Contour cutting way off on graphtec plotter.

[0igo]

Usually I leave .15in margin on my cuts and that has helped with the uneven cuts, but now my cutter is cutting way off. It cuts right into my prints! This machine is so frustrating to use. Anyone have any idea how I fix this? I've done other cuts at .25in and it still cuts into the print.

 

[Phenex]

Which model Graphtec?

I have the FC8600. There are 2 positions for the blade. The one is for kiss cuts, the other for cuts through the media. When I experienced this issue, it was because I had the blade in the wrong position.

 

[bannertime]

So things that may need to be adjusted.
-Cut mark size and thickness
-Making sure the cut mark in your program is the same as the machine is expecting.
-Using the "paper weight" thing to hold curling vinyl flat while reading.
-Making sure the art and contour file are rotated the same direction.
-Checking to see if the plotter says something like "out of bounds" or "offset" or something. Basically that the plotter read dimensions different than what the RIP said.
-Having the blade in the wrong position.

Those are all issues I had.

 

[bob]

Is the error constant or cumulative? Was the plotter working satisfactorily before this problem or was it this way out of the box?

There are four possible combinations of these basic considerations. Ergo there are four totally different approaches to your problem.

 

[0igo]

My plotter does say offset after it is done reading the marks, as for the the blade I don't know what other position to have it on. How can I make the offset error go away?

 

[0igo]

Is the error constant or cumulative? Was the plotter working satisfactorily before this problem or was it this way out of the box?

There are four possible combinations of these basic considerations. Ergo there are four totally different approaches to your problem.

I've noticed the plotter get worse on contour cutting a lot more recently. The job I had yesterday was only 24in wide by 8 in tall. The plotter has always shown offset error however after reading. So I have never had a perfect contour cut ever

 

[bob]

I've noticed the plotter get worse on contour cutting a lot more recently. The job I had yesterday was only 24in wide by 8 in tall. The plotter has always shown offset error however after reading. So I have never had a perfect contour cut ever

The constant error may well be fixed by going through the routine for setting the blade to mark sensor adjustment as outlined in the plotter's manual. If this setting is off then there will be a constant error when contour cutting.

As for getting worse, is it worse in the carriage or media feed direction or both? If in the direction of carriage feed one would suspect a loose belt or worn or contaminated carriage positioning tackle. If in the media feed direction perhaps the media feed compensation is not right, i.e. what your software thinks is an inch and what the plotter thinks is an inch. If in both directions it may well be software or some bizarre combination of things.

Note that various settings, once set, do not change unless something changes them.

 

[Phenex]

Just to help us out - What model plotter are you using?