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Graphtec Cutting Pro FC5100-130 TEMPERAMENTAL ISSUES

SignShopGal

SignShopGal
Hi all, hope everyone is having a great Friday.

Quick background: I am a small sign shop person, I operate solo under the company I work for. Our more specialized area is in road signage, ie. bordered signs.

Plotter: I have read the entire manual front to back, done everything to try to fix the issue and have also called for backup to no avail: repositioned the sensor input, changed blade, set my conditions, tried a variety of conditions, etc.

My problem : My plotter has lost it's mind

1) the plotter will not cut anything over 46" in length regardless of the size of the material and the specifications I input in the program prior to plotting. It will stop, tell me to reload media. I have pushed every button on the control panel, tried to fake it, just slightly open and closed the pinch rollers. After I do, i have the option to "Continue" or "Cancel Job". When I hit "Continue", it says Error, not recognized and then cuts a way-out-in-left-field line and boom: any good cut is now scrap. I have to do the unthinkable and switch it off.

2) the X Y positioning : lines don't meet up at the end of an object and gap, same thing on letters.

3) Borders : 1/8" width change after a 20" plotted line. sorry if that doesn't make any sense: not sure how else to descriptor it. Imagine a road that is two lanes from edge to edge, not parallel. /| instead of || (mostly for my brain because I know the rest of you know what I mean anyway)

Any and all help is much appreciated. I hope I'm not the only one. Just for good measure, let me state that I have read the manual front to back and have gone step by step through all the processes and then some to try to fix this. I'm pulling my hair out. It's the only large format plotter I have and it would be crippling to lose it altogether right now.

Thank you!!!!!!!!!!
 
Not super familiar with the 5100. Page length settings are set to max? Have you tried resetting the plotter? Sometimes the RAM gets clogged up with bits and pieces that don't erase. A lot of issues with the graphtec are resloved by just simply resetting to factory defaults.
 

Solventinkjet

DIY Printer Fixing Guide
Take the right side cover off which exposes the motor, gears and belt that run the cutter back and forth. There is a gear that has a wider bottom than the top. One part of the gear has a belt that goes to the motor and the other part of the gear moves the belt that moves the cutter tool back and forth. This gear should be one solid piece and not separate. If you can turn the top part of the gear without moving the bottom part of the gear or it looks like it is slipping when the motor goes to move the cutter tool, it's broken and needs to be either replaced or glued back together.

Here is a picture showing what I mean:

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