Need Help Shifting cuts on stickers

[Goatshaver]

So I've noticed when I laminate single sheets I get a horrible shift in cutting. I'm only assuming this is due to how I'm laminating them, if I did this on a roll it wouldn't be an issue. I'm just not sure where I'm going wrong with setting the sheets up to run through the laminator. The only thing I can think of is that it's because I'm not winding the sheets up on the take up roll, but I can't see why that would change it. I'm scatching my head on this one.

As you can see from the image one sticker is from the bottom on the sheet and the one on the right is from the top of the sheet. (Sheet was under 32" in length)

 

[WYLDGFI]

What are you using to cut the decals?

 

[Goatshaver]

What are you using to cut the decals?

Summa D140 and I've got a GFP 363TH laminator

 

[Goatshaver]

What software, and are you using all 4 reg marks?

Onyx to print and cut, summa barcode for loading sheets. It's the same as I've been using for the last year or so.

I can only think it comes down to the lamination process and not so much the cutter.

 

[balstestrat]

Nevermind....

 

[WYLDGFI]

If you can do 6 reg marks...try that. On our Graphtec we do multiple marks on lengths for better alignments.

 

[Goatshaver]

If you can do 6 reg marks...try that. On our Graphtec we do multiple marks on lengths for better alignments.

Thing is is that it less towards the outer edges of the sheet. It's much worse in the middle of the sheet. I'm not sure sure it's the cutter but my lamination incompetence, if I did these on rolls they'd have almost no variation.

 

[Goatshaver]

I'm surprised the issue is so pronounced though.
To be fair, I quite trying to laminated small runs without a core because I'd just screw something else up 1/2 the time, and I was doing it so rarely, what was the point in getting good at 2 styles of laminating?

Same....I just laminated a roll, same materials and same roll of laminate and no issues at all in cutting. It's very odd and yes I'm not quite sure why it is so pronounced either....I was getting better results off my crooked RS laminator. lol

I've got no tension on the laminate roll and minimal tension on the take-up roll. I'll have to experiment, now that I need a handful of stickers to fulfill this order.

 

[Saturn]

Is the material 54" inch wide? Does the sheet stay perfectly flat against the surface of the plotter as you cut, or does it sort of bow/buckle as you cut across the sheet? For good results the material has to stay as flat as possible, any pulling, bowing, buckling whatever will give real bad results. Also, circles and squares are the usually the shapes where any issues are most obvious.

I can't think of any way the lamination is a factor, as long as you're loading the material relatively straight on the cutter.

You could try ruling things out by printing a similar sheet of circles with just a stroke and kiss cut them to see how accurate they are. That would mostly rule out the software, OPOS, and laminator as culprits, and just leave the mechanics involved in deep/heavy contour cutting.

 

[Goatshaver]

Is the material 54" inch wide? Does the sheet stay perfectly flat against the surface of the plotter as you cut, or does it sort of bow/buckle as you cut across the sheet? For good results the material has to stay as flat as possible, any pulling, bowing, buckling whatever will give real bad results. Also, circles and squares are the usually the shapes where any issues are most obvious.

I can't think of any way the lamination is a factor, as long as you're loading the material relatively straight on the cutter.

You could try ruling things out by printing a similar sheet of circles with just a stroke and kiss cut them to see how accurate they are. That would mostly rule out the software, OPOS, and laminator as culprits, and just leave the mechanics involved in deep/heavy contour cutting.

No it stays flat. I've never had this bad of an issue cutting, that's why I think it's more of a lamination issue.

However only reason I think it's a lamaintion issue is how I do sheet. I will roll my laminate over the top roll about 3/4ths of the way down the roll, tack a piece of backing onto it and feed the excess into the nip then close the rollers down and feed that waste until it reaches the nip then I put my sheet in. I see how they show loading for a sheet is to tack the laminate to the media take-up roll. I'm just taking a guess that somehow it's just pulling the middle in real tight because of how I'm loading it. I'm trying to not waste 12" of laminate to feed one sheet through.

 

[Saturn]

I just can't imagine how the laminate would cause it to be that far off. If it were distorting the regmarks that much when it came to cutting, I'd think just one glance at the laminated sheet would tell you things were pretty effed up. Like the sheet would be curled completely over on itself before it ever got to the plotter.

OPOS XY is supposed to be for bowing, but in this case (and especially since you're on an inkjet) I would make sure you're just on OPOS X.

I still think there's some distortion as you cut it. You really need to get down and look at where the pinch rollers are, and look straight through the machine, not down on it. If the sheet looks like it's rising off the surface of the cutter (even a tiny bit), then that could be cause for cuts being off.

Like I mentioned in my last post, you can rule this out by just doing a sheet of circles (even the same job really) and trying to just lightly kiss cut them accurately. If they seem okay that way, then it's gotta be a pinch roller or pressure/depth issue.

Keep us posted!

 

[Goatshaver]

I printed another sheet, but this time I ran it through the laminator slightly different. I pulled the laminate through the back and tacked it to the take-up roll, then placed my sheet into the nip and closed the rollers and fed the sheet through. Put it on the cutter and haven't changed any settings or moved anything between the other sheets I cut and this time there was no issue. One sticker is from the bottom on the sheet and the other is from the very top in the same area I was having the cuts go way off.

 

[Saturn]

Nice job, let's hope it sticks. ;p

I wish you had a photo of how you were doing it wrong, I still can't wrap my head around how laminating something could mess things up that bad. ???

 

[Goatshaver]

Nice job, let's hope it sticks. ;p

I wish you had a photo of how you were doing it wrong, I still can't wrap my head around how laminating something could mess things up that bad. ???

I'm not sure why either, all I know is that rollers are crowned so the middle is slightly tighter than the outer edges and when I cut those bad sheets the center was way off near the tail end but the other edges were not really affected as much as the center. This is why I point to the laminator as the issue. Thinking it was extremely tight in the middle, but I also see what you are saying about it being that far off because of the laminate is odd.

I'll keep doing it this way I guess until I have an issue with it.

Maybe If I get some free time I'll show how I was threading it when it gave me the issue.

 

[Jeff D]

Beginning to think it was a mistake to get a Summa, OPOS registration is a joke. went back to using the Graphtec for quality cutting.