But I followed RT's instrcutions . . . I read the book . . . I followed RT's instructions . . . I read the useless book (lol)
But still, sometimes . . .the vinyl strays a little.
I know this is so old-hat to y'all, but it's still a novelty to me. I catch myself telling the plotter 'thank you; when it's completed something, LOL.
This is not really a complaint. I probably should just cut shorter peices...but sometimes, I kind'a like to 'push the enevelope".
So far I think I've been lucky.
Today, I cut two 15" x 80" peices full of copy. It was actually quite suspensful noticing the material was tracking about 1/16" to the left . . .on the first two feet!
I watched as it continued to track slightly off, realizing that by the end of this sheet, it was probably going to come off . . . I reached in and slid the roller over slightly, as far as I could go without getting off the corrosponding roller underneath the vinyl . . .
It worked and cut the last 2 feet. Whew.
This is fun. Posted by KARYN BUSH (Member # 1948) on :
lol...been there done that. if i can break something up into 4 or 5ft at a time i do...i know i'm not going to lay an 8ft chunk of vinyl by myself so i do what i have to do.
Posted by Brian Diver (Member # 1552) on :
If you are worried about tracking what I do is run out enough vinyl for the job. If it is 8 feet or so then run out 8 feet and see where the rollers are, if it is acting up then adjust it. Better that then screwing up a bunch of vinyl. The other thing is to just move the rollers in a bit so you aren't at the edge so if the cutter gets a mind of its own then you won't worry as much.
Posted by Bruce Bowers (Member # 892) on :
Do what Brian does... I do the same.
Posted by Curtis hammond (Member # 2170) on :
Spend a few minutes getting your vinyl placed perfectly. When you find that it will track for abotu 4 ft perfectly do this...
Mark your platen with a thin pencil line.
Then from that point on you can set it just right
Posted by Bill Cosharek (Member # 1274) on :
If your plotter is the type with an open area beneath it or is on a stand, & if the material you're using is long enough to wrap around and overlap, align the edges and adjust evenly between the rollers. That may help it to track better.
Posted by Sheila Ferrell (Member # 3741) on :
What I need is . . .a tracking device . . . .AH ha ha hahahaa.
I've done that thing where ya run it out to see how it's tracking . . .exactly how MANY times would one normally repeat that step to get it straight?? (lol)
Thanx for all the tips . . .
I have a bunch'a stuff to do I can try them out on.
[ January 21, 2005, 09:59 PM: Message edited by: Sheila Ferrell ]
Posted by Tony McDonald (Member # 1158) on :
Maybe the speed is too fast and it's hydroplaning!!
Has the machine been used enough that it might need new pinch rollers. I think the springs can get weak...or they get nicks in the rubbers.
The grit rollers can get a lot of dust and stuff on them too. When needed, I clean mine with a toothbrush. Make sure you clean them all the way around.
Once you get a straight cut and you know the vinyl is running straight, while that vinyl is loaded, feed a little out and draw a line on your machine with a marker to help line it up. (Mine came with tick marks on the machine for this)
Knock on wood.......but so far I've never really had a tracking problem. The longest I've ever needed to run is probably 10 feet or so and it did fine.
Posted by Dave Grundy (Member # 103) on :
Sheila...One thing you have to remember when lining up the vinyl with the "tracking marks" is that 15" or 20" or 24" vinyl is cut from much wider logs, usually either 45" or 60".
Since the "slitters" that cut the logs down are not exactly PERFECTLY accurate in cutting all the way through the log, you will have to treat each run differently. The edges of the rolls you buy are NOT always perfectly true.
You can use the old "mark the alignment with a pencil" method if you wish, but I can guarantee you that it will not consistently work from roll to roll or from one point in a roll to another point in a roll.
One thing I have been doing lately, when dealing with many lines of long text, is to just cut 2 or 3 lines, then re-align and cut the next 2 or 3 lies etc. until all of the text is cut.
