpg.e21aa2cb0d1aed81ae7e07e6fd8b5333.jpg2008184871_MyFirstCut(VM).thumb.jpg.b9108f2a26f83b58375f89d385aebe9f.jpg

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don't quote me on this, because I don't have an SC, but that might be the blade offset needing to be tweaked (in the software).

that, and the SC isn't exactly a high-end cutter, so it might not be the cleanest of cuts all the time. you can try and slow the speed down. i can't tell, but what is the size of your text? tinier text should be cut at a slower speed.

offset.jpg

Offset1.jpg

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6 minutes ago, haumana said:

thems lots 'o questions :P

hmm ... i'm not a regular user of VM, so someone else might chime in about that.

my only input is that i tend to adjust the media width settings in the software so that i can actually know where I should ,and more importantly, should not be putting some of my layout :lol:

there have been more than a few times (sigh) that I have not done that, and have let the design go off the vinyl and into the cutting strip. a) that totally jacks the vinyl when the carriage wanted to go back over the vinyl; and b) totally jacked my cutting strip ... which just expedites the need for replacement :angry:   i encourage you - please learn from the err of my ways.

Thank you, that is what I was concerned with, the help manual says that the Media width is just set to the machine's maximum which in my case would be 34" but when I did change it to 12" it did restrict the maximum available material which seems like it would be a little safer.

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Oh gee thanks?.  No one can walk you thru every step of this.   When you bought this, who was going to teach you?  This forum can walk you thru anything,  Everything has been posted HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS of times on here.    That is YOUR job to do the reading and teach yourself. or go take some courses or classes.    This forum was not even here when I started.  It was trial and error.   At the top of the layout screen is HELP..  Check out the topics.   

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1 minute ago, MZ SKEETER said:

Oh gee thanks?.  No one can walk you thru every step of this.   When you bought this who was going to teach you?  This forum can walk you thru anything,  Everything has been posted HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS of times on here.    That is YOUR job to do the reading and teach yourself. or go take some courses.   This forum was not even here when I started.  It is trial and error.   At the top of the layout screen is HELP..  Check out the topics. 

Sorry that I somehow offended you here on my second night.  I have been reading forum posts, the manual and watching the videos.  And these are my current questions that I have.  I did not realize this forum has different rules than other hobby forums that I frequent.

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Every person here volunteers their time, but it is up to you to do the legwork.  No one here is from UScutter and we do not get paid. 

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8 minutes ago, haumana said:

...but that might be the blade offset needing to be tweaked (in the software).

that, and the SC isn't exactly a high-end cutter, so it might not be the cleanest of cuts all the time. you can try and slow the speed down. i can't tell, but what is the size of your text? tinier text should be cut at a slower speed.

Sorry! but I guess that I just quoted you!  Anyways I was going to try the blade offset calibration next (tomorrow night).

That text is relatively small, the capital "M" is about 1 3/4" high.

I will try slowing the speed down even further on the next test

Thank you for the suggestions.

 

662027085_VMBladeOffsetCalibration.JPG.fb2bd669f7f867ef71b5db17a7923db1.JPG

 

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What does the test cut look like?  That is what you want to check.  Is it square?   Doesn't that cutter make a square with a triangle in it as a test? 

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I used to be super a/r about the corners and stuff, but if you're cutting at 1-3/4" height, then that's a pretty decent size - meaning that the 'reader' will most like be standing far enough away from the text, and won't be able to see the slight imperfections in the cornering. Sometimes I just use a rounded text to avoid that all together - like Arial Rounded. I know, not the ideal solution, but still legible. ;)

you try laying out the square and triangle like the graphic i posted above to see if the offset is bad or not. whatever the recommendations are for the offset for your particular machine and blade setup - keep in mind that it's not a written in stone kind of thing, but a very good base point to start. (i.e. the recommended offset for my LP is 0.25, but it really functions best at 0.26 or 0.27). So play with it a bit, and see what works best for your setup. Once you figure that out - there aren't too many situations that would warrant you changing that setting.

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Regarding the auto-weed stuff, turn it on and take a look at the preview to decide if it would be of any use to you or not. Typically I find the auto weed does  not help me much, but I often times manually add weed lines to make weeding easier. The auto weed text can be pretty helpful if you leave the text as text. Typically I convert my text to curves for one reason or another so then the auto weed text doesn't work for me.

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I would say you SHOULD set your vinyl width so the program knows what you have available. Even beyond that I would hold your available width in far enough that you don't fall off an edge should the roll/sheet run a little crooked which can happen. Your cutting software is probably capable of taking readings from a higher end cutter that will tell it what useable space there is. Often referred to as "polling the plotter" , Your machine will not be able to do this so you should measure the "useable" space including length or a guess of length at least. 

When you set your zero point your cutter will maintain that as the working edge until you re-asign it at another location. Not sure how the SC does when you turn your power off and back on. 

The pics of your actual cut letters appear to be very slightly too much offset but it's pretty close on that size a letter. If you play with a test on the offset you will find a range where it is about perfect. Kind of a happy spot and with a few tenths of a mm that all seems ok. I like to determine the high and the low then set right in the middle. On a high quality blade you may see this setting slowly change as the blade wears and do some more adjusting in a few months. If you use the cheap $5 blades they usually just break a tip and you have to toss them. Most times unless you are switching brands of blade or somehow buying very poorly ground blades once you determine the right setting ti should be about the same for the next new blade. Experience will be your friend on this item and soon it will be second nature to catch a rounded or tailed corner visually and understand what just happened. 

Sometimes you are just going to get a curled corner on a 90deg turn or tighter. You have to consider the castor action going on with the blade and that there is only so much that can be done about it. Theoretically a 60deg blade will do this a little less and if you are cutting anything thicker than the normal vinyls it may be a good idea to run a 60deg blade. Sandblast resist being an example. Some of the thicker air release vinyls end up at 10 mils too and may cut better with a steeper blade angle. Your offset may be different with a different blade style or manufacturer. Those little turned corners will generally settle down when you squeegee your final product in place. 

For paint stencils ir blast resist where you are doing a punch out style cut you will probably not want any weed lines at all. Some programs offer reverse weed options but I don't see the advantage. The biggest challenge on punch out designs are the interior of letters that can be tiny and lift off with the letter if not cut perfectly. This amount of detail may be one place that you will see a lot of difference between a stepper motor and the accuracy of a servo. Generally using a pointed tweeze to hold down the needed element while lifting the letter with the other hand is a technique I have used successfully. 

As to forgetting to advance after the plot. You can manually advance your material from the machine control panel on most cutters. I think you have to switch it off the ready position to the one you set the zero position. It's a good idea to pre-feed your vinyl all the way to what you would expect is the end of your cut and back before you cut to see if it's staying aligned as well. 

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