Summa Tangential vs Drag

[Bly]

We've had a couple of Summacut plotters over the years and while they've been fabulous workhorses, sometimes running all day for days on end, lately I've been thinking of upgrading to a T series tangential cutter.
Just wondering who has experience of both types or even the T series only.
We cut a lot of laminated polymeric calendared vinyl and while the D160R does a fair job I'm wondering whether the T would cope better.
We find some parts can be difficult to weed, especially finer graphics & text.
We don't cut sandblast or very much reflective.
The D160R also struggles a bit with accuracy on small text.

Do the tangential heads wear out quicker/more often due to the added complexity?

 

[AF]

We've had a couple of Summacut plotters over the years and while they've been fabulous workhorses, sometimes running all day for days on end, lately I've been thinking of upgrading to a T series tangential cutter.
Just wondering who has experience of both types or even the T series only.
We cut a lot of laminated polymeric calendared vinyl and while the D160R does a fair job I'm wondering whether the T would cope better.
We find some parts can be difficult to weed, especially finer graphics & text.
We don't cut sandblast or very much reflective.
The D160R also struggles a bit with accuracy on small text.

Do the tangential heads wear out quicker/more often due to the added complexity?

I will start by saying that you can run the included drag knife with the T series if you want / need to. As for weeding, you can set the machine to overcut inside corners which eliminates the chance for problems there. Corners look perfect with the tangential knife, and small letters really benefit. I did an install today with some small "#" and all the corners are perfect and it weeded easily. Viewing distance determines if the client will appreciate your T series. Stuff like storefront where people are within a foot or two of the graphic is a great example of where you can sell the client on the benefits of your shop versus someone else. Kiss cut / flex cut stickers and decals with hard corners also benefit greatly.

 

[Bly]

Thanks. Clients don't really look that closely at fine cuts to be honest.
It's more the production side - easier weeding & faster output.
We've never really bothered with flex cut on the D160 but might look at using the feature on a T.

 

[Gene@mpls]

We have two older (T750) tangential Summas and I have always loved them. We had an Edge with the enVision cutter and a Roland GX cutter, which both do the job intended, but if you want a great cut- it is tangential all the way. Gene

 

[letterman7]

Tangential all the way here. I use the drag option for everyday stuff, but the small letters get the T-knife. You can't go wrong for the price... it's the best of both worlds.

 

[ProColorGraphics]

I went from the D Series to the S Class T series and there is a reason they cost more! They are more than worth it!!! Way faster, more accurate and just all around better!

I run tons of labels and quite a few with the perf cut feature. Blades last fairly decent I think. I have had good luck with the Clean Cut blades but I do think the Summa ones last longer.

 

[hotrod46]

T Series a good upgrade

I have always placed T Series where the plotter is really "pressed". There are six at a clients that run, no kidding 24/7. Though a drag knife could do the cutting on simple vinyl, materials like you mentioned will wear the D Series much more over time. You would not be suprised to learn I have taken 18 year old Summas on trade that still plot well. Good Luck.

 

[letterman7]

^ this. I just replaced the head on mine after 18 years. Very simple job to do in under a half hour! Well worth the cost of the head to have a basically brand new machine one again..

 

[D-Nice Customs]

Currently looking to upgrade my main plotter from a Roland GX-24 to a Summa just don't know what model will suit my needs better. The D or T series S2 or summa cut series D75. I cut alot of small intricate stencils mainly used for sneaker customization and the Roland has been great but I'm ready to upgrade to a better quality machine as well as bump up to a 30" so I can use it to print and cut off of my SP-300V.

So my question is will I be in the same boat with a Summa series D75 as the Roland? Or will bumping up to a S2 D or T 75 be the best route? If so is the T really worth the extra $1500 . I'll attach a couple examples of the work I do to show the details.

The 1st sheet usually is a 14x14 the 2nd sheet of logos. Each logo is roughly 2x2

 

[PHILJOHNSON]

Hi D-Nice,

I would be happy to answer any questions that you have about our different models and can compare them to the Roland that you are currently using if you would like. I can be reached by email at philj@summa.us or by phone at (800)527-7778, ext 112. Also, we are currently running a 3-day promotional offer on all of our machines where we could save you some money off the cost of the equipment if you are ready to get something today.

Looking forward to discussing this more with you soon!

