Graphic Systems 1 Posted August 25, 2008 Through time everyone learns from there mistakes and sometimes these mistakes cost you an arm and a leg so I have some helpful maint. that everyone shoud perform atleast twice a week! For those of you that already know how to maintain the health of there plotters please bare with me! I will start with the blade.... Your blade should be cleaned every day making sure that it is free of the sticky funk that builds up from cutting. Whipe the blade down with Orange Peel to make sure the funk is removed from each side of your blade. Adjust your blade holder so you can hardly feel the blade when you run the tip of your finger acrost the tip of the blade holder. This will keep you from killing your cutting strip that the blade follows during operation. Next the pinch rolers..... When not in use the pinch rollers should not be in locking position holding the vinyl for long periods of time. Keeping them down when not in use will cause them to develope flat spots which will cause your media to slip during operation. Clean your pinch wheels every morning with Acidtone yes I said Acidtone, this product will remove all adhesives from your pinch wheels with out leaving any oil or soaking. Next the Drive Rollers..... Make sure there is no objects stuck to these drives, if you have any object stuck to these drives then you can remove it with a dental tool or pick. Leaving objects clung to these Rollers will affect the tracking of your media just as a flat spot on the pinch rollers does. Next the Cutting Strip... Inspect the cutt stip before and after plotter cutts any media. If the cutting stip has alot of blade marks in it then this strip will ned to be replaced and your blade holder needs adjustment. ( retract blade) Clean the area with Orange Peel to remove any adhesive or grime that builds up from the vinyl backing draging over the area. Tac Rag the entire unit to keep dust from building up and inspect your plotters daily checking for any obstructions that may shorten the life of your unit. Last but not least....! Before every cutting session perform a test cut to make sure your blade deph is correct. Your cut strip is designed to keep your media true to the blade and it protects your machine from incorrect blade deph situations. It is not ment to be cut up during operation.. Hope this helps keep your plotter from visiting companies like us, plotter repair is not cheap!! Boe Xpress Signs & Graphics 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
swaneejuggalo 0 Posted August 25, 2008 very nice i have to say i had never thought to leave the pinch rollers up before thanks for this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nonabelle 5 Posted August 25, 2008 now this sounds like a bible for ur cutter. thanks never thought to do any of this. thank u very much. :thumbsup: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jay2703 704 Posted August 25, 2008 Thanks for the great tips. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BannerJohn 1,324 Posted August 25, 2008 good advice. I've mentioned cleaning the blade here before. Many years in the upholstery business sewing rubber-backed fabric taught me that the gunk will build up.IN the case of sewing,it will cause the thread to break. One thing...be VERY careful about running your finger across the tip of the blade. What will cut vinyl will cut YOU. Thanks for the advice. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Benr98 40 Posted August 25, 2008 Thanks for the tips..........worth printing out and keeping by the cutter... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnnyTremendous. 0 Posted August 25, 2008 Thanks for the maintenance list. Looks like good advice to follow. I'd like to get clarification on a couple of things mentioned in your list... You say to clean the blade with orange peel. Do you mean this literally, or is there a product called 'orange peel'? You say to clean the pinch rollers with acidtone. Is this acetone you are referring to, or is there something actually called acidtone? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Graphic Systems 1 Posted August 25, 2008 Thanks for the maintenance list. Looks like good advice to follow. I'd like to get clarification on a couple of things mentioned in your list... You say to clean the blade with orange peel. Do you mean this literally, or is there a product called 'orange peel'? You say to clean the pinch rollers with acidtone. Is this acetone you are referring to, or is there something actually called acidtone? Sorry Johny I am very bad about typ-o 's while multi tasking!!! 1. Orange Peel: Orange peel is an all natural citrus based solvent developed for the removal of oil and water based adhesives, wax, tar,oil, chewing gum and ink graffiti. Safe to use on automotive, boats, glass, acrylics, metal, masonry, cloth/vinyl fabrics and many other serfaces. Price: 4 oz.= $2.90 32 oz.= 9.60 * these prices are in IL. & Mo. 2. Acetone: Acetone is a Special- purpose thiner, cleaner and remover that evaporates very quickly.Acetone is a fast-acting solvent that we use on solvent printers to remove the ink from the printer head, station and pinch rollers. Do Not Use On Plastic but is safe for rubber and metals. Price: 1 gal. = $22.00 * these prices are in IL. & Mo. Hope this helps and once again I am very sorry about my typ-o's !! Boe Xpress Signs & Graphics Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BannerJohn 1,324 Posted August 25, 2008 sounds like orange peel is the same thing as goo -gone which is what I use. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Graphic Systems 1 Posted August 25, 2008 Good luck these guys didnt want to work! ??? ;D ;D Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PBear 5 Posted August 31, 2008 Thanks for the tips, I usually check to see if there is any build up on the blade, BUT I didn't know how to clean the rollers as they really have a gummy build up on em. Of course the dust for the horse shows doesn't help either. I can use can air to blow it all off right? Thank Ya Kris Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Graphic Systems 1 Posted September 5, 2008 Thanks for the tips, I usually check to see if there is any build up on the blade, BUT I didn't know how to clean the rollers as they really have a gummy build up on em. Of course the dust for the horse shows doesn't help either. I can use can air to blow it all off right? Thank Ya Kris You can blow the plotters out but the dust just settles back and that is why we use the tac rags to dust plotters and printers off. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
routesmith 0 Posted November 19, 2008 Great points, I always lift my pinch rollers up, especially after I saw them leaving marks in my vinyl cause I left that in there too Wayne Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
