Im getting very frustrated, and lossing a lot of vinyl here

[bowhunter012004 4]

Why does the vinyl not feed through the machine correctly on big cuts?  it seems like one roller is spinning faster than the other or something.  The vinyl scrunches up before being cut and the blade goes off course and cuts a big line through all of my work.  I just lost a bunch of vinyl.  How can  I fix this. 

Pcut 630

[Rodger 527]

Hi ,

Are you alignng the vinyl before clamping it with the pinch rollers ? I have only used a Co-pam . It has a set of lines right in front of the blade holder & another set of lines at the bottom of the cutter . roll enough vinyl & align before clamping . Also make sure there is enough vinyl unrolled off of the roll so the motors don't have to pull it ( I always free up more than what size cut I'm doing ex; a 30 inch decal I make sure at least that much vinyl is pulled off the roll ) . Also you can align the roll itself after pinch clamping it . I pick the roll up & let it unroll back on the vinyl holding rollers under the part that is clamped  .If a 1/2 " or 1 " out , it can help the vinyl go off course . the straighter the vinyl , the better the tracking will be .  it sounds like you don't have the vinyl unrolled since it is scrunching 

[Cozy 3]

Are your pressure feet (or whatever they are called) both locked down putting pressure on the vinyl? I set mine about an inch in from each side. I also have been unrolling vinyl off the roll and just letting it hang down in the back so as the machine doess not have to unroll it. My machine will also "catch" the vinyl on the front side of the cutter if it wants to curl under very bad....just advance the vinyl a bit to get past this point. You can save what you have to trim off the front for smaller projects.

Randal

[firemalt 10]

It's all about squaring up the vinyl, to achieve a good long run cut. It takes a little patience and time...

Eyeball the vinyl on your machine to where you think it's straight. Close the pinch rollers. Turn on the cutter, and take it "offline". Advance the vinyl a yard or two to see if the vinyl is "running to the left ot right, and adjust accordingly. Again, patience is going to be your worst enemy.

I took a think strip of scrap vinyl, and used it as a template/marks on the cutter to assist lining up the vinyl for both 15" and 24"... it's not 100% perfect for super long runs, but it's a good starting point, and works fine for anything under 2 or 3 foot runs.

[bowhunter012004 4]

yeah, I clamp those two "feet" down and then I seem to find that If I unroll enough first before a cut it works better.  Thanks everyone.  Its just a pain in the ass when I have to scrap 50 inches because the last 10 inches went crazy in the back. 

[Rodger 527]

pinch rollers are what the USCutter techs call them  .

Even wasting 50 " of vinyl is a cheap education . I think we are all doomed to making those mistakes as that is the only way a person REALLY gets it implanted into the memory bank .

Cozy , I have had the vinyl catch on the front lip , I bend the front edge of the vinyl up to stop that catching noise ( even though it has never caused any problems ).

[Cozy 3]

Thank Rodger....my "feet" are now "pinch rollers"! I also have bent the vinyl up to avoid the catching. Seems like maybe a smooth instead of ridged piece of metal on the Pcut would have solved this. Oh well....that must be coming to version 2

[Rodger 527]

I think I am like many on here in that even though the vinyl is cheap , wasting anything is not what My Mom taught me . Mom growing up in those days with the economy being so bad had a lasting effect . I think we or our children may experience the same effect  I have never had the vinyl do more than make noises even when the clear plastic that has the aligning marks detach & stick up . I think we may be too cautious , but better safe than sorry 

[Cozy 3]

[bizzytop 1]

Make sure your pinch rollers are not position on the edge of the bottom rollers. On my unit there is a 2 piece roller on the bottom if my pinch roller is in between or on the edge of the bottom roller it does this to me.  I had the same issue until  I figured out that I had my pinch rollers positioned on the edges of the bottom rollers, this causes the rollers not to spin correctly.  Hope this makes sense. If you need further help, let me know I can take a pic of what I am talking about.

[Rodger 527]

Hi Bizzy ,

  Hmmm , on my Co-Pam, I always put the pinch roller at the edge of the fine grit drive rollers . I put them in the width of the pinch rollers so edge is aligned with edge . Never had a problem , what cutter do you have ?

[jgreen 1]

Always pull a little more than enough vinyl out manually.  Try to guide it straight using the measuring lines on the cutter. Then clamp it down.  Never clamp down on the bearing located between the two grit rollers.  This will cause the vinyl to only advance on one side, and scrunch up into a giant mess!  On the LP and possible some PCuts there is a poorly designd area on the front of the machine that tends to catch the front edge of the vinyl.  To fix this just cut a 24x1.5" strip of black vinyl to cover the crack catching the vinyl. 

[Rob28x 0]

I like to manually feed the vinyl back and forth a few times, and keep making minor adjustments until it tracks straight. Then I cut.

[bizzytop 1]

Rodgers, I have the PCut630, I think that as long as ALL the rollers are either on the edges or the roughs they will work but not a combination.  At least that is what i have found.

[Rodger 527]

I'm not familiar with your cutter model . I know there is a 3rd pinch roller option for the Co-Pam . So the middle roller being used is an option if the cutter has a 3rd/middle roller . What are you calling " the roughs "

[bizzytop 1]

On my cutter, there are 2 bottom rollers, in the center of the bottom rollers it has a rough finish.  On the edges where the rollers start, the ends are smooth and lifted a bit.  If I put my pinch rollers on the smooth ends, all of them and I have 4 of them because I purchased 2 extras since mine only came with 2 have to been on the smooth ends.  Otherwise the paper will not feed correctly.  If I put the pinch rollers in the middle (in the rough) area, they all have to be in that area otherwise once again the vinly will not roll right.  I guess its my model but it does not have one long roller at the bottom rather 2 rollers that make the bottom rollers.  And where the 2 rollers meet, if a pinch roller is placed there the vinly will not advance correctly unless all the other rollers fall on the ends as well.  But sine I normally use 15" vinly on my 24" cutter I have to make sure that my pinch rollers are placed correctly in order for the vinly to feed right.  Hope this makes sense...

[Rodger 527]

yes  I understand what you are talking about . I have seen models where the drive roller is exposed all the way across the cutting area . The Co-Pam has them exposed at different spacings ( makes using scraps easy ) & are all the same size & same grit .