Summa S2 T140 stops mid-plot

[avlprint]

Hello all! This is my first post on these boards and I need your help!

My shop has recently bought a new Summa S2 T140 (we primarily print and cut stickers) and every time I've run a sheet through the machine it will cut between 25-75% of the sheet and then it stops mid-job and the Summa reverts back to the main menu screen. I'm on Windows 10 and we use the Cut-Server on Onyx Thrive v. 19 to cut (along with the Summa Cutter Control, which is also spotty in its usability for me...)

I'm convinced it's a communication error (the indicator light next to the USB port on the Summa is flashing instead of staying stationary), but I can't seem to fix it. I've tried different USB cords, turned off my computer's USB drivers power saving mode, deactivated firewalls, etc etc. I haven't tried setting it up over an ethernet cable because our computer only has one ethernet port, and that is being used by our Epson. And if it's not a communication error, what could it be?

I've been tearing my hair out over this, and any suggestions would be amazing! Thank you!

 

[PHILJOHNSON]

Hi Avlprint,

Sorry to hear about the difficulties with your Summa. The interruption and cancellation of the jobs could be caused by a number of different things, but I have a few ideas to try that might help you narrow down the problem. Here are some things to try -

• If you are using sheets, make sure that you leave enough of a tail on the front and rear of the sheet to make sure the media sensors are covered. If you are using a clear material with a clear liner then it is pretty likely that the media sensor is being tripped during the cutting process which would cancel the job. Also, if you cut the end of each sheet and the edge is uneven then that could also potentially cause the sensor to be tripped, which would cancel the job. I would keep an eye on that and it could likely be your culprit
• You will also want to update your firmware to the latest revision if you haven't already. The latest firmware revision is 23 and you can download that here - https://www.airmark.com/pages/s2-vinyl-cutter-downloads
• Once the firmware is updated, I would try using Winplot to output a few jobs and see if you have similar issues. If you don't have any communication issues using Winplot then Onyx is the likely cause of the communication issues and you will want to work with Onyx to ensure you have the correct driver and port selected within the program.
• If you've tried all the above and are still having communication issues you might try using a different computer. It is less likely the computer will end up being the issue, but in an effort to rule everything out I would maybe try a different computer as a last ditch effort. If the second computer doesn't work, and you've tried everything else I listed above, I would suggest either sending the cutter in for evaluation or getting someone on-site to your facility to do some testing.

Feel free to PM me or send me an email to philj@airmark.com if you would like to pick my brain on this.

Best regards,

Phil Johnson
Airmark Corporation
(800)527-7778, ext 112
philj@airmark.com

 

[avlprint]

Thank you for your response, Phil! I have a feeling you're right on the money with the sheets being too short... I am going to try your suggestions and I'll report back.

 

[iPrintStuff]

You can also turn the media sensors off if you want to test a job. If it cuts fine, you know it’s that.

I usually leave at least 50mm (~2”) at the front and back of each sheet and don’t have any problems. Any reason you’re doing sheets, too?

Nothing I enjoy more than just loading a roll up and wandering off. Especially as it cuts each sheet off after it’s done so I can work through them as it’s still cutting if I wanted.

 

[Saturn]

Another vote for needing 2-2.5" tail after the last reg marks.

 

[avlprint]

So I'm still working through the suggestions but I thought I'd report back what I've done so far:

Even with a 2-2.5" tail on it, the sheet I just ran through stopped cutting after only 30 seconds. And I'm working with sheets right now instead of the roll for troubleshooting purposes -- I don't want to print a whole roll of stuff only to have each sheet on the roll give me issues. Working with sheets seems a bit more manageable than a full roll while I get this problem figured out, plus I'm still messing around with finding the best velocity/pressure/etc.

I'll report back after further tinkering!

 

[avlprint]

Ran a sheet through WinPlot and it worked all the way through! My question then is how do I implement the barcode functionality through WinPlot? Is that possible? I've been printing the barcode through Onyx but it looks like Onyx is what is giving me the issue...

 

[Saturn]

I don't think there is a way to use the barcode through WinPlot. If there is, I'd be very excited to learn about it too!

The barcode may not work, but WinPlot and the Summa do a great job of cutting multiple sheets of the the same job, as well as multiple jobs that are the same on a roll. Those scenarios can be automated pretty easily with little fuss.

 

[PHILJOHNSON]

Good morning,

Good to hear that everything worked out of Winplot without any issues. As far as using the barcode process through Winplot, Saturn is correct that Winplot does not have this functionality. That said, you could output your Onyx files by selecting "cut to folder" under the port settings for your output device. What that will do is generate a cut file(.plt file) that you can then send to your cutter using the barcode server in Summa Cutter Control. You can download a copy of Summa Cutter Control here - https://www.airmark.com/pages/s2-vinyl-cutter-downloads and it is included with the Summa Cutter Tools(version 2.14.0.0).

Once you have Summa Cutter Control installed and have setup your cut to folder for Onyx, you will need to go and select that same folder in the barcode server in Summa Cutter Control before you'll be able to transmit your files to the cutter.

Let me know how everything goes and feel free to PM me or send me an email to philj@airmark.com if there's anything I can do to help out.

Best regards,

Phil Johnson
Airmark Corporation
(800)527-7778, ext 112
philj@airmark.com

 

[KeithMan]

Ran a sheet through WinPlot and it worked all the way through! My question then is how do I implement the barcode functionality through WinPlot? Is that possible? I've been printing the barcode through Onyx but it looks like Onyx is what is giving me the issue...

We have the same issue. Did you talk to Onyx? I haven't called them yet, but I guess that is the next step. I notice that Cut Server crashes frequently right after sending the file to the cutter.

 

[netsol]

keithman
did you also update the drivers (usb) as a starting point?