FC8600 Graphtec Cutting settings for CB09UB and CB15UA-K30

[TheBarricade]

Hello everyone!

So I cannot figure out for the life of me how to cut white vinyl with laminate properly. I am trying to kiss cut laminated stickers and 2 things will inevitably happen. On straight lines, there will be a "nub" that shows up, like a small bump. And second, on corners, the blade will snag on the laminate. I have tried changing the force, blade depth, acceleration, and offset according to the Graphtec youtube videos. I've also tried both brand new CB09UB and CB15UA-K30 blades in their respective brass holder. Our Graphtec FC8600 is only about 6 months old and mostly used for cutting black vinyl with no laminate. It doesn't have an issue with the black vinyl for the most part, just some snags here and there where it doesn't peel 100% smoothly.

I honestly don't know where to start. I am frustrated with trying to perfect this piece of equipment. Anyway, I have attached a copy of the sticker I am currently trying to do. It's just an outline cut of the logo which is approx 3.5". I am also trying to do a kiss cut of the sticker with all holes removed so it can be applied to a car, but considering I am struggling with just doing an outline cut, I haven't even bothered with doing something more detailed.

 

[tbullo]

For lam. cast we run force 24 speed 25 if that helps.

 

[bannertime]

I'd suggest turning overcut and tangential emulation mode 1 on (I think that's the one that lifts on each corner). Can you show a picture of the actual cut and the "nub" you're talking about?

 

[TheBarricade]

I'd suggest turning overcut and tangential emulation mode 1 on (I think that's the one that lifts on each corner). Can you show a picture of the actual cut and the "nub" you're talking about?

I'll give that a go and I will post a picture shortly. Need to reprint and recut (got rid of the previous examples)

 

[TheBarricade]

For lam. cast we run force 24 speed 25 if that helps.

Which blade do you use? And what other settings do you change?

 

[tbullo]

We use the Graphtec 45° brand blades in the blue holder. For cast with lam. I run Speed 25 Force 24 Accel 4. For cal. with lam. I just bump the force up by 2. We use the red holder for reflective and rubber stencil.

 

[ikarasu]

Did you get training on your machine? Not to sound like a dick, but odds are its a setup issue. A lot of vendors will sell you a machine, set it up and they wont train you on how to use it and it leads to subpar results... people hating the machine, and tons of wasted time and material. This is more of a vendor issue than a customer issue... theres so many small things to pay attention to, its easy if you know... But if youre just learning from scratch with no one to teach you, you end up cutting too deep and using too much blade without ever realizing it. The guy who operated the machine before me did the same thing... We never got good results until I watched some videos.

We cut hundreds of thousands of laminated print and cuts every month. Our machines been running 24/7... We've gone through about 100 rolls and our cb09 blade isnt dull yet.


How far out is your blade? It should be out just enough you can touch it... Ours you can just barely tell with the naked eye its past the holder. You should be able to barely feel the blade out - Most people using cutters that arent trained dont know this and they stick their blade out a quarter of an inch...which causes the issues youre describing above.

Does the blade look like it has any knicks in it? Another common error is when loading the blade into the holder people tend to bang it up... if the blade gets a nick or gets bent its pretty much garbage.


How is your cutting strip? It should be perfectly smooth... If theres gouges out of it, you need a new one or it wont cut perfectly across your media, and it can cause the snags your talking about.


I'd start with blade depth first, then look at your strip.

 

[unclebun]

The manual actually tells you how to set it all up. There are settings in the machine for each type of blade and the necessary offset, etc. The blade needs to be put in the holder, backed up until it is flush with the plastic end of the holder. Then turn it out however many mils thick you are cutting, plus one The notches on the holder under the knurled knob indicate a mil each. Then the pressure needs to be set so that it cuts through the vinyl and you hear a slight scratching noise. It should make an impression on the backing paper but not cut even the surface of it.

 

[easystickerco]

https://www.graphtecamerica.com/cp-faq-video-vinyl-cutter-cutting-plotter-blades-blade-holders

 

[TheBarricade]

Was the plotter set to the wrong knife? I'm often dumbfounded how much of a difference that setting makes, and when the issue presents itself it's always "This plotter is junk!" type of scenario...
I'm dying to know how this was originally resolved!

Hi! Sorry for disappearing for a while! So what ended up being the best for me (and got rid of that weird nub) was doing a Sensor Offset Adjustment which had me print a pattern with the pen and then scan said pattern. From now on, I will definitely do this with each material/condition. I also messed with the blade Offset Adjustment after the calibration was done. It was a lot of trial and error. It's still not perfect, but now it seems to be just minor adjustments to make it perfect.