Roland VS640i cutting issues, not precise

[LioH]

Hi,

We have a Roland VS640i and even when prints for 2meters long (6,5feets) the cutting is not really precise.
Everything is fine, the sensor detects evertyhing but the cut path is slightly misaligned.
For example if I have 3mm borders on letters, on some letters it cuts 6m on one side and 1 or 0 on the othe one.

I tried to lower the speed and it doesn't change.
Somebody can tell how can I fix this?

Thanks,
Lio

 

[rjssigns]

Are you printing then cutting, or printing with marks, laminating, then reloading and cutting?
Is your encoder strip clean? If not the printer will not "place" ink accurately. It will cause the crop marks to be inaccurate too.
How old are the rubber pinch wheels that hold the vinyl down? They are consumable items. Sometimes the rubber comes loose too.

How much hold down pressure is being applied when you engage the pinch roll lever?

If laminating, reloading and cutting the lead edge must be perfectly square. It is your reference for accurately places media back in the machine.
Is there silvering when laminating? That will cause sensor issues.
Have you done the Environmental Match before cutting?


I could write a book about Rolands and their tracking.

But honestly, get a separate cutter. Rolands are not know for their tracking ability and as the printer ages it does not improve. 2 meters is asking a lot when cutting small items.

I used to cringe when I'd get contour cut jobs in the shop. Had a whole bag of tricks and work arounds to get a decent product first time. Ending up doing some jobs twice.
Finally had enough and bought a 54" Summa. Life is good. Now I load the printed/laminated job in the Summa and walk away. No more watching and wondering if the job will turn out.

Probably paid for the Summa the first month after it was set up.

 

[Roland Product Support]

Hey LioH,

Rjssigns posed a very important question, immediate cut after print or crop/lamination/cut. In troubleshooting, it's critical to separate the two (2) cutting methods to further isolate the problem to the printer or a simple workflow issue.

For the purposes of this reply, we'll focus on crop/lamination/cutting workflow.

Crop mark detection and/or cutting inaccuracy could be the result of the sensor being out of calibration, it could be a lighting issue in the room, it could even be a light reflection/glare issue with the lamination.

Try the following:

1) Print a job with crop marks and when it's finished printing, do NOT remove the media from the printer.
2) Use the UP arrow to reverse the media until the lead edge crop marks are positioned properly over the cutter protection strip.
3) Set the "base" point on the printer so when the printer scans for the marks, it does not advance the media.
4) Setup the software for "cut only" and send the job to the printer so it can detect the crop marks.

If the marks are not detected, or the cutting is offset of the print, the printer will require inspection and calibration. Call your authorized Roland dealer to discuss servicing.

However, if the job cuts spot on, then the problem is likely related to the laminate, or the way you're manually reloading the media after it's laminated.

Try reloading the media, being very careful that you're positioning the leading edge crop marks properly over the protection strip. Once you're 100% sure the material is loaded properly, try adjusting the lighting in the room to reduce reflection/glare that the sensor is likely detecting (even move the printer to another part of the room, if you have space to do so).

Try cutting again.

If you have additional questions or need extra support directly from Roland corporate support, please submit an "official" support request form online here: Product Support Form | Roland

If you do write us, we look forward to helping you and take care,

Roland Technical Support
Roland DGA Corp.
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