Cuts don't close properly. (Yes, I've searched.)

[CCSupras 0]

LaserPoint 24" USCutter here.

Since I've had it, I've never been able to make cuts close properly. I cut Oracal 651 pretty much exclusively. I've followed NUMEROUS instructionals on this fourm. This forum has been nothing but a wealth of information for me. I'm running Signblazer, the offset is .25, my cut speed is currently 40, pressure is currently 140. Most stuff cuts & weeds beautifully. If it's a large enough area, the slight little "miss" when closing a cut doesn't really make a difference. The details however suffer from time to time. I've adjusted the speeds from 20-50, the pressures from 70-170. All seems to be the same story. The blade is just barely out of the blade holder, but cuts through the vinyl and leaves the backing unscathed. You can just see a tiny trace on the backing when you remove the sticker.

Here's the kicker, even when i hit the "test" button on the front panel, it still doesn't close the cut. So I don't think it's a software issue. However, I could very well be doing something wrong, but I've done everything I can imagine from reading the forums for days. I've had the cutter a few months now, extremely happy with it, I've just finally had some time in the evenings to devote trying to fix this issue and have hit the proverbial brick wall.

Any suggestions? I'd call in for support, but this is mostly an after hours hobby thing for me, so unless they're around after 5:30pm central time or on a weekend...I can't really get away from work to "play with my plotter." hehehe.

Hopefully it's just me doing something silly.

[kenimes 42]

Sounds like you have the pressure and blade depth set right, so it could be something loose on the carriage itself? You can remove the cover for the carriage to investigate. Might also be a bad blade holder. Does the blade have any side to side play when in the blade holder?

[spacegraphics 0]

I had the same problem, but am using SignCut. I don't think the settings work the same. I got my problems fixed by fiddling with the blade offset and the overcut. Is there an overcut setting in Sign Blazer? Mine works best at .06 for overcut.

[kenimes 42]

No overcut in SignBlazer, just offset.

[CCSupras 0]

kenimes, I think you've turned me on to something. I checked the blade holder, the blade appears snug, but has some radial play. So, I decided to stick the pen in there and run a couple tests and "cut" a small job.  It appears that every thing is okay when using the pen, but for some reason, the blade creates the slight "tags" or "overcuts" or whatever you want to call them. The results appear below. Click the low resolution image to get a FULL sized version to see the detail of the cut/trace.

So, the two blocks on the left are when I hit the test button. Current settings are pressure 140, cut speed 40, and blade depth is basically what it's always been. I was originally cutting too deep when I first got the cutter, but I seemed to have remedied that part a month or two ago.

The pen does NOT appear to have problems with closing shapes. Could I have a defective blade holder? It's hard to see how much play there is in the blade when it's fully retracted, but if I pop it out some it does have a minor bit of radial (side-to-side) play. In hindsight, I probably shouldn't have used the same pressure for the pen as the blade, but unsure as to the proper settings for that off hand. I'll refrain from anymore pen testing until I can confirm some proper pressure settings for the pen holder.

[haumana 1,220]

I would be more helpful if you took a pic (or scanned) the "tags" that the cutter is leaving behind. 

[CCSupras 0]

They're so tiny it would most likely require a high resolution DSLR camera to capture this, to which I do not have at my disposal. I have illustrated what it does in the "square" test pattern below. It's not to scale, but it should give an idea of what is happening.

I've illustrated in black the "area of error." This is an approximation of what happens with the blade. It basically appears that the blade does not return to it's starting position with closing a shape. Keep in mind, this happens even when I hit the "test" button on the plotter in off-line mode and it does it almost exactly the same every time. I assume this eliminates the software settings for "offset" since it's an internal operation of some type.

I hope that makes sense. I'm not trying to sound like I know what I'm talking about, I'm just doing my best to describe what is happening with my limited plotter knowledge.

Thanks for the suggestions and help so far.

[kenimes 42]

It seldom happens, but I had a customer with similar issues recently, and we finally ended up swapping out her blade holder, and now she says it cuts like a dream.....

[captonzoom 2]

THis is the SAME thing that happens to me.  Ken, I have a topic started on the same thing.  do you think this is my problem too?

[kenimes 42]

THis is the SAME thing that happens to me.  Ken, I have a topic started on the same thing.  do you think this is my problem too?

It very well could be....and I would be happy to offer you the same: swapping out the blade holder if we have exhausted all other avenues.

[CCSupras 0]

I personally feel that I've exhausted the avenues available to me in the course of this diagnosis. Unless there are any other suggestions from kenimes or another member of this community, I'm willing to try for the blade holder swap out.

I await your suggestions. Thanks for all the help and tolerance of my noobish ways in the few posts I've made.

[kenimes 42]

Send me a PM and I can go over the details of swapping out the blade holder for a new one.

[sixpack 0]

Same issue here. Using Flexi and Signcut. Same problems with both. Have checked for slop everywhere. Not finding any. But on small letters, I have ruined several graphics trying to weed them. By small, I mean .50" and smaller. Cutting Oracal 651.

Respects,

Six

[Can-Am 1]

I have also had this problem from the start, (almost 1 yr)

I have adjusted settings, tried diff. blades, used various vinyls,

SAme problem tags at end of cut ruining the weeding process.

What do I need to do to obtain a new head, if this is the fix?

[kenimes 42]

I have also had this problem from the start, (almost 1 yr)

I have adjusted settings, tried diff. blades, used various vinyls,

SAme problem tags at end of cut ruining the weeding process.

What do I need to do to obtain a new head, if this is the fix?

Send in the bad part, and include a return shipping address so we can ship you a new part.

[Guest]

Supras when you changed your blade offset was there any difference in the cut? Have you changed it to anything else besides .25? If not I would play around with it a little bit before you replace the blade holder. Change it around in increments of .05.

[Can-Am 1]

Ken,

What would be the turnaround time for the trade?

Cant afford to be out of commission for long.

Thanks

Dave

[kenimes 42]

However long it takes to get yours back to us, then us to get you the replacement. Probably just shy of 2 weeks. The alternative would be to put a deposit down on the replacement unit so we can ship it out first, then once yours is returned, the deposit is refunded.