Graphtec America Inc.

Getting Good Tracking From Your Cutting Plotter

Tracking Setup - Things to Remember

Friction feed cutters, like everything else, must be set up properly in order to track well. There are four ways to ensure good tracking for your Graphtec cutter.

  1. The material is loaded in straight. For tips on how this can be accomplished, see "Loading the Media Straight" and "Moving the Pinch Rollers to your Advantage" .
  2. The cutter has enough slack when pulling from a heavy roll. Most users pull the material off the back of the roll manually to prevent this but there is a better way. See "Pulling from a Heavy Roll".
  3. The material is smooth and flat during cutting. Obstructions in the path of the media movement can cause the media to twist, causing the media to shift off track.
  4. Make sure the software is sending the information in a progressive order. This is discussed in "Using the Software for Better Tracking".

If you are having tracking problems, check one of the suggestions above. If poor tracking persists, see "Testing the Plotter for Good Tracking".

Pulling from a Heavy Roll without Skewing

When working with a particularly heavy roll, three methods can be used to ensure good tracking:

  • Pull slack off the roll by using the FEED* function.

The FEED function is excellent since it will not only feed the material to produce the slack, but it will also create tracks in the media backing that the wheels will accurately follow.

What if the roll is not cut evenly?

Please see the TNC Cutting Vinyl Effectively under the heading oving the Pinch Rollers to Your Advantage. This describes how the pinch rollers can be moved further inside the vinyl without reducing the page width.

Using the Software for Better Tracking

When cutting a long sign, your sign software will cut the objects according to what was created first. For instance, let's assume you have a 20-foot long graphic with 3 lines of copy.

There is a tendency for the software to cut in a random order resulting in excess movement that inhibits proper tracking. Essentially, the tool and media is flying all over the place.


when cutting a long design, the ideal approach is to have the software cut all the objects in a progressive order from beginning to end. this prevents excessive vinyl movement. it will also cause the cutter to cut more efficiently and save time. this allows you, in the long run, to be more productive.

Many software packages offer a sorting routine. This sorting routine will have the cutter cut by object position rather than object order. Check your software manual for details.

If your software does not have this capability, then set your panel length to a distance of 3 feet or less. Since the system will cut only one section at a time, this will require the software to cut the sign progressively.

Tip: This should be tested before cutting to verify the proper results. Try using a pen with paper instead of a blade when testing.

 

Testing the Plotter for Good Tracking

Perform the following test to check the tracking performance of the cutter. If this test fails, call our technical support department for further instructions.

    1. Load the film into the cutter. Be sure that the alignment is accurate. See ">Loading the Media Straight>".
    2. Once the media has been loaded, place a piece of masking tape or application tape on the plotter, locating it directly under the corner of the film.
    3. Lay the film flat against the tape. Take a pen and draw two lines on the masking tape, outlining the corner edge of the film. Again, be sure the film is lying flat against the tape.
    4. Press PAUSE*.
    5. Press NEXT once.
    6. Press the [F3] key for FEED.
    7. Press the UP ARROW key until 120 inches (3000mm) appears.
    8. Press ENTER.
    9. At this point the cutter will slowly feed the film 10 feet and back.
    10. Once the film is back from feeding, lay the corner of the film on the tape. The edges should match the two drawn lines exactly. If you do not achieve these results give us a call at 1-888-318-3247 (USA only), or 1-949-770-6010.

*These instructions are for the FC4100 series. If you have a different Graphtec cutter, consult the User's Manual.

 

 

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