Onyx Cut Server and Graphtec FC7000-160

[Natty]

We are having trouble with our Graphtec FC7000-160. The fact that the cuts are so inaccurate when cutting anything over say a couple feet is obvious, but sometimes once a file is printed we are not recieving the cut info in Cut Server 2.0. It seems once some files are printed with Production House ver.6 they will end up with a red X beside the file... saying printing error? Needless to say we have been doing alot more hand cutting than we should...

Another issue is sometimes when the file prints and sends cut info correctly, the plotter has trouble reading each corner registration mark. We have tried everything to remedy this including checking the lens for dust, varying the room lighting etc. Sometime a file just wont work? Frustrating... any suggestions?

Thanks for your time

 

[Letterbox Mike]

We went through two FC7000s and an FC5100 before giving up on graphtec, I don't think they're that good at contour cutting. I'm not sure about the printing error issues, that sounds like a software issue that we've never encountered, but your plotter issues are par for the course.

We solved some of the missed registration mark issues bu builing a cardboard "hood" to cover the plotter while it was looking for the marks, if there was any light leaking they wouldn't find it (all three different plotters had the same issue). Aside from that, long cuts would walk off skew, and it was never overly accurate to begin with.

I wish I could offer you more help, try the hood thing to see if it works. For what it's worth I feel your pain. We've sinced moved on to a Summa plotter and have nothing but praise for their equipment, it's really excellent.

 

[Letterbox Mike]

Actually, while I'm thinking of it, what file format were your cut files when you got the printer error? I do recall having a couple missing cut files when we used .pdf files with cut paths. Didn't happen all the time, but I remember a handful of times.

 

[Charlie J]

I've had really great quality out of my graphtec. Tracks great over +10ft. I do get annoyed with the mark scan errors though.

 

[Natty]

files were all eps files... oh yeah, the mark scan errors ....AAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

 

[Mspec]

It's been a while since I've worked with that setup, but I seem to remember being able to tweak the density of the reg marks in order to make them easier for the cutter to see. In 6.0 I think it was in the printer config, I could be wrong as I don't have a system to look at right now. I know I had to do that in order to get I-Cut bar codes to read correctly, and it resolved the issue.

 

[particleman]

Are you running the latest firmware? When I talked to graphtec first thing they always have me do before even troubleshooting is upgrade the firmware. It is easy and has fixed our issues before. Production House 6? If the version is like postershop you are a whole version behind, I would do is upgrade your software if you are having print cut issues on that end. Maybe a work around for you on the cut files not generating, click your printer in onyx, goto configure printer and change the connection method from firewire to print to file. Now you can resend the job and a new cut file is generated without actually printing anything. Good chance that particular issue is fixed in a new version of onyx though.

Our experience with print and cut with onyx and graphtec in short has been a roller coaster ride. The FC5100 we had worked, but we never got precise cuts with it. It is not uncommon for our cutter to run the better part of a work day. We stopped fighting the 5100 and got a 7000 last year. The ARMS sensor is much better, no doubt, but the whole setup just doesn't work as good as I think it should though. I blame most of the issues though on onyx postershop. To this day we constantly deal with bugs and quirks in Cut Server 2.0. There is a bug currently that deals with overlaping anchor points, you will get a random line across your cuts, HUGE PAIN when your trying to do volume work. There is another bug when you setup a page size as a sheet, send 50 signs so they print in say groups of 8 (to be cut) Onyx will randomly leave off the graphtec cut marks. We're learned to deal with the quirks of both the software and the cutter. We've found that for very precise jobs to use the "dead on" tutorial on graphtecs website and finecut. It does work, but is slow.

 

[d fleming]

My fc7000 runs to perfection using signlab. Contour cuts so precise I don't need to print bleeds. Very rarely get a markscan error.