Need Help GS15 Plus - Cutting Ragged

[SigSignsMT]

Hey Guys,

GS15 Plus Cutter isn't cutting cleanly; it has a brand new blade in; I lubed and cleaned bars up. Don't know what else to do.

Photo of what the vinyl looks like is here: https://imgur.com/a/iIVK1zz

Any suggestions are appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Jburns]

I only mention this because I am guilty of it. - is the blade in backwards?

 

[SigSignsMT]

Are you meaning upside down? Unfortunately the blade is in the right way.

 

[Fred Weiss]

Sounds like the blade had lost the theta home position. Check the orange theta belt to see if any teeth are missing. This link is to where to buy it and a video showing how to replace it. It also includes instructions on how to reset the blade home position.

http://www.theplotterdoctor.com/par...-for-gerber-plotters-select-your-model-detail

 

[Jburns]

No I mean left facing or right facing in the holder. When in the home position the blade sharp end should be facing a certain way. But you can do another sample cut and watch it closely if it cutting proper direction

Also I agree with Fred above

 

[SigSignsMT]

The blade in there is a swivel blade; so I think it is running in the right orientation.

I did check the belt; cleaned the inside, nothing seems to be wrong with it. How much tension should there be? Can they get stretched out?

Played with it a bit more last night; I put an older blade in the machine and now it cuts straight without the ragged lines. Not sure what is up with this new blade? These are both swivel blades.

 

[Jburns]

Ok I thought you were running the tangential blade in tangential mode.

 

[James Burke]

Double check your blade to make sure it has the proper offset ground into it. I bought some really nice blades made by Roetguen for my Gerber GSx and the 42 degree blades are absolutely pristine.

The 60 degree blades had no offset and were not able to swivel. If I remember correctly, the point was flush with one side of the cutter. It seems as though they missed a step in the production process by not grinding the third face on the blade (to establish the correct offset).

The bad blades basically produced the same results as you show.

JB

 

[SigSignsMT]

https://imgur.com/a/xYsKoac

Here's a photo of the blade that is running ragged; it is a 60 degree. I've ran these before, but unsure why this one isn't performing?

 

[James Burke]

The blade looks good from the photo. Not sure just what to think.

JB

 

[SigSignsMT]

Double check your blade to make sure it has the proper offset ground into it. I bought some really nice blades made by Roetguen for my Gerber GSx and the 42 degree blades are absolutely pristine.

The 60 degree blades had no offset and were not able to swivel. If I remember correctly, the point was flush with one side of the cutter. It seems as though they missed a step in the production process by not grinding the third face on the blade (to establish the correct offset).

The bad blades basically produced the same results as you show.

JB

How do you check for proper offset ground; and if it's bad, how do you fix it?

 

[Marlene]

Do you still have the old blade? Try putting that back and seeing if the same thing happens. Have you figured it out yet?

 

[FunkotronXL]

Couple quick questions:
Have you compared the old blade to the new and checked for differences? (noticeably longer/shorter, different manufacturers, etc.)
What force/pressure setting do you have the dial on the plotter head set to?

 

[James Burke]

How do you check for proper offset ground; and if it's bad, how do you fix it?

Accurate measurement of blade offset requires a special machine called an optical comparator. It's a machine that creates an enlarged shadow of the blade so it can be precisely measured. Incorrectly ground blades can only be fixed by the manufacturer since it requires a precise grinder with a diamond grinding wheel.

But typically the time involved correcting a mis-ground plotter blade is considerably more that the cost of a new carbide blank and it's usually best to start from scratch.

I looked at the photo of your blade again and the flank (side) of the blade seems to have an extremely rough surface. That would make a huge difference. Flanks should have a mirror finish.

JB

 

[SigSignsMT]

Do you still have the old blade? Try putting that back and seeing if the same thing happens. Have you figured it out yet?

Hey Marlene,

Yes I have thrown in other blades and they seem to clear up the issue. I am thinking it is just this new blade and the manufacturer made a goof somewhere.

 

[SigSignsMT]

Couple quick questions:
Have you compared the old blade to the new and checked for differences? (noticeably longer/shorter, different manufacturers, etc.)
What force/pressure setting do you have the dial on the plotter head set to?

As far as I can tell the blade seems no different then the others. The more down pressure the more rugged it cuts; less pressure and it doesn't cut all the way through and just scratches the surface. There doesn't seem to be middle ground with this blade.