Summa S160 T / Onyx 7.3

[nate]

Anyone have this combination? Here's my trouble:

Just got a Summa S160T. I use Onyx RIP, version 7.3.

When I print images in lengths of five feet or smaller, the Summa tracks perfectly when doing the cut.

When I get to any lengths of media longer than that the cutter gets off track pretty bad (typically an inch or so) pretty quickly (maybe within the first foot or two).

I have Onyx setup to use OPOS. The cutter finds all of the registration marks with ease. The cutter is connected via USB not Serial.

Any ideas?

 

[hybyza]

Not a software problem at all, if tracking is bad, there are no many things you can consider apart from cutting speed.
1. Check position of the pinch rollers and the double pressure option of the pinch roller.
2. Check the metallic rolls on the back of the plotter, are they in the same spot placed? there are 3 possible spots, check you are using the same one for the two side of the vinyl roll.
3. As you said you has just got I consider the plotter is new, so no mention of the pinch rollers themselves (if the rollers are old they can provoke this problems).
4. Are you using autoload ON? which kind of media are you using, vinyl, mask...? Are you using roll or just pieces of media? Are you using the flanges for the media roll?

There are some more things to consider, but these are the first ones to consider, usually easy ones to solve, I hope these tips can help you a bit.

 

[Bly]

I use Onyx 7.3 and a Summacut 120.

After a couple of disastrous print/cuts over about 2.5 metres I always try and keep my jobs under that length and have accurate reliable cuts.

Sorry to not have a solution.

 

[nate]

I use Onyx 7.3 and a Summacut 120.

After a couple of disastrous print/cuts over about 2.5 metres I always try and keep my jobs under that length and have accurate reliable cuts.

Sorry to not have a solution.

While looking at Onyx's website last night I came across this:

http://www.onyxgfx.com/index.php?area=viewinfo&action=kbase&id=50170000000OmCeAAK

Which seems to indicate Onyx has a problem. I sent over an email to see if this knowledgebase article is still valid, and if so if the driver they speak of is available.

 

[nate]

Not a software problem at all, if tracking is bad, there are no many things you can consider apart from cutting speed.
1. Check position of the pinch rollers and the double pressure option of the pinch roller.
2. Check the metallic rolls on the back of the plotter, are they in the same spot placed? there are 3 possible spots, check you are using the same one for the two side of the vinyl roll.
3. As you said you has just got I consider the plotter is new, so no mention of the pinch rollers themselves (if the rollers are old they can provoke this problems).
4. Are you using autoload ON? which kind of media are you using, vinyl, mask...? Are you using roll or just pieces of media? Are you using the flanges for the media roll?

There are some more things to consider, but these are the first ones to consider, usually easy ones to solve, I hope these tips can help you a bit.

1. Tried with both settings of pressure on the rollers. It's 54" wide media, so the rollers are as evenly spaced throughout the media as possible

3. Yes brand new out of the box.

4. Autoload is On, 3M 1J180-C v3 media w/ laminate and 3M IJ 35-10, Have tried it both with the roll and without, and yes using the supplied flanges when I used the roll.

 

[Letterbox Mike]

It sounds like the media is not loaded perfectly straight. If you're off a tiny bit, you won't notice it on shorter runs, but if you're off at all, the longer it runs out the more pronounced it becomes. I know it sounds over simple, but just make absolutely sure your media is cut square to begin with, and make sure you load it absolutely square in the plotter.

Also make sure your pinch rollers and grit rollers are clean, if one has alot of buildup on it it can cause uneven tracking. Also make sure the pressure is the same on both outside rollers. If one is set to high and the other to low that will cause it.

This doesn't sound like a software problem, Onyx doesn't control how straight the media feeds, that's a function purely of how straight it's loaded and roller pressure/cleanliness.

For what it's worth we have the S160D and have plotted 75'+ prints without more than 1/4" skew from one side to another, which OPOS will compensate for easily.

 

[Jake - Advantage Signs]

We have the same kind of problem at my shop... When I have to large runs, we just break them into smaller chunks to keep the length down -- same as Bly.

 

[nate]

Got this from tech support @ Onyx:

"What version of the Onyx software are you running? To find this go to the Help menu from the Rip-Queue and select About (bottom option). The version build number will be in blue text in the lower right.

There was an issue in 7.3.0.57 with Summa cutters and long cut jobs. This may be what you are encountering. This is resolved in our latest build of 7.3.2. Below are the links for the program and printer drivers:
ftp://ftp.onyxgfx.net/pub//v7/082409_732onlinerelease/Program/
ftp://ftp.onyxgfx.net/pub//v7/082409_732onlinerelease/Printers/

If you are on 7.2.0 the problem was not there. If you do choose to update to 7.3.2, make sure you backup and custom medias or quicksets. Also restart the computer before updating. If you have Colorspan, or Seiko printers, you will need to uninstall and reinstall.

Let me know what version you are running and if you decide to move up to 7.3.2."


I did indeed have version 7.3.0.57. I did the upgrade to the version refrenced above and all works great. I just did a thirty foot piece and it tracked perfectly.

 

[Letterbox Mike]

Just to make sure we're on the same page, is the tracking issue the media skewing to one side or the other (crooked) or is OPOS trying to "shorten" the media, thinking it's shorter or longer than it actually is?

If the media is skewing, software has absolutely nothing to do with that, it doesn't "steer" the vinyl through the plotter, you load the vinyl, and whatever angle the vinyl is loaded at is the angle it will feed through the plotter (unless roller pressure is off or one roller is dirtier than another causing it to lose traction on that side). If it's loaded straight, it will feed straight, no matter how long (as long as there are no outside interruptions), if it's loaded crooked, it'll feed crooked.

If it is having an issue with the length of the media, i.e. thinking the print is longer or shorter than it actually is, that sounds like a software problem, either in Onyx or in the plotter itself.

 

[Bly]

It's not the plotter.
I can cut a whole roll of 610mm wide vinyl with the rollers right on the edge.

 

[nate]

Just to make sure we're on the same page, is the tracking issue the media skewing to one side or the other (crooked) or is OPOS trying to "shorten" the media, thinking it's shorter or longer than it actually is?

I see I should have been clearer. The print was always shorter than the cut itself. I said tracking for lack of a better word, which was obviously a poor choice of words.

 

[Letterbox Mike]

Ah, okay, now it's making sense! Tracking typically refers to sideways skew or lack thereof.

Yes, that's a problem with Onyx. I'd see if you can back it down to 7.2. We're on 7.2 and it's been the most stable, bug-free version of it we've had (we've been on it since 6.0).

 

[hybyza]

So if tracking is referring to shorten the image with respect to the cut then it is a software problem as insignia says, with tracking I understood misalignment of the media, not problem interpreting the cut path; sorry for my poor English trying to understand the problem itself and having mistaken all of you.