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Opos reads registration marks but is off on cutlines

solemn_art

New Member
Hello,

I am using a Summa s160 plotter w / colorburst RIP software (files created in AI). Colorburst creates the registraton marks for the opos eye to read.
When cutting material w/out a matte laminate, the eye/cutter usualy works fine. However, when the vinyl is laminated the eye seems to read the registration marks correctly but is off when cutting the contour lines.
I have tried adjusting the speed on the plotter and double checked that my contour lines were correct on the original file. Could the laminate be causing the problem? Maybe someone else has solved a similar issue.
 

Roen

New Member
I've got a similar issue I've had to make due with regarding our wide-format Summa cutter as well, only I rip and cut right out of flexi. It reads the registration marks perfectly fine, but there's a variance in the cut lines (and they are consistent each time, so I've been able to compensate). Its been a round about method of trial and error, but I've figured that I have to actually move each contour line down and to the right (that's when the media is loaded), .13 inches in both directions. Its the most bizarre issue ever, and by fixing that when I rip and print, I've been able to compensate nearly dead-on, its just annoying to have to do every single time.

I've called our techs multiple times now from ND Graphics and Gerber both, including the sale's rep and they all just pass me along to someone else who recommends I just realign the media and do a dozen or so calibrations - nothings worked. I've yet to actually get a tech in here to look at it, as its pretty much just become an annoyance rather than an issue, but I figure one day I'll really have to get the damned machine looked at.

Hope my relatively similiar plight helps,

- Roen
 

Jim Doggett

New Member
Check with their support: 800.323.5766, I think. The main line can get you there too, at 800.527.7778.

They should have tips for matte laminate. And, yep, that's most likely the source of the problem. If not, Summa techs should know what is and how to resolve it.

Matte, especially thicker mattes, such as Lexan, diffract the light from the scanner making the edge of the OPOS mark fuzzy. OPOS scans in a 3-step method: acquire mark; scan width; scan height. It needs a nice, crisp mark to perform at its best. OPOS X is the best contour alignment system of its type, IMO. But the mark design goes back to the very first OPOS system ... and isn't ideal insofar as its crispness is a factor. Shape recognition, like that used on the OPOS CAM, iCut, OptiScout, etc, is much faster and more forgiving.
 

Jim Doggett

New Member
I've got a similar issue I've had to make due with regarding our wide-format Summa cutter as well, only I rip and cut right out of flexi. It reads the registration marks perfectly fine, but there's a variance in the cut lines (and they are consistent each time, so I've been able to compensate). Its been a round about method of trial and error, but I've figured that I have to actually move each contour line down and to the right (that's when the media is loaded), .13 inches in both directions. Its the most bizarre issue ever, and by fixing that when I rip and print, I've been able to compensate nearly dead-on, its just annoying to have to do every single time.

I've called our techs multiple times now from ND Graphics and Gerber both, including the sale's rep and they all just pass me along to someone else who recommends I just realign the media and do a dozen or so calibrations - nothings worked. I've yet to actually get a tech in here to look at it, as its pretty much just become an annoyance rather than an issue, but I figure one day I'll really have to get the damned machine looked at.

Hope my relatively similiar plight helps,

- Roen

Hi Roen,

Is your Summa (I assume Gerber branded) based on the prior SummaSign Pro or the newer Summa S Class? I ask because it makes a major difference if your OPOS is the 2.0 or newer X edition. If 2.0, you'll have a more challenging task when using many laminates, especially matte. The X edition uses a white light scanner that's much better reading thorugh lamination.

Also, I'm sure the private label version is supposed to be supported by the dealer and/or Gerber. But Summa techs are a much better source, and I think they might help out ... or should. Support, I believe, is not a cost-center. It's the cheapest and most-effective marketing a company can buy.. I think Summa subscribes to that belief (if not, remind them :^)

Good luck,

Jim
 

gabagoo

New Member
I found with our Summa (d-140) that if we laminated using a semi gloss that I had problems getting the eye to read the balck squares so we then decided to laminate leaving 1/8" so that the black marks were not covered and it seemed to work fine until last week when it did go kookoo on the contour cut. I found that the eye actually was reading the edge of the laminate and then recalculating the cut. We now cover everything and it seems to be working again.
 

dclet

New Member
Also ask them about adjusting the sensitivity, in addition to the CAL-OPOS routine.

it's all in the manual. You'll have to print a black square, lam it an calibrate with that...

you may also want to change the lighting above the machine...

summa users digital-graphica.com


Did you try doing it from winplot...
make sure the "eye" is clean...
 
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