Graphtec CE7000-60 Help

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Hello, 

At work i've become the designated vinyl and sign guy so i've been forced to try and learn about the Graphtec CE7000-60 vinyl plotter that we possess. I have no prior knowledge and have been steadily gaining knowledge for the last couple years but still struggle. 

I have a problem i need help with. My designs become misaligned, i'll post some photos. Things ive tried to correct the problem ( I changed the settings on the plotter, slowed speed way down, tangential mode set, increased down force, etc, blade is adjusted properly, push rollers are set within spec for cutting longer media, i've cleaned the machine ensuring there are no sticky parts on the grit rollers or push rollers, become very exacting while aligning the media, i prefeed everything etc). I've also gone through and tried to learn about all the settings in the software - the auto weld feature is set. I increased the margin on the weeding. Here are some photos 

Look how bad the purple sheet was misaligned. And the horizontal weeding cuts are like an inch too far to one side on everything i cut. 

 

[haumana 1,229]

I don't have the CE7000, but I do have a CE6000.  My first recommendation is to always pull enough slack on the vinyl so that the machine isn't pulling directly from the roll.  So if it's a 36" decal that needs to go through the working cut area of the machine, make sure you load the vinyl straight, and then pull at least 36" worth of slack and let it just hang loosely for the job.  Try not to adjust the tension of the pinch rollers, because it can cause the vinyl to jog differently if the tension is different from roller to roller.

I'm not exactly sure what's causing the misalignment, however,  once it gets misaligned, it looks like it's able to be consistent with it be aligned for the bottom half.

If you have the time and vinyl to spare, you can try cutting the entire job in a single color and see if it still misaligns everything.  You can also try using a different cutting software to run the job.

I personally draw in my own weed lines manually.  That ensures I can have the optimal weeding for the way I weed my projects.  I also draw in my own "registration" boxes when needing to do multiple colors.

Hang in there, it's slight learning curve, but once you get the hang of it, it'll be tons of fun.

[MZ SKEETER 4,728]

   First  uncheck OVERLAP. 0.200 in. Put the .2 to ZERO  0 and leave it unchecked. Also start fresh with the basics, which is first setting your blade correctly. 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 barely see and feel the blade tip out of the blade holder. Regular sign vinyl is only 2-3 mil thick. You only cut with the very tip of the blade. When you think the blade is so far in the blade holder, that you think it would not even cut, that is probably correct. Run tests using the TEST feature on the vinyl cutter.

Never be pulling vinyl while cutting, always have enough vinyl slack to do the order.  Check out your teflon cutting strip for scratches and gouges, if present, replace.