gerber edge and shop cleanliness

[watchdaride]

I am thinking of getting a gerber edge but have a few concerns

Does it have to be in a clean environment or the dust might damage the head ? I want to use it in the shop not in an office so there is a bit of dust from opening door. I heard if dust gets on the vinyl it might damage the head.

How much a linear foot is the cost per spot color not including vinyl with after market foils ?

 

[Billct2]

Our edge has always lived in an office. Not that it's dust free but it's not as bad as the shop area. I would be concerned about the damage heavy dust would do, not just to the machine but also to the prints. Maybe it could have some type of enclosure?

 

[Fred Weiss]

Our Edge is in a moderately dusty area and we haven't had any problem. The Edge has two plastic wipers that wipe dust off the vinyl in both directions as it travels through the Edge. The only time I think there would be a problem would be if your vinyl had sat exposed for a while and had accumulated dust on it. This would then need to be slewed back and forth a couple of times in the Edge before sending a job to print.

 

[GMS Product Manager]

If you want to eliminate dust spots, you'll want to keep the media from touching any surface that can collect dust and particulate matter. It's attracted to the media while handling and printing. If it gets on the liner, it will transfer to the face side when rolling it up. We came up with a solution for those who want to eliminate dust spots, and keep from having to babysit the printer. For anyone doing longer runs (more than 10 ft. and one color), may I suggest GMS Heavy Duty rewinders with our alignment frame? Here's a video... but in a nut shell, they keep constant tension on the media (it's adjustable) and that keeps the media from touching the table, desk, ground, catch bin, etc. They rewind in both directions as the Edge feeds back and forth.

[video=youtube;KSYLQG4si-0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSYLQG4si-0&list=UUluTjMklixHGGgjf77c-oXg[/video]

We include or discount them with purchases of Gerber systems.

Doug Goodloe
Gerber Specialist
Graphic Marking Systems
Merchant Member
800-232-8018

 

[JRgraphics]

Not all vinyl....

The Edge is the most forgiving printer we have.... Just wipe the vinyl down with isopropyl alcohol before printing - that's all you need.

Sorry to say, I learned the hard way. Gerber 220 clear enamel receptive vinyl will be ruined by wiping down with isopropyl alcohol (it takes the receptive coating off and leaves a mark on the vinyl).

 

[GMS Product Manager]

Sorry to say, I learned the hard way. Gerber 220 clear enamel receptive vinyl will be ruined by wiping down with isopropyl alcohol (it takes the receptive coating off and leaves a mark on the vinyl).

Enamel receptive is for spraying with enamels, and then cutting. At one time Butch Anton used to teach artists how to get all kinds of cool effects from crinkling up Vinyl, laying back down, spraying across it with enamels, and then putting it back in the cutter after it dried. People still ask for enamel receptive, but are not using it as it was intended. Image cast is basically the same product without the coating.

Most commodity vinyl is not top coated. Vinyl is typically receptive to resins (foils) and solvent inks, and other things that will bite into the material. Other specialty materials must be coated, and yes you can wipe the coating off if you clean it with the wrong stuff.

If people measure their time, and assign a cost to it, they would realize the benefit of automating everywhere you can. I'm referring to not having to wipe the dust off the material. It's impractical and a waste of one's valuable time. One of our customers recently purchased our rewinder alignment frame and couldn't believe the amount of time it freed up just being able to walk away. Straight out f the box, your material shouldn't be dirty, except for maybe the very outside wrap. It gets dusty while being used and handled.

When you get busy, automate. If you're too busy, raise your prices

Doug Goodloe
Gerber Specialist

 

[GMS Product Manager]

I like that.

Just this morning we were talking about adding more equipment to automate tasks.

On an unrelated note (sorry to be ):

Are you aware of a way to print a job on a non gerber printer(and not driven by gsplot) and then be able to feed it in a gs/hs15+ and have it successfully line up the cuts?

We were thinking you could create a template and send the print part to the printer, then send just the cut info to plotter and manually line it up... but I can't wrap my head around it until I physically try it.

The idea would be to print full color 10 mil Lexedge w/ UV inks then feed back into Gerber plotter.

I realize this is a job for a flatbed cutter....but those things aren't cheap and we're running out space in the shop as it is!

Just thought I'd ask since you're a Gerber specialist.

Hi Pat: Since the sprockets keep everything perfectly straight, the trick is to keep the material in your UV printer perfectly straight too. If you can do that, then print a cross hair center left so you can line up the cut file with the target. Watch your border setting in plot too, because that setting determines if the target is butting up against the art, or equal to the distance you plug in. When you send the file to the cutter, it will have to think you are printing something in order to line up a target. A small filled shape will do, just make sure your setting in GspPlot is checked for "centered on vinyl."

I think the hardest part will be to center the target on your printed art. You may have to adjust it a few times, but once you figure it out, you can use it again and again. I hope that gives you a place to start.

Doug Goodloe
Gerber Specialist

 

[Pegler911]

Hi there, I'm a noobie to the forums but have 18 years of sign/graphics experience, so I thought I'd put my 2c in on the subject of the Gerber Edge.

We bought one brand new for the standard price of around 15k.

For three weeks we battled it's quirky annoying problems. Tech support was little to non-existent, and after the end of week three, my manager called me on the machine. I couldn't get good prints, I couldn't get accurate cuts, it was basically, a complete waste of time and money. I threw in the towel, and luckily our supplier took it back no questions asked. We then bought a Summa DC4sx, and it blows the Gerber Edge completely out of the water. It's a phenomenal machine, 30" wide, and once set up (tech support are amazing) it's fantastic. So, the short version is, forget the Gerber Edge, get the Summa DC4sx - there's just no reason to buy an Edge now I've used the Summa. Oh, it's over 2k cheaper as well. Hope this helps. Gary.

 

[Billct2]

I couldn't live without my Edge and our Summa DC4 has been a dog since we got it.

 

[Pegler911]

I couldn't live without my Edge and our Summa DC4 has been a dog since we got it.

Really? That's a shame! Their tech support are superb though, did you talk to them?

 

[Billct2]

Summa supposrt is great...but hours on the phone is tedious when the issues never get resolved. And in person support is a total rip off.
Right now I have to switch out some motors to try and isolate the latest problem.

 

[artofacks1]

I love my edge fx, I love my envision cutter and GMS is awesome and helped me learn how to use the machines and I am up and running making money and awesome quality decals

I have to say, I hate my laminator the jr. Is a pain in the booty. It just doesn't stay straight. So I do shorter runs. ..I wish they had a sprocket laminator lol!

 

[artofacks1]

Oh and the summa people dropped the ball. They couldn't answer the 4" banding issue and didn't send me the samples they promised on convex or a comparable vinyl.

 

[watchdaride]

is banding a problem with gerber edge like the summa?

 

[Fred Weiss]

is banding a problem with gerber edge like the summa?

It isn't a problem on either if you come to an understanding of halftone patterns and LPI settings. Thermal resins produce a harder image than do liquid inks so it's more likely that a gradient won't transition as well at default settings and you may see banding. Manually setting the halftones and LPI is an easy fix with only a small learning curve.