Cutting 3M 3430 Reflective Sheeting on HP Latex 54 Basic Plus Cutter

[mikykay]

Hello! I need help in using my HP Latex 54 Basic Plus Cutter to cut 3M 3430 reflective vinyl. I have tried twice, and the cut is off, over and up to the right. I have calibrated for the media twice to no avail. I have read other older forums about cutting in the dark or lower light due to the reflectiveness. Have also seen matting out the cut marks. As well as using a 60-degree blade, others have said a 45-degree blade will work fine. I need help with any other tricks or settings. I have never printed or cut on reflective vinyl till now. Or is this just not the right cutter for reflective material? Thanks!

 

[PHILJOHNSON]

The cutter you are using is not intended to cut HIP, and even if you had a heavier duty cutter like an S2 or S3, this material is going to be a challenge to accurately track/feed that material, much less get a clean cut. The 55-degree thick materials drag blade can cut materials up to 30 mil(the material you're trying to cut is 17 mil), however the blade has a very fine tip due to the steep cutting angle and the tip will likely break when it tries to plunge into this material. Best practice on this material is to use one of the tangential cutters, with a 45-degree dual wedge blade(the 45-degree blades are only available on the tangential models), at the slowest speeds and hope for the best. Using a table or something similar to reduce the sag weight on the front and rear of the cutter can sometimes improve the feeding, so you could try that, but even if you get it to feed correctly the cut quality will be an issue like I mentioned because this material is too thick for the 36-degree blade and the 55-degree blade is likely to snap the tip.

Best regards,

Phil Johnson
Airmark Corporation
(800)527-7778, ext. 112
philj@airmark.com

 

[citysignshop]

first question, as always, is WHY!?????
....the 3430 is only Type 1, engineer grade reflective. ( frankly I thought they stopped making it!) so there are a LOT of other materials that reflect as well, and are MUCH easier to print and cut. ( 7310 for example).
Yes, sounds like it's not reading the reg. marks, so reducing the reflection when it's reading will likely help. HOWEVER, there is a LOT of slippage with the crazy slippery backing on this material, so you're going to be fighting that forever.
The 7310 and others have a paper backing, so much easier for your friction fed cutter to drive it back and forth.

Next, if you slice the edge, you open each 'cel' of the prism, so dirt and moisture get in. Assuming these letters are going outdoors, they will look like crap in a few months, and fail in a year. ( unless you cut with a hot knife that seals the edges, which is a whole 'nother machine!)
So post a pic of what you're actually printing, I'll bet you can get some good suggestions to help you on your way!