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Baby cutter options?
Hi all, heres the deal…
I have an old PNC900 (Roland Camm1) which has been great for years being used for very small decals for Largescale Model Cars both in our unit and on the road at race events.
The PNC has recently started to deteriorate in terms of the cut quality to the extent that 50% of the jobs are unweedable, I have tried different blades and forces etc etc but to no avail – the noises it makes are getting louder and louder so I believe its time to change.
I recently did a job on a Graphtec 5100 plotter which was very good with cut heights down in the 5-7mm height range with excellent weeding quality.
But… its not possible to stick a 1024mm wide cutter in the camper van when off doing mobile decal cutting in Italy or France and as the average size of job that I do is around A4 I’d prefer to stick with something small.
Accuracy is very important though as you can imagine the size of the decals are sometimes tiny and a right pain to weed unless they are accuretly cut. Speed not so important either.
The question is, with all that useless info in mind – whats a solution for my requirements?
I have heard of a baby Graphtec, Stika and so forth – experiences anyone? Bearing in mind that I have to lug this around too!
Cheers
Owen
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12 Replies
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Owen,
Forget the stikka, most pros consider it a toy.
You would be bettter with a 380mm sprocketed machine like a gerber, They are very good for small work, and the rolls of vinyl are also a good size for transporting.
By the way Welcome to the boards
peter -
there isn’t much here based on the grapthtec “baby” machine… if that is what it is mate. to me looks more like and A4 PEN PLOTTER. just my opinion…
stika.. well there is an amount of posts based on this machine, but again, reviews are for very light work. honest opnion… spend a few hundred quid more and get a Machine that will last you years too a machine that will last you months… if used continually like a regular plotter.
this, as i say, is just my opinion, but why spend more on the long run if you plan on still doing this work a few years along the line. -
Ok , replies are along the lines I expected.
I have been doing this type of work for years, but only to a small size as I said (A4) but lots and lots of them!
For big graphics and other general (big) stuff I have a very understanding bro’ who also owns a proper sign business (which is where the 5100 came in) – so its really accuracy thats my big beef.
I usually work with 305 rolls of vinyl (generally 610 slit which for some reason is cheaper) so am used to carrying a big storage box of that aound.
I thought the Gerber was a mega expensive option surely?
Am I simply asking too much? Can these little cutters really hack it?
I note that the bigger graphtec use digital servos and the small ones use steppers… is this why the accuracy is lower?
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you got me beat there mate…. what i did/do know is what you pay for is what you get. the smaller you go the less accurate/powerful you get!
i could be wrong though….
stika or whatever… its not so much the accuracy its the power.
it couldn’t pull a plaster over yo finger… for a few hundred quid you will buy a half decent machine with a real warranty.
i sound stuck in my ways, i know mate…. sorry… my advise is based on long term in this line of of work. I’m sure you will do well, so I’m giving you the best advice i can considering. 😀 -
Hi again.
No that advice is mint mate.
I use the cutter enough to know that a cheapo will simply fall apart – which is why I wanted to ascertain if anyone else had this same requirements and how they sorted through it.
I think that my conflicting requirements are the issue: ie: wanting a small but accurate cut size ability in a machine with a small footprint.
Ah well, perhaps a user with similar needs will stumble across this thread!
Owen
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gerber arnt as expensive as you may be lead to believe, their entry level plotter http://www.spandex.co.uk/pdfs/Plotters/ … cSheet.pdf
Is more than capable of doing the job for you. As Rob says you pay for what you get -
HI Peter
Heres me getting confused! When you said Gerber I immediately assumed “EDGE” OHMIGOD…
Anyway looked at the machine and its very well built and obviously the right size, what are they like on the 2nd hand market or do they generally go with an edge?
Are the consumables expensive? (like blades, cutting strips etc)
Owen
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Just come across the Roland PC12 which might well be the one for me, experience anyone?
Owen
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i bought a roland pc12 to farm out some work, no problems with it at all.
only down side is the cost, for a few £100 more you can increase to 610 wide.
stikas don`t even look at them, they are just a toy.
a 610 plotter isn`t all that big, its only going to be another 12″ bigger and would give you more scope to cut large items.
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…….isn’t that illegal? 😉
Many traveling signfolk around these parts use an old 4B like I do.
You can get one with an LMK Module so that you can design from a PC like I do.
I use old Graphix Advantage 6.2 software, which is now Omega.
I’ve seen them for sale on sign sites for as low as $600.
(Mind you, I paid $10K for my set up in 1998 with a used one and I’m still sore!)
They are dinosaurs, slow and loud as hell, but they do work.
Only problem is, you’ll get a hernia from lugging one around.
If you set up as a mobile unit from a van this would not be too bad.
Alas, they only use 15″ material, but I have short arms, so I prefer it.
The blades are about $10 to replace, and you can also get a parts 4B or 4E.
My 4E cost $400 and works better than my initial 4B, and does not need an LMK.
So in theory, if I wanted to screw around with X Y coordinates,
I could use the 4 fonts that came with it if my computer went down. Blecch.Love….Jill
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Hi again
I think I have to say that after extensive reading and sleepless nights I would be better off all round with a printer/cutter like a P60.
And as I already have experience of that machine its probably the way to go for me ….
Having said that I looked at an earlier post about a struggling roland and tried the trick with the pen holder (cleaning it out!) and the cut quality has improved no end – ta daaaa!
So this worry might go away for a bit hopefully, as to be honest the PNC900 is just the perfect size for the job whilst feeling like its a more professional machine – which as many of you have said is the issue with modern baby cutters… ie: not suited to professional outfits which use them as the mainstay of that part of the business.
Just had a white cassette arrive for the P60 so about to step into uncharted territory for model car vinyls!!
Laters everyone
Owen
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Hi owen
I don’t know if you have sorted out what plotter to go for but I saw this today in the grafityp catalogue http://www.grafityp.co.uk/bobcat.htm
Looks right up your ally and only £799Paul R(Mackerelbus Design)
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