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Serious cutting issues with Graphtec!

Flame

Flame

New Member
Okay, I'm having some issues with my Graphtec. I'll try to explain my problem the best way I can.

First off, it's a 6 month old FC700-100. I'm using it to cut out digital prints.

Secondly, the issue is that I'm cutting some really thick stuff with it. Like 14mil, 18mil and even 22mil material. And when I cut them the blade drags across the surface of the material, leaving scratch lines on my laminate. It's is unacceptable to me, and I was curious if anyone knew of how to stop this problem.

I honestly don't have the blade out too far, and if it matters at all it's a 60 degree blade. It takes 5 passes to cut through this 22mil stuff and that means 5 passes of the blade scratching, and I hate having product leave here looking like that.

Any ideas?????


:thankyou:
 
TresL

TresL

New Member
Have you tried to slow the cut down?

On my CE3000 it does MUCH better when slowed way down on thick material.
 
Flame

Flame

New Member
Yeah, I've slowed it down. It still drags. The material doesn't really lift much, the blade just drags along as it is.....
 
Derf

Derf

New Member
Do you have a SW Graphtec or a real Graphtec?

The real ones have more down force.

is the Blade doing the damage when it drags over or the blade holder while its cutting?
 
Flame

Flame

New Member
I have a SW rebranded Graphtec. It says Graphtec though, comes with a Graphtec manual, and is apparently under a Graphtec warranty.

Okay, so when it's cutting something, when it jumps from one cut to go make another cut, the blade actually travels across the image. The machine doesn't bring the blade all the way up when it does this, and THAT'S when the blade drags.
 
Derf

Derf

New Member
I'd guess then your cutter needs to be fixed!

I do know that WS-Graphtecs have something done to them to dumb down the Down force to 400g from 600g and that may or may not have something to do with your cutter acting funny( or if you treat it like your Avatar treats the monitor that could have something to do with it) . either way it needs to be fixed. Do you get a loner or are you out a cutter while you send yours back for repairs.
 
Bradster941

Bradster941

New Member
See if you can turn off the tangential control from the control pad.
Hopefully then it will allow the blade holder "Y" travel to be 100% rather than proportional to what the sensor is reading.


.
 
Flame

Flame

New Member
Thought I solved the problem.... guess not.

Howard, looks like I'll have to be giving you a call here soon. Once I get freed up here a little bit, I'll give you a ring. Thanks for the offer.
 
H

Howard Keiper

New Member
Here's Graphtec's tech support #.
888 318 3247
It sounds to me like you have too much blade extended.
I don't think Tangential Control has anything to do with your problem.
Pay attention to your blade settings, as I told you.
FORCE....probably 35 or so depending on what you're cutting.
SPEED.....10
QUALITY...1-2
OFFSET.....CB 15U K-30
Do test cuts, especially CUTTING PRO when you think you're grtting close.
howard
 
flexiezine

flexiezine

New Member
I have a client running into the same issue when cutting Convex 6mil matte vinyl that has been laminated with a 12mil ProShield laminate.

From what I see, the media between the pinch rollers bows up as it feeds forwards and backwards, and contacting the cut blade, therefore causing a fine scratch/cut in the gloss laminate.

I have added a third pinch roller into the unit and the scratches have been reduced but not eliminated. Two more rollers are on the way to give me a total of 5 pinch rollers. Will post again after installing and testing.

I do not feel this is a flaw with the vinyl cutter seeing as the material is bowing up to contact the blade. The 18mil product has a memory to it. If you pick it up off the desk and then lay it back down, it takes 20-30 seconds to lay flat again...

The idea of a sled for the material to lay flat on while cutting may be worth investigating.
 
mladams7259

mladams7259

New Member
I had to cut some 20 mil material about a year ago and I had the same problem. This is not advice, just simply what I HAD to do because the material was just too thick and the blade wouldnt raise up high enough. The material wasnt bowing between the pinch rollers either. The the job had to get done as it was a rush order. When the machine would finish a cut and the blade would raise to travel to another place on the material to continue cutting I actually picked up on the blade holder assembly with my hand and followed it until it started cutting again. Not enough force to hurt anything just enough to raise it that extra 1/16 of an inch it needed to keep it from scoring the material as it traveled across it. Very aggravating. I havent attempted that again. Just thought I would add my war story.......
 
Flame

Flame

New Member
Dumb machine.....

Makes me want to go buy a flatbed plotter, so I don't run into these stupid problems anymore!!!

BTW... still haven't got it figured out.
 
signage

signage

New Member
Last edited:
Flame

Flame

New Member
No, haven't called Graphtec yet. It's one of them re-branded Signwarehouse plotters, but I can't seem to get ahold of Sign Warehouse. Calling never gets anywhere, and their online tech support doesn't work. So unless that changes in the next day or two, I suppose I do have to go straight to Graphtec. I can only imagine the run around I'm going to get though............................





edit: Oh yeah, blue tipped.
 
flexiezine

flexiezine

New Member
I recently added 3 pinch rollers to a 30" model giving it a total of 5 rollers and this made a significant improvement.

This allows a 4" to 6" seperation between each pinch roller and hold the material pretty flat. Material memory issues are still there and an occassional scrath can be seen but significantly reduced.

Adding pinch rollers is not for the average user... several chasis parts have to be removed along with the entire cuthead and drive belt. Took me about 2 or 2 1/2 hours to get all three in place and buttoned back up.

Pinch rollers are not cheap either.
 
Flame

Flame

New Member
Tried re-adjusting the roller positions... that helped.

Oh, and got ahold of Sign Warehouse. Looks like they'll be helping me work it out. Kudos guys.
 
E

EZAMORA

New Member
what do you guys mean re-branded graphtec and real graphtec? how do i know i have the real one.?? is there two types of graphtecs??? and what does SW mean?? i got my graphtec at signwarehouse im sure its the real one right??
 
signage

signage

New Member
The re-branded one are the ones SW sells as their own brand, these have less features than the true Graphtecs. When you purchased it from signwarehouse did you tell them you wanted a specific graphtec model or did you just order what they told was a Graphtec?
 
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