FC-9000

[Alpha Star]

I’m having an issue with cut alignment. I can get perfect alignment on the left and right side, but the center is cutting just a little too high.

Any theories?

 

[signheremd]

Have you done a calibration with the Graphtec Sensor Adjust Cross Hair Pattern? Once a year we check ours - first time it was off, last few times it has remained dead on. The other thing that can happen is when the grip rollers are not clapped down correctly and the vinyl can "walk" a little, controlled by the knife drag. Those would be the first things I would check

 

[Attila Nagy]

This is a Graphtec thing. The vinyl is bending. Try less pressure or slower speed. I have this fault only with some cheap materials. Works fine when the backing paper is harder. Should have 3 rollers.

 

[Alpha Star]

Ah, okay.

Sineheremd: never done that. Is it just one crosshairs? Or multiple printed at different areas?

Attila: I have tried less pressure, but I will slow it as well. I am certainly using cheap stock. I’m only using the FC9000-75. I don’t know if it’s possible to use 3 rollers.

 

[Joe House]

Check your prints, sometimes the printer will actually be warping the prints. Make sure you know what you're fixing before you try to fix it.

 

[KEYSER SOZE]

It certainly is a Graphtec thing, but maybe not what you think.
We've had 2 FC7000-160s, an FC8000, and 2 FC8600s.

We only sold the FC8000 because we couldn't get a working driver for later Corels (Illustrator was okay).
It's profile cutting was pretty accurate (for a Graphtec) and we were pissed had to sell it.

Our first FC8600 however, had the exact problem you describe straight out of the box.
We tested it by printing 10mm black squares in a perfect line across 1370mm wide media (Seiko M64s printer), then profile cutting them.
The squares on both sides were spot on, then gradually worse as it progressed to middle squares.
The Graphtec technician and I tried everything to resolve it, including sending the test print file to the distributor's Australian head office for them to try it on theirs.

Out of the 4 new FC8600s they tried, the only one that didn't have the problem was a 6 month old demo unit in their Melbourne office.
That was when it tweeked; the Adelaide tech and I got a 1200mm engineer's steel ruler and put it side on against our Graphtec's carriage beam.
Sure enough, the beam was bowed by the exact amount the profile cutting was out, and so were the beams on the 3 new ones at head office.

We ended up taking the head office demo unit at a discount to solve the issue.
We live in Summaland now, it's much nicer here.

 

[jharler]

I thought I was having issues with my Graphtec FC9000 as well, the exact same problem you're having. Turns out, after printing the exact same file on another printer and having that printer's print cut perfectly, that it's my Epson s80600 that's warping the prints. I've also proven this by placing a precision ground straight edge along a long, straight printed line. It obviously dips in the middle of 60" material.

I've been working with tech support since June 9th. Grimco tried helping, then I went to Graphtec, then Onyx, and now I'm working with Epson. Epson support is doing everything they possibly can to avoid or delay sending a tech to my shop to fix the thing. Nothing they've suggested doing has helped (and they've asked me to do like a dozen different things so far). I'm not a happy customer considering how much I paid for that printer and I've had it less than three months.

I hope you have better luck fixing your issue than I'm having fixing mine. Fortunately, for most of my stuff, I can work around it. It does add additional labor and cost though.

 

[signheremd]

Ah, okay.

Sineheremd: never done that. Is it just one crosshairs? Or multiple printed at different areas?

Attila: I have tried less pressure, but I will slow it as well. I am certainly using cheap stock. I’m only using the FC9000-75. I don’t know if it’s possible to use 3 rollers.

 

[Attila Nagy]

This one sets the offset between the sensor and the blade. Does not explain the fault.

 

[Alpha Star]

I thought I was having issues with my Graphtec FC9000 as well, the exact same problem you're having. Turns out, after printing the exact same file on another printer and having that printer's print cut perfectly, that it's my Epson s80600 that's warping the prints. I've also proven this by placing a precision ground straight edge along a long, straight printed line. It obviously dips in the middle of 60" material.

I've been working with tech support since June 9th. Grimco tried helping, then I went to Graphtec, then Onyx, and now I'm working with Epson. Epson support is doing everything they possibly can to avoid or delay sending a tech to my shop to fix the thing. Nothing they've suggested doing has helped (and they've asked me to do like a dozen different things so far). I'm not a happy customer considering how much I paid for that printer and I've had it less than three months.

I hope you have better luck fixing your issue than I'm having fixing mine. Fortunately, for most of my stuff, I can work around it. It does add additional labor and cost though.

Thanks for this! I kind of prefer that it's the printer's fault. I can use more registration marks, and the Graphtec can compensate. If it's the Graphtec's fault, additional registration marks won't help at all. Thanks for sharing this, as I will now refocus on the HP. It has the same sort of million-roller design as an Epson.

 

[tudouqiezi]

I just bought an FC9000 and had the same problem as you, my printer is also an Epson, did you solve your problem? Does your FC9000 now cut perfectly

I thought I was having issues with my Graphtec FC9000 as well, the exact same problem you're having. Turns out, after printing the exact same file on another printer and having that printer's print cut perfectly, that it's my Epson s80600 that's warping the prints. I've also proven this by placing a precision ground straight edge along a long, straight printed line. It obviously dips in the middle of 60" material.

I've been working with tech support since June 9th. Grimco tried helping, then I went to Graphtec, then Onyx, and now I'm working with Epson. Epson support is doing everything they possibly can to avoid or delay sending a tech to my shop to fix the thing. Nothing they've suggested doing has helped (and they've asked me to do like a dozen different things so far). I'm not a happy customer considering how much I paid for that printer and I've had it less than three months.

I hope you have better luck fixing your issue than I'm having fixing mine. Fortunately, for most of my stuff, I can work around it. It does add additional labor and cost though.

 

[jharler]

For the sake of anyone searching for this in the future, I responded to tudouqiezi's question in my other thread.