bencooper@purelines.biz

FC8000-160 plot and cut are not aligned

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Hi,

I have a  Graphtec FC8000-160 and the plot and cut are not aligned. I use it for apparel just using black pen to draw the lines and annotations and knife to cut it out.

 

This machine is new to me and I have spent a long time trying different ways to get it going. Generally it seems to work best being controlled by the software (Gerber AccuMark) to run it BUT the settings on the machine do have an effect too...

I am trying to plot a pattern in this format - draw the seams and annotations and cut the perimeter, so the cut in this example should be 3mm around the drawn line.

As you can see the drawn line and the cut line are offset by this amount     -48mm Y and -1mm X.

Can anyone help please??

IMG_1563.jpg

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How are you drawing the image and how are you aliening the knife to the drawn image?

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There is a 2nd pen tool that you purchase that is attached to the carriage head for cutting patterns, but I don't know anything about it, or know of anyone that has it on here other than OP.   I don't know if this is what he has or just trying to match it on his own someway.   I watched a video of it on you tube once.  Quite interesting, The pen sits over  in a position on the cutter frame and it goes and picks it up, then draws the pattern, then puts the pen back and then perf cuts/or plain cuts it..    This is the FC8600,  but the FC8000 had it also.   I used to see on the ads, you could add the apparel version for extra money.  Or add the tint version for extra money. 

http://www.graphteccorp.com/imaging/fc8600/index.html

 

Think you have other problems besides not lining up.  The paper is ripped, not cut. I would say that paper would dull the blade pretty fast, and you would need sharp blades quite often.  You would also need to have the paper pulled from the roll and free to do the amount of order. Never be pulling from the roll while drawing or cutting. 

 

graphtec apparel.JPG

2ND PEN.JPG

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That's pretty cool. So, if this is the setup the OP is using, and after looking through the manual, my next question would be have you adjusted the Tool Offset, page 14-8 of the manual.

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Thanks for the reply’s 

darcshadow

The image is created in a CAD software by Gerber called AccuMark. 

My plotter is the apparel version yes. It needs to have the pen in the carriage head at the start of plotting, after plotting it then drops the pen and starts cutting. 

The cut line is just the perimeter of the image/pattern piece. It’s not a separate operation to ask it where to cut it’s just the perimeter. 

The tool Offset option only allows offset of up to 30mm I believe and this is 48mm out in the Y

MZ SKEETER

Noted that the cut is bad I can look at that later I just need the cut to be in the correct position to start with. 

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Did you calibrate the cutter to the software?    I use Flexi software, It is in Resolution in my software.  I use Graphtecs also. 

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   You have to calibrate your cutting software.   Which means example.  When you send a cut of 12" x 12" square.  It really cuts a 12" x 12" square..  I don't know anything about the Gerber software that you are referring to.  I don't know anyone that uses it. 

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You calibrate in your software.  It is how many steps in an inch.    in my Flexi software it, is 1016 steps.  That is part of the cutter set up, no matter which cutting software that you are using.   So that if you send design, example 12"  It does not cut like 12.5" .         Before you cut, you have to push the ORIGIN button.  That is where the cutter starts measuring from. 

resolution.JPG

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The Gerber AccuMark software I use is has very limited options (as plotter settings image) to change the plotting and cutting features. We only need to plot the image and then cut it out. Sometimes we might want to add a cut line within the image. 
The cut error here I think is in the plotter itself because there are no settings in the software to enable me to do offset the cut perimeter. 
When I moved the knife position from back to front position the cut area moved the exact same distance! So the machine seems to treat the cut line completely independently to the drawn line. 
 

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Sorry, I don't know anything about your software.  You have a HELP at the top of the screen, Check it out. It should display the functions of the software, most HELP are the user manual for the software.  Graphtec is your tech support and are very good at helping. 

 

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No I wouldn’t expect you to understand that. The software doesn’t really support use of this plotter even though it can work. 
 I’m hoping to find someone who has seen this issue which I think is a setting in the plotter itself. 
 

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   We don't know what you have tried to do. Have you done the adjustment test cut pattern for the distance between tool 1 and 2?  Using the plus sign?   If your going to fully cut out or perf cut,  your blade needs to be over the open channel,   (tool 1)or you will damage the teflon cutting strip.  These examples photos are from the CE6000-120 AP user manual. Buttons # are a little different but the operation should be the same.   Supplement You can set between -3.0mm and +3.0mm  

plunger test cut..JPG

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If the software doesn't really support your cutter have you tried different software?

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I don't know your software or your cutter, but going from a purely trouble shooting perspective it seems that the cutter is working as it should if the cut and draw lines are lined up and it sounds like a software issue.

Try some different software to see if you can get it to work there. If you can, then you know for certain that it is a software problem and we can dig into that. One of the biggest part of trouble shooting anything, is figure out what the problem is not.

I suspect that the software is not correctly doing the tool change command and is try to compensate for the difference in position of the knife and pen when in fact this compensation is already be handled by the plotter itself.

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