Accurate cutting with Nikkalite Ultralite II

[sleepyeyed]

Does anyone use the Nikkalite Ultralite II material? What kind of plotter do you cut it on and is it accurate? We just got a Mimaki CG-130SRIII and the accuracy with this material is pretty bad. I can't make a simple 2' x 2' sign with a border without the border cuts not matching up. We've had the techs from the retailer come numerous times to try to get the settings "dialed in" so to speak, and even though there have been minor improvements, the inaccuracy is still unacceptable. There is an upgrade calledthe 3M EGP sheet conversion kit that may work, but it costs about $1000. Anyone have any experience with this? is the upgrade worth it or should we be looking for a better machine?

 

[rjssigns]

Ask Summa if they'll run a test cut for you.

 

[BIG EASY DOES IT]

Don't really think this is a substrate that is meant to be cut. I would think slow passes would do the trick and a 45degree blade. You can't use a standard 60degree vinyl blade on these types of hi-intensity encapsulated materials. You need something with a larger blade on the area of the cut. That should to the trick.

 

[PHILJOHNSON]

Hi Sleepyeyed,

I would be happy to run a test on our machines if you would like. I have cut similar retroreflective materials in the past without problems, so I would think we would be able to offer better results than what you are currently getting with your Mimaki. Please email me at philj@summa.us if you would be interested in doing some testing.

Best regards,

Phil Johnson
Summa Inc.

 

[DirtyD]

I have the same Mimaki - It is extremely accurate - I have not cut that material before and it may not be appropriate for that but it is accurate.

One thing to make sure with that Mimaki, you said it is new - make sure you update to the latest firmware 2.90 is what is on mine - when I got my sr130 I did not update the firmware and a lot of cuts were off until I updated Finecut and the firmware.

Hope that helps

 

[sleepyeyed]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I just tried to download and update the firmware, but when I try to run the updater it gives me an error message that says [Undefined character] and wont run the program. Searching google yielded no results. Anyone have any idea what's going on?