Contour cuts WAY OFF !!!

[SIGNTIME]

only other thing i can think of that hasn't been mentioned make sure you are getting the material in square after laminating and not sure what the force is need to cut through the thick lam but try running at a really slow speed maybe the material is slipping a bit in the rollers

 

[DesireeM]

I didn't notice if this was mentioned.....When I first started print/lam/cutting this same thing was happening to me because I kept clicking "Get media width" after I reloaded my printed/laminated piece to the printer.
And then, even when I knew what I was doing wrong I would still sometimes do it without noticing (like habit) and then my cuts would be off and I'd realize what I did.

 

[autoexebat]

I didn't notice if this was mentioned.....When I first started print/lam/cutting this same thing was happening to me because I kept clicking "Get media width" after I reloaded my printed/laminated piece to the printer.
And then, even when I knew what I was doing wrong I would still sometimes do it without noticing (like habit) and then my cuts would be off and I'd realize what I did.

Okay so you are saying NOT to click get media width ? that could be the issue .. hmm

 

[autoexebat]

Man, sorry to hear you're still fighting with this.

But as mentioned, don't click get media width or center on media when crop marks are involved. I'm not sure whether this is the culprit in this case but definitely worth trying to rule it out.

edited to add: Also, when I was saying to call your dealer - I didn't mean to imply you didn't know what you were doing. It just sounds like something is off with this thing and whether it is user or equipment error your dealer should be able to either try diagnosing it over the phone, or in person. It's in their best interest that their equipment is making you money and working as it should...

No problem man , I didn't take anything to heart . Just a little flustrating , Everyone here probably knows the feeling of wasted material and the material I use is not considereed to be cheap by any means.

I will run a test later today and see what happens , I can't recall if I was hitting ( Get Media Width ) or not. I just figured if it found the crop marks it would know what and where things should be centered ?

 

[DesireeM]

Okay so you are saying NOT to click get media width ? that could be the issue .. hmm

Yep. that's what I'm saying. You can click it when you initially print the decals but after you've removed the print, laminated it and placed it back in the printer and lined up the registration marks you DO NOT click "Get media width" again. Simply change the setting from "Print" to "Cut" but don't touch anything else in the rip software.

I think what happens is that the print and cut are aligned in relation to your media width. When you remove the print to laminate it and then put it back in the printer you are guaranteed to move the pinch rollers in the process. If you click "Get media width at that point your cut lines will re-align to this new media width and become skewed in relation to your original print.

 

[autoexebat]

I see , So would moving the pinch rollers change anything ? Mine move very freely and when loading and unloading the material they do tend to move.

 

[P Wagner]

Moving the placement of the rollers is fine. Just don't click 'Get Media Width' after re-loading the laminated print into the Roland.

 

[DesireeM]

I see , So would moving the pinch rollers change anything ? Mine move very freely and when loading and unloading the material they do tend to move.

When you reload the print the location of the pinch rollers won't matter as long as you don't click "get media width". Obviously they still have to be outside the registration marks though in order for the machine to be able to scan the registration marks.

 

[autoexebat]

Thanks ! I will give this a try later on , and like I stated I'm not sure if I hit get media width or not but it's worth the try !

 

[DesireeM]

Thanks ! I will give this a try later on , and like I stated I'm not sure if I hit get media width or not but it's worth the try !

Any solution is better than no solution. And if the solution doesn't cost you any money...even better!
Good luck! Let us know if it works out.

 

[autoexebat]

I wish I had words to say today , but I am SOOOOOOOOO upset ... I took a break for a few days and just left things alone , Now I have the Roland going behind me as I type and I can see yet again my contour cuts are off . I setup all cuts in Corel to go inside of graphics. I exported that to an eps and loaded it to Versaworks .

I didnt change a thing after laminating it , I simply loaded it back in and selected CUT and set force / speed .

I have all pinch roolers setup in the Roland as well , I am beyond MAD at this point ... I have easily waster $500.00 in material and more than that in sales I have refunded due to being late ..


WOW ............wow wow

I included pictures of the 50th failure and I included a picture of how it's setup in Corel . As you can see the contour line is set correctly.

 

[Desert_Signs]

Is it possible to load the cutting blade incorrectly? I once had a similar issue with a mimaki cutter. I realized I had the cutting blade in the pen holder. I don't know if this is even possible on your machine, but it seems consistent.

 

[Team Valhalla]

Someone that has experience cutting thick material is more than welcome to correct me... because I haven't before... but is it possible that the combination of his slow cutting speed (2), and the high cutting pressue (150) is manipulating the material? Basically causing it to "slip" between the rollers?

SP

 

[mpn]

Maybe the above post is onto something. I never try to make it in one pass, and not sure if the OP is doing that?

 

[autoexebat]

No way to load the blade in correctly ,

I don't see how it could move with 12mil think material and 4 pinch rollers on it

I always figured cutting it slow would be better / safer.

About 30 min ago I did a print / cut without removing anything from the machine .. It came out good but I sure don't trust it to print a normal job because as soon as I laminate it and put in back in the machine ( all hell breaks loose ).

I sent an email to the company who setup the printer as I need to get this resolved.

 

[Team Valhalla]

I'm just guessing. There's more people on here that have forgotten more than I'll ever know.

Autoexebat... since you've blown through so much material already, another 18 inches isn't going to make a difference, so let's try something.

Take a section of your artwork and crop it down to about 12 inches in length, but keep the complete wideth. You'll have to make sure you have a complete Contour Cut path around the artwork.

Print it, laminate it, and cut it... but this time keep your cut speed around 10 and your pressure around 50.

I know it's not going to cut all the way through, but I'm curious if it stays where it's supposed to.

Just a thought and trying to help.

SP

 

[mpn]

That model 300 has 4 pinch rollers? Yes the 12 mil laminate combo can be skewed, at least in the VP300i.

 

[autoexebat]

I'm just guessing. There's more people on here that have forgotten more than I'll ever know.

Autoexebat... since you've blown through so much material already, another 18 inches isn't going to make a difference, so let's try something.

Take a section of your artwork and crop it down to about 12 inches in length, but keep the complete wideth. You'll have to make sure you have a complete Contour Cut path around the artwork.

Print it, laminate it, and cut it... but this time keep your cut speed around 10 and your pressure around 50.

I know it's not going to cut all the way through, but I'm curious if it stays where it's supposed to.

Just a thought and trying to help.

SP

Ok I will give that a try shortly

Yes the VS-300i has 4 rollers ( 2 that remove )

 

[mpn]

I run three lighter passes on that exact material in a VP300i and 2 pinch rollers.

Frustrating as all get out I'm sure. Have you tried using a regular thickness laminate to rule out the 12 mil being the problem?

 

[autoexebat]

I run three lighter passes on that exact material in a VP300i and 2 pinch rollers.

Frustrating as all get out I'm sure. Have you tried using a regular thickness laminate to rule out the 12 mil being the problem?

No I have not tried , All I do is ATV / Motocross graphics so I have no use for anything else to be honest.

It's very frustrating ! It wasnt as much as a big old 54" machine I know , but then I still shelled out 18 grand on it . I know it will work , but why is it doing this just blows me away! I bet I've lost $2000.00 over this issue due to material loss and stoping sales.

I will run a test here in about 30 min with a speed change and report back how that works , but again I've had it cut perfect before and I've never cut anything over 5 for speed.

 

[Team Valhalla]

mpn... Can I ask what you use for a blade? What pressure do you run your cut at?

SP