Roland GX-24 can't cut 10 feet accurately?

[IsItFasst]

So a customer wanted two racing stripes...nothing fancy. Essentially just a 10 foot by 6 inch wide set of rectangles. And the GX isn't even close when it gets to the end of the run. Starts off as 6 inches wide and ends up being about 6.25 (maybe more) by the end of the run. And to top it off, the weed border totally mis-cuts over the stripe leaving the stripes destroyed. Happened twice so I ended up having to scrap 20+ feet of material and just cut it on my SP-300v. Everyone always says (on here) it's from the material not being lined up properly but I forced out over 10 feet and the machine is tracking straight so it's just the cut that is off. Is this normal? I know this isn't a "top of the line" machine but I can go back to a budget machine for half the price that doesn't have this problem.

 

[gnatt66]

i cut long runs on my vp300 every time vs my small graphtec plotter. i cant get that graphtec to be anywhere near accurate at 5 feet.

 

[luis7777]

gx 24

Hello gx is very basic but I remember the previous model the cx did even some bus

 

[OldPaint]

question.......if your only cutting 2- 6" wide strips...................WHY DO YOU NEED A WEED BOARDER??? and what would be so hard to take a 10 ft length of vinyl and HAND CUT 2 LINES.......???????
YES THE CX/GX are not professional cutters. the big difference is EACH OF THE ROTATING POINTS!!!!
in the CX/GX all rotation parts are setting in NYLON BUSHING!!! these have a tendency to WOBBLE.
in the ROLAND PRO MACHINES all rotation points are sitting in BALL BEARINGS))))) these dont wobble.

 

[IsItFasst]

Well we don't "need" the weed border but we have it set to cut one by default so that option was turned on. While turning that off would have fixed the cuts across the stripes it being wider on one end is the main issue. Next time I cut I have told my guy to try it without the weed border to see what happens. But no matter what, the weed border still shouldn't have been off by that much.

Makes sense about the wobble though. Been considering replacing this machine since day one (only about a month old) since it has been nothing but problems compared to my cheap budget machine that lasted about a 8 years without any problems.

 

[1leonchen]

Seems like your pinch rollers are in need of change. do u leave your pinch rollers engaged. this will lead to warping. change pinch rollers and lower your speed to about 5. should work fine. Also pre feed media Roland doesn't like heavy rolls. if u have the stand engage the rollers on the feeder bar. Helps stabilize the media.

 

[striper14]

i had a creation 630 for years, didnt like fine detail or any more than 1.5 metres. Now i've got a summa 75, it loves detailed cutting & i've cut 5 metre decals for 2 caravans. The first one i set up with the special roll holders & it was perfect. The second, about 2 years later, i was getting cocky so just used the normal setup & it was almost a disaster even though i was hand feeding the media. I think the weight of the media & the way it folds over itself really comes into play in long cutting jobs.

In my case the media folded slightly different on one side & got a little stuck, enough to make that little noise of vinyl sliding in pinch roller that i hate. Because i was hand feeding the front trying to take some of the weight off i got to the off switch pretty quick. The decals were 90% cut & with a bit of creative hand cutting & adjustment i was able to save those 5 metre decals Installing was a pita too

 

[IsItFasst]

Seems like your pinch rollers are in need of change. do u leave your pinch rollers engaged. this will lead to warping. change pinch rollers and lower your speed to about 5. should work fine. Also pre feed media Roland doesn't like heavy rolls. if u have the stand engage the rollers on the feeder bar. Helps stabilize the media.

Surely this isn't the case as the machine is only about a month old. And I always leave the wheels up when not in use.

 

[BIG EASY DOES IT]

Is this going on a box truck or a car? If it's a car whats wrong with cutting panels?

 

[IsItFasst]

Is this going on a box truck or a car? If it's a car whats wrong with cutting panels?

It's going on a customers car via mail order so we send them the length they order (we have smaller sizes but this is the largest we offer). As stated in my original post I got it to work by cutting with my other machine so it's not an emergency (already shipped). Just simply wondering if this is the norm for this machine.

 

[Gene@mpls]

I regularly cut 20 foot logos with our GX-500 and I consider it way more accurate than the Roland VP. Keep in mind that the wider the
vinyl the easier it is to line up.

 

[JMPrinting]

Load the material, set to edge and then use the arrows and wind the roll to the full 10 feet and roll back. Make minor adjustments if needed to make sure it stays straight

 

[OldPaint]

I regularly cut 20 foot logos with our GX-500 and I consider it way more accurate than the Roland VP. Keep in mind that the wider the
vinyl the easier it is to line up.

GX-500 IS A ROLAND PRO CAMM1........$5000 plotter))))it SHOULD work good)))))
you say you had it for bout a month?????
if you bought it NEW........ i would be talking to ROLAND.......if you bought it used.......it may be OPERATOR ERROR))))
rolands (cx-gx-24)can not pull media.............you have to have it loose. and long runs are not its strong point. i had an older model 24" PNC-1100 and routinely cut 10-15 foot lengths with no problems.
LINE UP & PRE FEED the desired length.........is your best shot on a CX/GX-24 machine.

 

[1leonchen]

i have use a few Roland over the years. and i have cut long and short lengths. i have use the same plotter and did 50 feet. are u certain u are align the vinyl properly. thats the only reason i can think of. the roland GX-500 cuts better than my mimaki. i cuts better than my friends graphtec.

Only thing i can think of is u are using like a 3m material with a clear liner and your pinch roller tension need adjusting.

 

[splizaat]

Sell the roland and buy a summa!

 

[S'N'S]

I have never had a problem with the GX cutting 10 to 15foot long, just recently cut 8 stripes 12' x 1/2" and all were perfect.
I rarely go over 10' unless I can't group the job, I can then weed that lot while cutting the next (I don't use weed boxes either as I can pack the job in tighter.
Are both stripes thicker one end and have you double checked the size in your cutting program to make sure it hasn't skewed a bit. To save on money when trying to sort a problem I replace the blade with a pen holder and use paper instead of wasting vinyl ...only had to do this once and it turned out to be the design/cut program itself....otherwise, never had a problem with the GX and would buy another without hesitation.

 

[Pat Whatley]

Sell the roland and buy a summa!

Exactly. Roland's are boat anchors.

 

[OldPaint]

GX/CX-24 are boat anchors............IF YOU PAID ATTENTION... these are entry level plotters. on the same grade as the "cats"))))))
i have never owned one of these........I KNEW BETTER.!!!!
i started out with a PNC-1000. this was rolands answer to to the GOOBER 4B. STILL IT WAS A PRO MODEL...... gerber did 15", the 1000 did 15", 18", or 20". it was limited to 62.99 inches of length of cut. i ran it from 92-2000. NEVER had much need for anything over 62" long........if i did i paneled it...then i bought a PNC-1100!!!! wow...24" wide, 35 ips cut.......liked it so well......when i set up my mobile shop.........GOT A 2ND ONE))))) never had any problems with either one. then i got a deal on a CX-300........i can actually cut vinyl and talk on the phone at the same time))))))) awesome machine..................

 

[splizaat]

I started out with a 24" Summa "entry level" plotter ten years ago and it still runs every single day for us. The only thing i've ever had to do is replace the cut strip (once) and blades. Work horse....and it's perfect, every.time. Entry Level doesn't mean much to me...