new roland cutting force issue

[rushworks graphics]

we got our vp540i in july/august and the tech set the cutting force at 55 and said that shopuld be good as the blade was obvously new. were now having to use the force at 150 and its not because we've used the machine alot or anything, infact we do alot of banners and larger signs that don't need us to use the blade for cuts so i find it real strange having to put the cutting force soooooo high! any ideas why this maybe? or is it just a normal thing?? its the standard 45 degree blade and were cutting cast and calendered material if that makes any diff

 

[Sticky Signs]

Sounds a little high. Did you check the cutting strip? It may need to be replaced.

 

[CentralSigns]

Ya know we had the same problem new machine in June new blade in it. It's usual to start at 50 or whatever then a few cuts and soon we are at 150 then 180 then over 200 for printing and laminate. hit 220 couldn't pressure the blade enough to get a decent cut,so had to get new blade. Same deal 45 deg blade. Usually on our Summa we would change out the blade at 190. Roland using cheap steel or what? Any other ideas. Cant figure out the premature blade wear. I have some cutters on blades well over 1 year old and one with severall years of wear. I don't get it how high should you run a blade pressures on a SP or VP 300i ?

 

[rushworks graphics]

my roland tech told me that roland don't actually use there roland blades in there machines!!! there the cheap chinese ones!!! can you believe that! ridiculas! so maybe that has something to do with it. i have a roland plotter which is quite old now and i cut on that everyday and hardly have to adjust the blade pressur eon it, however i am using genuin roland 45 degree baldes. like i said the tech set the force at 50 and said not to go any higher than that untill i have used it a short while, i have it set at 150 now and it still could go alittle higher as i'm cutter 1000 decals tonight and the first couple rows in are sticking slightly. just find it very strange, new blade and having to go at 150 for it to cut! if i leave it on 50 or 60 it just scores the material and no more.

 

[DRamm76]

I wouldnt believe everything you hear about Roland using cheap cutter blades. There's a lot of great info on this site but a lot of rumors and b.s.. There's a lot that just eeds to be taken at face value.

How much of the blade are you showing? Sometimes all it takes is to show a little much of the blade and the tip can break off and it will not cut well at all.

 

[mac_man_luke]

I find with our GX500 we need to up the pressure very quickly, generally around 120-150 with clean cut blades (which is lower than what we used with the roland blades)

Wonder if its out of calibration or something

 

[BobM]

I use only Clean Cut blades (866-579-0963) on all three of my Rolands, mostly 45 degree blades cutting Oracal 751 cast and 651 calandered at 90 grams and reflective at 210 grams. I change the wear strip and the blades once a year. At least one of the cutters is running 2 to 3 hours, 5 days a week.

 

[Bigdawg]

I use clean cut too.. Love 'em...

but I keep having the same problem with my VP540 in regards to force steadily needing to increase. Thought it was just me

EDITED TO ADD: I mostly cut laminated 3651 and 3165RA on it. Very little straight print and cut or just cut vinyl.

 

[rushworks graphics]

<<dramm, just going on what i was told by a roland tech, if anyone should know what blades are being used in roland equipement its going to be the techs! i'm sure theres a lot of b.s that gets told by people who don't hear the full story on stuff but this is coming from a tech who installs and repairs rolands day in, day out, 5-6 days aweek.
since we haven't used the roland to cut much stuff on, usually print only as we use the gerber to cut decals, its basically a brand new blade, so why we have to have this brand new blade up at 155 now is anyones guess! just thought i'd ask and see if anyone else was having the same issues, just really strange eh!

 

[InkjetAuction]

Blade

From a guy in the field...

Usually it's a blade issue. Take a look at the tip using a loupe and compare to a new blade. It may be broken.

I also find that more that 50% of the shop I see have the tip out way too far. It should only extend a little more that the thickness of the vinyl + 1/2 the thickness of the release liner. It's not very much.

Also a worn teflon cutting strip does a wonderful job of snapping the tips off of new blades.

There is a service adjustment for cutter downforce, however I have only seen it to be significantly off on one VersaCAMM VP... as measured with a manual gf scale.

Finally, slowing down the machine will definitely promote a deeper/more forceful cut as there is a planing effect as you increase the cutting speed.