Best regards,

Phil Johnson
Summa Inc.

 

[D-Nice Customs]

Hi D-Nice,

I would be happy to answer any questions that you have about our different models and can compare them to the Roland that you are currently using if you would like. I can be reached by email at philj@summa.us or by phone at (800)527-7778, ext 112. Also, we are currently running a 3-day promotional offer on all of our machines where we could save you some money off the cost of the equipment if you are ready to get something today.

Looking forward to discussing this more with you soon!

Best regards,

Phil Johnson
Summa Inc.

Thanks Phil I'll give you a call soon

 

[Bly]

I ordered a T series 60" with OPS-Cam.

The D160 was starting to play up after 5 years of hard use.
Turned out to be an easy fix - a belt had jumped a tooth or something.
I'll keep that as a second/backup cutter.

Looking forward to the new beastie.

 

[ProColorGraphics]

Currently looking to upgrade my main plotter from a Roland GX-24 to a Summa just don't know what model will suit my needs better. The D or T series S2 or summa cut series D75. I cut alot of small intricate stencils mainly used for sneaker customization and the Roland has been great but I'm ready to upgrade to a better quality machine as well as bump up to a 30" so I can use it to print and cut off of my SP-300V.

So my question is will I be in the same boat with a Summa series D75 as the Roland? Or will bumping up to a S2 D or T 75 be the best route? If so is the T really worth the extra $1500 . I'll attach a couple examples of the work I do to show the details.

The 1st sheet usually is a 14x14 the 2nd sheet of logos. Each logo is roughly 2x2

The T-Series is WELL WORTH the extra $1500!!

 

[Split76]

Tangential all the way here. I use the drag option for everyday stuff, but the small letters get the T-knife. You can't go wrong for the price... it's the best of both worlds.

really? I've changed both of my drag knife cutters to s2120t and s2140t but i have never used the drag knife. I bought those to get rid of drag knife problems
do you cut very long runs?.. tangential is much slower but i'm too lazy to change to drag knife and adjust the pressure and depth..

How fast are you (and everyone else) cutting? Im using 300mm/s with both cutters (s2140t is for hp360 prints)
I'm just curious.

 

[depps74]

I just got a tangential and it's terrible. The worst plotter I have ever owned. After 2 weeks of troubleshooting with SUMMA which included: Leveling the blade holder, changing the blade, swapping out the blade holder changing the speeds, depths pressures, velocities, material. As well as changing software MAcsign, Winplot, Flexi..... and multiple fonts. I was told it was the material. Oracal 631. A 2mil matte finish vinyl they claim "shifts" during cutting. Thats like selling a Ferrari that doesn't take unleaded. When I ran a thicker material ORcal 7510 through it, the cutting was a joke. See pic to see the sad performance of this cutter. Whats even worse is that the company will only give me a 85% refund. 15% restocking fee, if upon arrival it works. So I am basically stuck with this lemon, that does not work. I've attached a picture of the SUMMA S2 t75 at its best. Notice the i's and o's.....

 

[TomK]

I just got a tangential and it's terrible. The worst plotter I have ever owned. After 2 weeks of troubleshooting with SUMMA which included: Leveling the blade holder, changing the blade, swapping out the blade holder changing the speeds, depths pressures, velocities, material. As well as changing software MAcsign, Winplot, Flexi..... and multiple fonts. I was told it was the material. Oracal 631. A 2mil matte finish vinyl they claim "shifts" during cutting. Thats like selling a Ferrari that doesn't take unleaded. When I ran a thicker material ORcal 7510 through it, the cutting was a joke. See pic to see the sad performance of this cutter. Whats even worse is that the company will only give me a 85% refund. 15% restocking fee, if upon arrival it works. So I am basically stuck with this lemon, that does not work. I've attached a picture of the SUMMA S2 t75 at its best. Notice the i's and o's.....

Hey, I'd be happy to try the cuts on my s2t if you give me the sizes of what you are doing, I can test 631, 651 and some others.

 

[Bly]

There was one vinyl that wouldn't cut properly on mine.
It was cheap stuff and the backing paper was so soft the grit rollers were chewing out the paper causing the job to mis align.
The S2 is far and away the best fastest cutter I've had.
Getting the barcodes to read can be tricky is my only real complaint.