[ January 21, 2005, 11:37 PM: Message edited by: Dave Grundy ]
Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
i had pnc-1000 and the traking over 10' is tough. took a while till i figured out where to start the vinyl and how to compensate for the trackin. mostly, what was the simplest thing...was to not cut any more then 4-5 feet at a time. you cant handle an 8' piece yourself why cut it.
Posted by Doug Allan (Member # 2247) on :
YOU MEAN SOME PEOPLE CAN'T LAY DOWN 8' PEICES OF VINYL?
Posted by Doug Allan (Member # 2247) on :
YOU MEAN SOME PEOPLE CAN'T LAY DOWN 8' PIECES OF VINYL? Posted by Bob Rochon (Member # 30) on :
And somewhere at sometime someONE thought that sprockets were dumb. Posted by Michael Latham (Member # 4477) on :
I can do 8' and raise you 1'. ( if you don't count wrinkles)
Posted by Sheila Ferrell (Member # 3741) on :
LOL Micheal . . .I see yer one . . .
Go for it.
Warning: I intend to lay down a full-house: 84 inches . . .
BTW: I would appreciate a modest pat on the back for cuttin' 80 inches and only trackin' off 1/16th to 1/4 inch thank you very much. LOL
I also have drawn "square" lines in the housing as well. Did you know one of the original 'stickers' they put on this thing to square the vinyl with, is crooked! Sheesh!
OP: What are you trying to say??
I have layed over 24 feet of one line of vinyl copy down a wall. Did you know that you can separate the copy after you tape it up there?? (lol) I can even mask virtually any length alone too . . .but then again, I ain't ever had a catheter either . . . (lol)
Posted by Donna in BC (Member # 130) on :
What Dave said. Each roll I treat differently. They ALL get a test run before I cut. It doesn't seem to matter where my guides are, the vinyl tends to do it's own thing because of the way the tubes are cut.
Posted by Tony Ray Mattingly (Member # 469) on :
What Tony said.
A pinch roller that did not roll cost me over $400.00 Looking back I should have fiqured it out but I had a pinch roller wheel that was not turning very well. It was sooooooo bad that it would shut the plotter down on long cuts. Sent it back to Alan Datagraph and that's all it was. A pinch wheel that was binding up. Then I thought about it. makes sense because it was not tracking well. Tracks like a champ now. Alan Datagraph did not charge me $400.00 for the wheel. That was the cost after shipping both ways.
Posted by Wayne Berry (Member # 1327) on :
30ft in the wind without a problem. But then I do that sort of stuff daily. (I'd rather not have the wind though.)
BTW, I can mask these long runs alone. No special tools or maskers. How? Call & I'll tell ya. Not really that hard, just takes practice.
I'm a one man shop. I do a lot of commercial vehicles. Long runs, compound curves, wild graphics, cut vinyl & printed wraps. I've had to develope methods to deal with all sorts of applications. I'm not sure I can tell someone how to do it but if your ever in the area I'll be glad to show ya.
Wayne
Posted by Dave Grundy (Member # 103) on :
Wayne...I "steamroller" the long runs for masking...works great...Learned it from Jaxx at Bruce Bower's meet many moons ago.
For applying long runs single handed...I will use a variety of methods...from double or triple masking to create a stiff product...to wet application....to center hinging...to taping a yardstick to the edge of the masked vinyl....
All sorts of different techniques!!!!
Posted by Ricky Jackson (Member # 5082) on :
I printed some tick marks on the Edge and put them on my Summa plotter. I don't think the factory ones are very accurate. It took a few minutes to get them perfectly aligned but now it will cut up to about 20 feet without the "training wheels".
Posted by Monte Jumper (Member # 1106) on :
What worries me is the supplier telling me they stock less sprocket vinyl because of the advent that more and more people are going to friction fed because they are less expensive.
We've cut full rolls of 50 yard vinyl at one lick while being gone for lunch and never lost anything.
