Question Weeding vinyl quickly : text

[GAC05]

I gave it a go in Illustrator.
I can't get what I want using the pathfinder tool but shape builder worked.
Expand your line of text to paths
Draw a line over them
Select all the paths
Grab the shape builder tool and hold the alt key down while clicking each overlapping segment on the split line and they go away

Seems like there should be a way to use some of the weld tools to trim or crop out those segments without selecting them one by one.
In Corel you can copy your line of text to the clipboard - select the text and the line and do a weld (front minus back) and then paste back in the copied text - done.

 

[ikarasu]

Graphtec has an option to add a weed border and weed lines. It'll only add weed lines if there's nothing in it's way, so it doesn't work for some lines of text... But for the most part it does.

We buy 7725 vinyl. It's probably 25% more than other cast vinyls..m but it has a synthetic backer and you can weed it 10x faster than a paper backer. It more than pays for itself in labor.... I wish other companies offered a synthetic as well.

 

[CKCUSTOMKC]

I gave it a go in Illustrator.
I can't get what I want using the pathfinder tool but shape builder worked.
Expand your line of text to paths
Draw a line over them
Select all the paths
Grab the shape builder tool and hold the alt key down while clicking each overlapping segment on the split line and they go away

Seems like there should be a way to use some of the weld tools to trim or crop out those segments without selecting them one by one.
In Corel you can copy your line of text to the clipboard - select the text and the line and do a weld (front minus back) and then paste back in the copied text - done.

yea for some reason I can figure out the pathfinder way in illustrator either, shapebuilder was a good call though works for me, ill keep exploring and let you know if I find another way.

 

[bob]

What plotter and software are you using to cut with? Graphtec has a setting to not cut intersecting lines. So in theory you could just draw lines through your text and the plotter will only cut the segments in between.
I tried this a few times and it was inconsistent but it might have been something I was doing. Not sure how I would do it in AI. Seems like weld or trim should be able to subtract the intersecting lines but it does not look like it works with a single open path. Also shape builder would be an option but it just locked up AI twice

Welding the text and the line produces more consistent results than trim. Usually.

 

[DAVID MARSHALL]

Try

eCut for CorelDRAW - Main

eng.e-cut.ru

This program cuts my weeding time by at least 50%. It's Russia based. Make sure you use a burner credit card, I had issues.

 

[Boudica]

Try

eCut for CorelDRAW - Main

eng.e-cut.ru

This program cuts my weeding time by at least 50%. It's Russia based. Make sure you use a burner credit card, I had issues.

Thanks for the heads up on scetchy crap... In the form of a recommendation for it?

 

[Notarealsignguy]

.ru = no go

 

[ProSignTN]

For small letters, put it in the freezer overnight. Let it thaw, (room temp) the next day. It works.

 

[CKCUSTOMKC]

For small letters, put it in the freezer overnight. Let it thaw, (room temp) the next day. It works.

you know, initially I though that sounds like you're pulling my leg on that, but the more I think about it, the more it sounds like a perfect idea for small lettering

 

[MJ-507]

Practice. I like a tweezers for most things. Maybe I'll try that finger thing James showed! Tell him it has to get done before he leaves, maybe that will speed up the process.

Or he will work slower and count the OT hours as they add up.

 

[citysignshop]

It's worth spending time at the FRONT end, which will save HOURS at the Back End!
cut one line, weed, assess. put a new blade in the plotter, reset the force, cut, weed, assess.
often less pressure, a bit slower, allows the blade to penetrate, without over cutting or scoring the backing.
Depending on the vinyl, some weed best right after cutting, as the blade has sheared thru the adhesive...this can flow back together, so it weeds terrible the next day! As others have noted, especially with calendared vinyl, the cut lines may shrink and open up over time, so waiting is preferred. Some vinyls, we'd put outside in the sun...then they weeded much better! or.....we put them in the fridge for an hour...weeding much improved! I think you get the idea!

Another method....tape down the corners, and weed in one fast rip! Yes, you'll lose the odd letter that's facing the 'wrong' way, but you are going back in to remove the centres, so just have a sheet of extra letters, and replace the odd missing one.
Set a timer for each batch you're doing, and you'll prove to yourself which is truly the most efficient way.
Weeding sucks...and can be a money loser for you!
Prodding and harassing the worker will not make him weed faster or better....unless you pay by piecework!

