Who has a Mimaki CG-FX plotter?

[DoubleDown]

Looking to find people who run Mimaki CG-FX plotters? We have a few and really haven't had any issues with them until recently. We were going to plot Gill Sans font, about 1" tall on Oracal 851 cast vinyl using a 45 degree blade and .30 offset and slow speed and 80 on pressure.

Problem is when we go to weed it about 90% of the letters come up and don't stick to the backing paper or edges weren't cut 100%, etc. Any ideas or thoughts on this? Not sure what to try or what settings should change in the machine that may help?

Thanks

 

[TheSnowman]

Looking to find people who run Mimaki CG-FX plotters? We have a few and really haven't had any issues with them until recently. We were going to plot Gill Sans font, about 1" tall on Oracal 851 cast vinyl using a 45 degree blade and .30 offset and slow speed and 80 on pressure.

Problem is when we go to weed it about 90% of the letters come up and don't stick to the backing paper or edges weren't cut 100%, etc. Any ideas or thoughts on this? Not sure what to try or what settings should change in the machine that may help?

Thanks

I've got the 130FX and I've kinda always had the same thing. It's never ever cut as good as my old ancient gerber will cut. I have to constantly hold my hand on the letters as I'm weeding because they will come up the whole way if I don't. I just assumed this is what a mimaki did. It's the only big plotter I've ever owned, so don't have a ton to go from.

 

[Ski Sign]

We have a CG-130FX, and have had similar issues at times. I have found that it seems to have little to do with cut speed, and everything to do with pressure. We cut a lot of 3M cast, which is backed on plastic, not paper. The problem you were having was driving us crazy until we bumped the pressure up to 85. Now no problems at all w the 3M material. Then we had the opposite problem cutting paper backed vinyl. The higher pressure led to terrible weeding, so we cut that at much lower pressure, 35-50. So you might try lowering the pressure and increasing the cut speed with your Oracal. Also possible your blade is trashed or is not protruding enough from the holder. Good luck.

 

[MikePro]

I run this plotter as well. Pressure is key... as is a clean blade for cutting such small lettering.
Save yourself some time, and insteal of weeding everything/praying your letters don't shift on the backing... just cut a box around the text line, weed out the centers of the letters, and then mask and lightly apply as an entire strip... and then weed out the negative before applying more pressure to the finished product.

its my go-2 workaround especially for Converse logos... damn stitching around the perimiter of the logo (1/8"x3/4" rectangles x100) always drove me nuts to weed/replace missing ones. So I always would weed out the Converse, Star, and the "Chuck Taylor", and cut an outline around the stitching, and weed out the remaining negative once i've started to apply my panel.