A lot to be said for those dumb little expensive sprocket machines.
Posted by Jean-Claude Theriault (Member # 966) on :
I agree Monte. My old 4B and Sprint machines could be left unattended overnight or while out on calls and the job would be done properly.
Jean-Claude
Posted by Todd Gill (Member # 2569) on :
I made measured alignment strips on my buddies Edge and stuck one on the front side of the plotter on the platten (sp?) against the sidewall and one on the backside of the plotter on the platten against the sidewall.
That way, i can have a better, accurate guide when trying to align sheet fed vinyl...by aligning the edge of the vinyl on a alignment mark on the front side and the corresponding alignment mark on the backside, and then put the pinch rollers down to hold in place.....and the tracking is much better.
Here's a view of my alignment decal from the upper front side:
Here's a view from the direct top....you can see the alignment decals on the front and backsides of the plotter where the vinyl comes through....
[ January 25, 2005, 02:42 PM: Message edited by: Todd Gill ]
Posted by Judy Pate (Member # 237) on :
I have cut up to 12' on my Mimaki plotter. I always hit Auto Feed and make sure it's stays aligned for the length of vinyl I'm cutting. Sure it may get off a fraction of an inch but that's no problem. I also slow the plotter down and monitor these long runs...saves vinyl when you are there to stop a problem. Shelia, I do the Auto Feed as many times as it takes to keep it on track. Usually 2 to 3 times works. Congratulations on you accomplishment! Judy
[ January 25, 2005, 09:22 AM: Message edited by: Judy Pate ]
Posted by Paul McDowell (Member # 5092) on :
The feeding tray for the cutter should be stable and optimally attached to the cutter. Some of the newer cutters come with a detached tray with rollers that can bounce around.
Making alignment marks, running at speeds reccomended by the manufacturer, and loading the vinyl straight should get runs at least 16'... I can easily get 30' on my graphtec.
[ January 25, 2005, 12:50 PM: Message edited by: Paul McDowell ]
Posted by Todd Gill (Member # 2569) on :
Sheila - check out my first post again...I put some pictures in it to illustrate the alignment decals I use. Thanks to Doug Allan for providing the picture links for me.
Posted by Curtis hammond (Member # 2170) on :
I use my anagraph and cut long runs too. I have the platten marked with a pencil line were it will track perfectly.
Also, prefeed the vinyl. Having your machine pull on a 20 pound roll is asking for trouble.
Trackng is not a big deal when cutting short runs. But you must have good tracking when cutting reverse letters into trans material. That stuff costs and reverse letters must be correct.
Posted by Howard Keiper (Member # 1250) on :
I understand that vinyl nowdays is made in 60" widths...the 1st split yields two 30's, etc. I have found that, if the roll isn't unwound and rolled up again, as it will be if 15's are made out of it, as for perforating or trimming the edges or both, or if the 30's are edge trimmed or perfed, then there is a never (well, hardly ever)fail method for aligning the roll. It does require that the axis of the roll is perfectly parallel to the drive mechanism of the cutter. That means that the support rollers have to be substantial and fixed to stay parallel. Given that, I put the vinyl into the machine, make sure the roll will feed between the pinch rollers, hold the roll at the bottom to tension the vinyl as I pull it straight, from the center, and lower the pinch rollers. (It makes a lot of sense to me as I read it). Anyway, I learned on a PNC-1000, so you know it must work.
Howard
Posted by Sheila Ferrell (Member # 3741) on :
Thanx all for the wonderful tips y'all.
Todd, that's pretty cool . . .
Juday, thanx.
Howard, your tip is a real 'Keiper' . . Posted by Jennifer Craig (Member # 3411) on :
Sheila,
I just think you are delightful!
I can totally relate to that knotted stomach, fingers and toes crossed, hopin' and prayin' that last letter plots before the roller falls off the edge. If your nerves can take it, it's a fun job.
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