So Just how fast IS your Plotter...Really!

[custom sign center]

I recently watched a video made by one of my local competitors on how blazing fast his plotter is. He has a Summa and claims it its the fastest plotter... and granted, it was fast.
It made me think..."Hmm, I have no idea how fast my plotter really is, I should try it out".

I have a Graphtec 7000-130 and generally keep it in the 30 speed range. It cuts nice and accurate and I've never had any issues with it so I'm happy with what I have.
A couple days after watching the video I put about a yard of scrap vinyl on it and cranked it up to 85 ( top speed 105) and it was done cutting my little test before I could blink (ok, maybe slightly longer).

WOW! So now his plotter doesn't look any more spectacular than mine. Why is he claiming his is the fastest?

I have a large amount of vinyl jobs today and I was quite happy to know how fast I'll get these jobs plotted, so, I put a 10 yard roll of 48"white HP vinyl on my plotter for the first job, crank the speed up to 75 and send the job. It started out ok then I hear this thud as my plotter is whirring wildly.

The vinyl roll got yanked off the media feeders and goes rolling out on the floor in front of the plotter. I'm trying to roll it up without stepping on it or damaging the vinyl and place it back on the feeders but since I don't have Stretch Armstrong arms, I'm contorting my self every which way while using a few choice phrases in reference to the dingbats back at the Graphtec factory testing the speed of the plotters with an 8.5" x 11" sheet of vinyl all nodding their heads and smiling about how fast the plotters are.

Then the plotter finishes the job before I can get the vinyl rolled up. I chuckled and was grateful nobody was making video recording of the incident. I guess I'll feed the roll out more on the next job.

Now THAT would have been a video!

 

[gabagoo]

I run my Graphtec at 20...I found on higher speeds sometimes the blade can skate across the surface. I also keep my Summa at a slow speed but it is used primarily to cut printed graphics and I definitely want it tracking straight
I also have an envision and that sucker can go scary fast

 

[Aklaim]

I keep my graphtec at 60 for just about everything. I've gone up to 80 a few times but 60 is just fine for what we need. The key is to pre-feed your vinyl so that the motor isn't pulling on that heavy roll while its cutting. If you are using Cutting Master, there is a button that will pre-feed your vinyl out.

 

[SignManiac]

My Suzuki Hayabusa will top out at 186 mph but a crash at that speed is far worse than at 30 mph.

 

[OldPaint]

i remember the days of my ROLAND PNC-1000.........top speed 15 ips)))))))))) and that was STRAIGHT LINE!!!!! i soon moved to PNC-1100 24" 30-35 ips. was always happy with that speed. got a CX-300...10 to 850 mm/sec. (in increments of 10 mm/sec.)now the window says iam at 50.....and i see no need for more then that...........and iam never waiting on this one))))

 

[nashvillesigns]

mimaki fx 130

sigh.
i run mine around 20.
the last time i tried to run it at 100, it ripped the log right off the holder and BOOM, landed on the floor.

.......Did i mention it caused a z axis fault before the log hit the floor?

Now THAT is fast.

-Mosher

 

[synergy_jim]

My Suzuki Hayabusa will top out at 186 mph but a crash at that speed is far worse than at 30 mph.

I suspect your competition is struggling for things to brag about.....

 

[Pat Whatley]

My Summas cut vinyl faster than I can weed it and apply it so that's fast enough for me.

 

[Auburnpeanut]

I have had a gerber envision 15", a summa 30" and two graphtec 54". While the graphtecs can cut very fast, the quality is not quite on par with the summa or sprocket fed envision at the higher speeds. As someone pointed out the biggest drawback with the graphtec's is that it will yank on the roll if you don't have enough pre rolled out (or you can run it at significantly slower speed). The summa was design to stop cutting every so many feet and slowly roll out material then go back to position and cut. Basically it pre rolled its own material. It is a great feature that I would kill to have on our graphtec's. Back when we had the 30" Summa it was a daily occurence to run 150 to 300 feet of vinyl through it in a day. I think our record was around 500-600 feet in one day. That joker would cook. Man I miss it....

