Graphtec 8600 - drawing pen with new paper type

[Buccaneer28]

Good morning all,

I use a graphtec 8600-160 plotter to draw patterns for large awning and canopy frames. We had to get a new paper supplier for brown kraft paper. This paper is slightly thicker than the previous stuff and is causing the pen tool to make errors during the drawing. I am using Staedtler Lumocolor pens.

I have tried to SET THE FORCE to a lower setting, from 14 down to 7. I also have done a BLADE TEST to find the surface. Neither have had consistent success. Let me know if you have any tips to fix this issue.

Thank you

 

[unclebun]

What drawing error are you seeing? How thick is the paper? I can't imagine a paper thick enough to be the cause of a problem in drawing.

 

[Buccaneer28]

What drawing error are you seeing? How thick is the paper? I can't imagine a paper thick enough to be the cause of a problem in drawing.

Thank you for your reply.

Some of the lines overlap 1/16" of and inch, which sounds like a small problem. It does create issues though because we are building using 1" square tube. The drawings are used to mark the pieces that are cut by the welders, so if they are cut a 1/16" short or long they do not fit when they are assembled. Some drawings are 3-4 feet by 3-4 feet which I don't seem to be having frequent problems getting the plotter to draw correctly. But if the drawing spans 15 feet of paper and is 3' in width the lines tend to have errors in that long of a span. Which is a problem I did not have until the paper switch.

 

[unclebun]

If the problem only occurs over long lengths it would seem to involve the paper slipping side to side as it goes through the plotter. This can happen from the rollers not having enough friction with the paper surface, or with the paper stiffness causing it to kink as it lands in the basket. If you slow down the linear drawing speed and babysit the paper as it comes out (front and back) do you still get the shifts?

 

[GAC05]

Maybe you already do this but have you tried the paneling option the Graphtecs have? It allows you to set the plotter to draw/cut everything in panels you set up by length - 15ft long - 3 or 4 panels - it will draw all the paths in a section then advance and draw the next 4 or 5 feet until the run is done. I used this on some reflective that I didn't think would track all the way out to 18 feet and the cuts were spot on. There was no way to tell the long arcs were cut 5 ft at a time.

 

[Buccaneer28]

If the problem only occurs over long lengths it would seem to involve the paper slipping side to side as it goes through the plotter. This can happen from the rollers not having enough friction with the paper surface, or with the paper stiffness causing it to kink as it lands in the basket. If you slow down the linear drawing speed and babysit the paper as it comes out (front and back) do you still get the shifts?

I will try this out. thank you

 

[Buccaneer28]

Maybe you already do this but have you tried the paneling option the Graphtecs have? It allows you to set the plotter to draw/cut everything in panels you set up by length - 15ft long - 3 or 4 panels - it will draw all the paths in a section then advance and draw the next 4 or 5 feet until the run is done. I used this on some reflective that I didn't think would track all the way out to 18 feet and the cuts were spot on. There was no way to tell the long arcs were cut 5 ft at a time.

Okay. I have not done this before. I have set up the paneling to occur and draw for 48" (only splitting the panels in the direction that the paper feeds) not paneling the width of the paper (which is 48" width). The default overlap between panels is set to .20 inches. Do you recommend setting up more/less overlap. And when I have the panels set up on my computer when I send it to the plotter, will it draw all of the panels on one send. Or does it draw one panel, then stop, and then I have to tell the machine to start the next panel? thank you

 

[GAC05]

There should be no overlap. you set this from the plotters menu.
Auto-paneling is a new feature that automatically splits long-length jobs into smaller pages that are cut sequentially but without any gaps. The result is a seamless, long-length finished job. Media movement is limited to the smaller page being cut, improving accuracy and tracking.

Not at work (its past midnight here) so I can't look up the option but it should be in the media section I think.