Advice on cutters and software

[Chris Wool]

hi john
just had a look at your web site and that has solved a few problems for me and resonably local saltash

the pc 600 will cut smaller well because of its printing resolution there for controling the head better and if i want to cut something small 3mm lettering i use my pc 60 dedicated cutters will do it (before you all start shouting) but is less of a chore and you dont need a following wind with the sun shining but for about 10 mm upwards any quality servo driven
cutter should be ok I can here the key boards already
chris mrsticker

[Robert Lambie]

Hi there
We use Roland machines & also have a pc60. Couple of years ago we moved to Graphtec. I feel the Graphtec is the better machine..
Easier to use, load and is better built.
It has a tangential function that allows extremely fast accurate cutting of small text.
Also has a laser alignment function amongst other stuff..
Tracking is great.. Something I know you will suffer over only a metre or so with the pc600. I cant be 100% as it’s a pc60 I have not the 600 but I would imagine it’s also very slow as a cutter compared to a Graphtec or many cutters for that matter.
Don’t get me wrong though.. Im very happy with Roland cutters.. Had them many years now and nothing really major regarding breakdowns.
Software.. Well I would have to say I love signlab. Does exactly what it says on the tin but is steep in price.
I think you have a combination of flexi & signlab supporters on this site.. Ive no doubt flexi is great also but again can be pricey.
If you cut from corel and your happy with it then keep it.. I don’t see the software increasing the accuracy that much when cutting.. I do have certain issues with files we cut on our router but wouldn’t imagine it affecting the vinyl in the same way.

The problems you will always get when cutting small text is more the machine chewing the small text. This can just simply be the text is to small or the blade isn’t sharp enough, or even your cutting too fast..
Even if you can cut it tiny.. You still have to weed it!

[storeinet]

John

I’m not at the level of any of the guy’s here but hope I can be of a little help.

First of cutting small lettering is down to the knife and the type of knife used. Have a word with Edward Mathias & Company, about this they should point you in the right direction. Links on the front page of the UKSB site.

As for your materials jumping out of the friction feed, we have found this to, but it tends to be more of a line up of the material than a fault with the machine, I now take the length of the job (lets say 5 m) all the way out of the front of the plotter before cutting, there is no guarantee that it will not jump, but inspires some confidence. If you need a set and forget cutter buy one that is sprocketed. Make’s the materials a little more expensive, but not so many trashed jobs on long runs.

Software is a mine field, we are moving over from a spandex version of composer to signlab 6.1 and having all sorts of problems, double cutting, having to edit the physical files because they are not cutting right etc.

But if your looking at selling your pc600’s I may be in the market for one, price dependant of course.

Dan

[AaSk4Stickers]

Hiy’all

Tracking on the PC600 can have it’s problems, this has been discussed on an earlier thread. After that thread, I had a warranty visit from a Roland engineer (to re-insert the cartridge retaining clip on the print head)

Whilst he was carrying out the repair, I asked him about tracking with rolled vinyl feed and he showed me a new method of aligning the roll of vinyl.

He said to improve tracking:
1) load the roll as normal
2) feed the leading edge through the grit rollers again as normal
3) forget about aligning the vinyl with the marks on the front face
4) hold the roll on the rollers firmly with one hand
5) pull the vinyl leading edge taught
6) retain the vinyl leader position and remove the hand from the roll
7) lower the grit rollers onto the vinyl
8) using the rewind button rewind the leader back until it stops

It also helps, he said, if you release sufficient vinyl off of the roll for the job you are about to run.

Kind regards

Alan

[Gordon Forbes]

Double cutting in signlab sounds like an operator error and you are not welding properly seen it myself and that was the problem for me anyway.

I’ve read it somewhere and I cant remember where maybe a roland manual or webste when doing longer runs with the PC600 set the pinch rollers futher from the edge of the vinyl I’m sure it was about 3 cm in and this improves tracking a lot and spool off what u are to use etc etc.

PC 600 30 cm a second
Summa D60 80 cm a second and seems to cut a lot cleaner than the 600.

[storeinet]

Forbie

You may well be right that it’s an operator error, not going to argue that with anyone. 🙄

What the problem i’m having is not with new files created in Signlab, but one’s that we cut on a regular basis, using composor. But now we have invested in Signlab, would be nice to run just the one box.

The Imported files are Gerber PLT’s, pre Omega. Now these files cut with no problem what so ever when output using composor. Import them into Signlab and it puts multiple nodes, one on top of the other, creating a straight line where there should be a smooth curve.

And double cutting. Sorry people i’m nicking someone else’s thread and going off topic.

Dan
[/img]