MSellers15

Graphtec FC-8000 Problems

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I've been having issues with my used Graphtec cutter I purchased a few months back and it always seems to never contour cut correctly. It always seems to slip or slide off to one side or the other. Been looking at different forums and really haven't found a solution. Could it be the rollers are potentially messed up or something along the lines of that. I'm lost on this right now and figured that someone here would maybe know a solution. Thanks!

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Ummmm... please tell me you're using a carrier sheet of some sort if you're having the cutter cut all the way through the vinyl and backing.

If cutting all the way through was not your intent, then might I suggest you start with setting the proper blade depth, then blade force and speed.

I also recommend you check your cutting strip, because there's a good chance that you might end up with inconsistent cuts because its got slash marks in it.

I also need to caution you on refraining from posting copyright images on this forum, unless you have the express consent to use their image(s). It is a USC sponsored forum, driven by volunteers who have put in a lot of hour helping other, it would be a shame to get it shut down because of infringement issues.

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Haha no. That was just the excess vinyl that got peeled away from the print. The picture was just meant to show how the cutter is not cutting accurate on the printed logos/design. The logos are for my racecar and I'm sponsored by the them so everything should be fine. Would it be anything else other than the cutting strip?

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13 hours ago, haumana said:

Ummmm... please tell me you're using a carrier sheet of some sort if you're having the cutter cut all the way through the vinyl and backing.

 

This cutter has dual positions for the blade holder, Front and back.  So you can cut all the way thru without a carrier sheet.  The cutter has a channel in front of the teflon cutting strip. You can also perf cut, without hurting the teflon cutting strip , as long as the blade holder is in the front position.   The FC8000 was the first year for this, and they continued with it. 

dual blade holder.JPG

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That's a nice feature.

Try to make sure the rollers are equal distance from the edge of the vinyl.

Make sure there is enough slack on the vinyl and that you're not pulling directly from the roll. (ie. if you're cutting something 6-ft long, make sure there is at least 6-ft of slack).

Check your blade tip, make sure it's not broken - you might need to use a magnifying glass feature on your phone to see that.

Check the blade holder, make sure there isn't any debris in the holder, you can also add a tiny drop of sewing machine lube in there.

Basically, I would go back to basics and go from there.

A picture of the bad contour cutting with the image still in place would be more helpful than just a pic of the graphic you're printing, and aftermath of the cut without the graphic for reference.

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Just installed a new cutting strip today and i noticed that when i use the pen instead of the knife, it marks around the images perfect. The tracking is good and its pretty even all around. No issues whatsoever. The second that i use the knife it cuts through the vinyl and laminate just fine but it always ends up moving off target and ruining the entire job. Been at this for around 2 months and still haven't figured this machine out. I thought the issue would be the cutting strip because the previous one had a decent amount of slashes and marks on it. I'd imagine this would all boil down to being the knife. Right? I cant seem to think of anything else. Thank you guys for the help

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Have you tried a new sharp blade?    You never messed with the pressure rollers have you?  

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  There are instructions in the user manual on how you should have your pinch rollers set as far as pressure on them.   There are more instructions than this if you have more than 2 pinch rollers. 

pinch rollers1.JPG

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sounds more like a blade force and/or pinch roller issue. if it's not tracking properly, then something is causing some kind of drag or extra resistance somewhere, causing the vinyl not to jog back and forth easily. If it's a front to back issue, take a look more at the pinch rollers, if it's a side ot side issue, take a look at the blade force, although it might be a combination of both.

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When i bought the machine the guy gave me some blades but he wasnt too sure if they were new or not. It's definitely more of a side to side issue than it is front to back. I haven't touched the pressure rollers. I'm pretty much new to all this and I'm learning from research and other things. I usually set the pinch rollers to the strong hold. I'm cutting Ij35c and 8508 laminate with 35 speed and 27 downforce. Like i said, it tracks fine with the pen but the second i cut something it'll turn out completely different that what the pen did. Which makes me think its something to do with the blade/knife or something linked with that. I appreciate you guys helping out!

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Then slow the cutter down.  I always cut slow and never have problems. Your trying to cut thicker material, so run it slower.  No reason to run that fast.  You can see at that speed it is not working out and your just wasting vinyl. Plus it puts more wear and tear on your machine. It's the same for cutting detailed  designs and text, you run it slower.   I have never had my cutter past speed 6.  I have never needed to.  It's going on 13 years and never a problem.  I cut several orders, almost everyday. My niche' is large designs, 20" w x 8-12 ft long.   

What does it do when you cut at speed 5? With a new blade? 

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Holy bat ram, I think I use a speed of 9ish, but I go for accuracy and not speed 

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