s80600 warping prints

[jharler]

So I've had my s80600 for about two and a half months now and I'm having a problem. Contour cuts on my Graphtec FC9000-160 are off on my prints. Cuts on the outer edge of the vinyl are dead on, but cuts in the middle are always off about 1/16" and it's a gradual change. I created a 58" wide test print that has a long rectangle with a cut in the middle of the line and you can see the thickness of the cut line vary. At first I suspected the Graphtec and spent weeks going back and forth with Grimco and Graphtec tech support trying to get to the bottom of it. It wasn't until I tried the exact same print file on my Roland SP300V and got a perfect cut out of the Graphtec that I started suspecting the printer. I've since done test that show that if I flip the print 180 degrees, the cuts are off in the opposite direction, exactly as you'd expect if the print was being warped in one direction by the printer. These prints are all unlaminated, by the way, so that's not a factor.

Anyway, I'm trying to get an Epson tech out here but they've been giving me the run around (send video, send more photos, blame the cutter, try this, update firmware, try only one head, etc. etc) and nothing is making a difference. Has anyone experienced this with their machine? I'm using Onyx, but I've already had Onyx tech support remote in to reinstall and make sure the configuration was good.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Saturn]

Can you try your test without any heat and see if it's still off?

I know Summa can compensate for some amount of bowing, not sure about Graphtec.

 

[jharler]

Unfortunately, that was one of the first things I tried after suspecting the printer and it didn't make any difference. Heat or no heat, it still warps.

 

[tudouqiezi]

Have you tried CM4 for cutting?

 

[jharler]

Yes, I get the same result from CM4 and CM5. It's not the Graphtec and it's not the files. The exact same files printed on my Roland SP300V cut perfectly.

 

[signheremd]

Sounds a bit like a bad grip roller on the Epson, but could be a calibration issue. Epson support is your best answer. I would put a little pressure on the company that sold it to you - polite, persistent insistence...

 

[jharler]

Yeah, I'm trying to get an Epson tech in to fix it, but they seem reluctant to send someone. I'm going to keep trying.

 

[swordguy3222]

How is the print quality in the middle? If the print quality is a little less the on the edges then there might be some smoot on the encoder trip. I've had that happen on mine. Try giving it a wipe with clean dry cloth. Might be all it needs.

 

[jharler]

Thanks for the suggestion. I tried it but it didn't make any difference. I've wasted another 10 feet of vinyl today jumping through more hoops given to me by Epson support. It doesn't appear to be happening on my Sihl paper, but I can't run that through the cutter to be sure.

 

[jharler]

Forgot to answer your question. There is no discernable difference in the print quality in the middle vs the edges. Without the cuts, you'd never realize anything was wrong.

 

[jharler]

Here's an update for anyone following this. Epson finally conceded the fact that a technician was needed. I got a call from the technician and after answering some of his questions, he said what I was describing shouldn't be physically possible. He also said he was backed up over a week, so he was going to speak with his manager. Who knows what happens from here.

 

[MelloImagingTechnologies]

Wow! You bought equipment from Grimco and can’t get help?
What a shocker!

 

[jharler]

To be fair, Grimco was responsive and did take steps to help figure out the problem and the support tech I was working with has continued to check in asking if my problem has been fixed. If the technician I spoke with the other day is correct, this is a very unusual problem that they may have never seen before.

 

[swordguy3222]

I can't buy Epson parts from Epson, very dumb, but Grimco lets me buy them thru them so I don't have much to complain about them.

 

[jharler]

Just an update for anyone following this. The independent tech that Epson sent out was here earlier today. He verified the problem and believes it's an issue from assembly that they cannot fix in the field. I'll probably have to wait for an official Epson tech to visit my site to verify, but it's looking like I need a new printer.

 

[tudouqiezi]

Have you solved all your problems now?

Just an update for anyone following this. The independent tech that Epson sent out was here earlier today. He verified the problem and believes it's an issue from assembly that they cannot fix in the field. I'll probably have to wait for an official Epson tech to visit my site to verify, but it's looking like I need a new printer.

 

[jharler]

Not yet. A week after the tech visited the first time, I received a call from Epson to take a survey on my repair service. I clarified with the rep that there was no repair done and was told my printer was unrepairable. That their system should show that. She said there was no such indication in their system and that the engineers were looking into it and I would hear back. A few days later, I got a call from a top tech from Epson saying engineers in Japan were looking into ways to fix my problem. A week later, I get a call from the original tech saying they wanted him to come back to fix my unfixable printer. He talked to his supervisor and I sent a strongly worded message to Grimco to get them on Epson about this. Another week passes and the tech comes back with a file that the Japanese engineers wanted him to print and measure. Two days after that, I finally got the call that they were sending me a replacement. It's been over a week now and I'm still waiting on that tracking number...

 

[tudouqiezi]

I apologize for repeating my problem to you in another thread, I have the exact same problem as you, unfortunately I can't get any support as my Epson is out of warranty, I can't tell at this point if this is a FC9000-160 problem or an Epson problem, very much looking forward to good news about your problem solving afterwards!

Not yet. A week after the tech visited the first time, I received a call from Epson to take a survey on my repair service. I clarified with the rep that there was no repair done and was told my printer was unrepairable. That their system should show that. She said there was no such indication in their system and that the engineers were looking into it and I would hear back. A few days later, I got a call from a top tech from Epson saying engineers in Japan were looking into ways to fix my problem. A week later, I get a call from the original tech saying they wanted him to come back to fix my unfixable printer. He talked to his supervisor and I sent a strongly worded message to Grimco to get them on Epson about this. Another week passes and the tech comes back with a file that the Japanese engineers wanted him to print and measure. Two days after that, I finally got the call that they were sending me a replacement. It's been over a week now and I'm still waiting on that tracking number...

 

[jharler]

What I did was to print out a file that had long, horizontal lines. When I hold a straight edge to the lines, the small and gradual bow is visible along the line of the straight edge. In my case, the printer is bowing exactly in the middle of 60" media and happens regardless of the media type. The reason I discovered it was my printer and not my cutter was printing the same file on a different printer. If you know of a local shop that can print your files on their printer, you can test their print with your cutter. You can also change the print orientation to see if the cuts are different. If it's the cutter, print orientation shouldn't make any difference.

I just reached out to my contact at Epson again this morning for an update on the shipment. I'll post an update in this thread once I get the printer and the problem is resolved, or to give an update if anything else occurs.

 

[MelloImagingTechnologies]

Sounds a lot like carriage motion problems.
I would have changed the encoder strip and sensor and if that didn't work, the carriage drive motor.
Bruce