 

[TheSnowman]

I have a Mimaki which isn't really known for it's amazing accuracy, but it's worked good for me for 8 years so far. If I'm cutting something that was printed, I usually cut it at 10 or less. If it's just a solid color, I still won't do much above 20.

 

[dawg]

i working mainly with router..
some industrial machine runs 2000 ipm!!!

but... if you cut a 1 in sized letter, then the router what actually capable to cut with 2000 ipm it will run only 20-50 ipm on small objcts..

in 3d when all 3 axis moving simultan, and details are small the router slows down, even stops at corners ..

and i think plotters are same..

you can make a test, cut a 48 in circle with the max speed, and plotter will takes it.. sure not from the roll but from a 5 feet sheet of vynil..

if plotter has same method like routers , and well set acceleration, then it will cut small letters with same settings, but the actual cut will be way slower, due plotter cant accelerate up on small distances.. just like you cant turn in a streetcorner with 70 mile per hour like you can take the bend on interstate..

also can happen sharp corners will be cutted as rounded.. as plotter trying to keep up with the speed..
counting on how fast actually 100-500 ipm, can happen the knife just started to lifting and plotter already moving, so it will cut where was not expected..

 

[Z SIGNS]

I have the fastest plotter

We took an old plotter apart changed some of the resistors,messed with some of the dials on the control board and doubled the input voltage.
It now goes 2x the speed of light.
In fact when I put a 50 yard roll of vinyl in and hit send
it causes time to go backwards

 

[custom sign center]

We took an old plotter apart changed some of the resistors,messed with some of the dials on the control board and doubled the input voltage.
It now goes 2x the speed of light.
In fact when I put a 50 yard roll of vinyl in and hit send
it causes time to go backwards

Love it!

 

[visual800]

I got mine at SLOW. I DONT KNOW THE IPS BUT I SEE NO SENSE IN RUNNING TOP SPEED. IT WOULD SEEM TO ME IT WOULD WEAR THINGS OUT QUICKER. sorry bout all caps damn ipad

 

[S'N'S]

If I have a lot to cut, I have it going slow and cut to certain lengths, I can weed one length while cutting another... takes about the same time.

 

[GAC05]

We took an old plotter apart changed some of the resistors,messed with some of the dials on the control board and doubled the input voltage.
It now goes 2x the speed of light.
In fact when I put a 50 yard roll of vinyl in and hit send
it causes time to go backwards

If you can go with your plotter back in time can you go back to when Old Paint was making $600 hand painting a set of doors with a quart of muddy 1-Shot and a dirty Q-Tip and tell him to invest heavily in Roland, Summa & Graphtec.........


wayne k
guam usa

 

[Sign Works]

My Suzuki Hayabusa will top out at 186 mph but a crash at that speed is far worse than at 30 mph.

Suzuki Hayabusa + Sierra Nevada's ....................... What's a plotter?

 

[Kottwitz-Graphics]

I have a Summa D60, and i cut hi pef vinyl at 24. Slower if it is really detailed, but 24 is good for me.

And does the customer really need to know how fast the plotter runs? They will just think that the faster it runs,the cheaper it should be...

 

[CES020]

We took an old plotter apart changed some of the resistors,messed with some of the dials on the control board and doubled the input voltage.
It now goes 2x the speed of light.
In fact when I put a 50 yard roll of vinyl in and hit send
it causes time to go backwards

I think I got that job because it feels like I keep going backwards 1 step forward, 2 steps back.

 

[SignManiac]

We took an old plotter apart changed some of the resistors,messed with some of the dials on the control board and doubled the input voltage.
It now goes 2x the speed of light.
In fact when I put a 50 yard roll of vinyl in and hit send
it causes time to go backwards

Innovation, that's what makes this country great!