~E

P.S. I like Roland blades and Clean Cut blades.

 

[SE SignSupply]

Broken tip on the blade... replace it with a new one and you can back that pressure back down.

Also, you might try a Roland 60 degree blade if you are cutting alot of laminated material. Roland part number USA-C160-1, should come in a box with a Roland sticker!

Ryan

 

[ova]

We were having issues with premature blade wear on our sp300v also. Ordered three blades from our Roland dealer thinking we would get Roland replacements. Got Roetgue instead. They didn't last very long at all. Ordered two more blades from the same supplier we get of all our media and substrate from. Found out they came from Mexico. They wore out super quick. I figured it was the cut srtip, so I replaced it.

Just received a five pack of Roland 45 degree blades from the Roland store today. Hope this will cure the problem. First cut the force was set a 50 with the blade adjusted as per the manual.

If you by direct from Roland, buy the five pack. Shipping is the same price, so you actually save about $2.00 per blade as opposed to a three pack.

Dave

 

[rushworks graphics]

thanks guys.... i have been using a roland plotter for the past 8/9 years so know about blade wear and hight/depth adjustment. like i said the blade is brande new with the machine, so nothing should be worn on it at all, i've used the cut feature no more than a few times as we normally print and mount stuff so no real need to use the blade. will take it out of the holder and check for damage. the speed is set at default and i know its not cutting fast as its quite slow on default.
thanks for all the tips though, much appreciated.

 

[rushworks graphics]

just checked the blade and it looks fine..so no broke blade, was kinda hoping that was the problem as i have spares from our roland plotter......maybe try one of those blades instead.

 

[CentralSigns]

thanks guys.... i have been using a roland plotter for the past 8/9 years so know about blade wear and hight/depth adjustment. like i said the blade is brande new with the machine, so nothing should be worn on it at all, i've used the cut feature no more than a few times as we normally print and mount stuff so no real need to use the blade. will take it out of the holder and check for damage. the speed is set at default and i know its not cutting fast as its quite slow on default.
thanks for all the tips though, much appreciated.

Same here I've run the Summa for ever so it's not a lack of experience issue. Just is odd that's all. I've checked height, re-checked height, looked at the edge, rechecked the edge, the strip and the machine were brand new as well. Absolutely no strip wear, hasn't cut enough or should I say hasn't ever cut through, ever. Same a s above default speeds which are not overly fast compared to fastest speed. Really not happy with blades and wear.

 

[rushworks graphics]

yeah, weird eh! and i know of others with rolands who are having the exact same issue. darn thing won't cut through standard cal or cast material unless the force is sky high when i know it should be set at around 50/60 on new blade/stripe etc!

 

[OldPaint]

ive had roland cutters starting with a PNC-1000. i think it has something to do with the solenoid that creates the down force. the PNC-1000 ATE BLADES. i replaced it with 2 PNC-1100's and was the total opposite. never bought many blades after the 1000. i now have a CX-300 and its also a good one. ive had it 3 years now and iam on the 2nd blade.
i would ask the roland rep to replace your down force solenoid.

 

[DRamm76]

From a guy in the field...

Usually it's a blade issue. Take a look at the tip using a loupe and compare to a new blade. It may be broken.

I also find that more that 50% of the shop I see have the tip out way too far. It should only extend a little more that the thickness of the vinyl + 1/2 the thickness of the release liner. It's not very much.

Also a worn teflon cutting strip does a wonderful job of snapping the tips off of new blades.

There is a service adjustment for cutter downforce, however I have only seen it to be significantly off on one VersaCAMM VP... as measured with a manual gf scale.

Finally, slowing down the machine will definitely promote a deeper/more forceful cut as there is a planing effect as you increase the cutting speed.

~E

P.S. I like Roland blades and Clean Cut blades.

Should be an E for EXACTLY..e-Dog..do you think it could also be a carriage cable? loose maybe?

 

[chas459]

i use arlon vinyl with their laminate and use cheap blades off ebay there like $1 ea, ive had many brands of blades and all use about the same force, i use 135 to cut standard vinyl but i also have a 15 mil laminate on 6 mil vinyl and use 300 g 3x to cut through it and no porblems, i run mostly the thick laminate and media and have never had a problem i use 60° blades