 

[Gino]

I can't believe there are this many theories on weeding. It can only be one of maybe 2 or 3 things.

* Cutting to deep, regardless of a sharp or dull knife.
* Equipment is lacking.
* Old or bad vinyl.

Something I've been during for quite a few years is to, do a path around everything ever-so-slight and round the edges. It's not noticeable with the naked eye, but it does wonders for the blade no matter what the condition is. Talk about an extra step. it takes about 3 seconds regardless of how much, what size or anything else to do this step.

There could be another cause, but none that really pertain to the original question.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

1/2" letters don't help matters either. There is no real magic trick to easily weed that

 

[Gino]

Back in the early 80's the gerbers were known for 1/4" without a problem and if you were careful you could go do upper and lower case at that size, too. Today's cutters, vinyl and people are worthless compared to what is was back then. That's progress for ya.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

Back in the early 80's the gerbers were known for 1/4" without a problem and if you were careful you could go do upper and lower case at that size, too. Today's cutters, vinyl and people are worthless compared to what is was back then. That's progress for ya.

Back when you literally put weights on it and the pressure was exactly the same with no potential for software or hardware control issues as it went along. They also didn't skew, you could cut 150' pinstripe with them but cost more than a new car.
What would the cricut forums have to say about cutting and weeding sandblast mask? You go rip weeding that to hurry back to see what's up on tiktok and you'd get fired.

 

[Gino]

Any tool for your company/business if it's right, could very well be expensive. You simply put those costs into the cost of doing business. My first system back in 1985, cost me $29,000. It was a sprint system with a high speed 15" cutter, but I got an additional 8 font modules and a 30" high speed cutter. Yep, each font cost $280. However, nobody around could do what we did. When we got that system, our backlog went from about 3 or 4 months out, down to 3 weeks. We hadda work a lot harder to keep everyone busy...... and we did. No matter what, every lower case "e" looked identical and we could do a board with 30 pool rules on it and knock it out in 2 or 3 hours, where the shops still doing it by hand needed a day or two.

 

[gabagoo]

This pic I am posting is 3M 7725. I have cut literally thousands of these over the last 8 years or so. They are for a Key drop box for a major car rental company. The upper case are just under 3/8" and the lower case is 1/4". I originally used Gerber 220 Sandstone with a paper back and the weeding was horrible with many letters missing and repair work taking hours and hours. I then found out about the 3M 7725. This vinyl was amazing and you could weed all 3 lines plus cheats in one fast pull with only the odd letter missing ( old Graphtec plotter). I was looking at an Avery colour chart about a month or so ago and see that they offer a sandstone as well and decided to try using their 2ml version. I also bought a new plotter ( Summa S2 T series with the tangental blade). Incredible weeding and never any missed letters!!! I prefer the paper back as the 7725 although weeds great, is very difficult to get the cut graphics off the backing plastic, which was very frustrating for my client when they were decorating the key boxes. He is happy now and so am I as I have cut down my weeding time considerably.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

I'd print on clear for something like that. You could give them all spares too for less than the cost of your time to weed that.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

Any tool for your company/business if it's right, could very well be expensive. You simply put those costs into the cost of doing business. My first system back in 1985, cost me $29,000. It was a sprint system with a high speed 15" cutter, but I got an additional 8 font modules and a 30" high speed cutter. Yep, each font cost $280. However, nobody around could do what we did. When we got that system, our backlog went from about 3 or 4 months out, down to 3 weeks. We hadda work a lot harder to keep everyone busy...... and we did. No matter what, every lower case "e" looked identical and we could do a board with 30 pool rules on it and knock it out in 2 or 3 hours, where the shops still doing it by hand needed a day or two.

I agree but it's sometimes hard to find top quality stuff anymore even for those that are willing to pay for it. Once you get into the big machines it changes some but still a lot of them are cheapened up

 

[Gino]

Dead balls on that one. Nothing is made good today. Nothing. Ya can't get anything worth while anymore. I still have my 30" sprocket fed cutter. I only hadda replace the drum as it melted away, but is still going strong after 37 years. The 15" bit the dust a few years back, but we don't use rolls that small anymore anyway, so it was no great loss. Most of our stock is now 54" and 60" and almost all white. Some coloreds. Our flatbed was a pretty penny, but was paid for, before our first order was out the door with it.