What Constitutes A Damaged Protective Strip?

[Samuel K]

My company has a Graphtec CE2000-60 that only experiences light use but has had no maintenance in several years. We're in the process of moving it from a 32bit WinXP machine to a 64bit Win7 box and are evaluating various software packages as (from what I've been told) the software that we have been using (Flexi 6) is not compatible with 64bit Windows 7.

After moving the cutter to the new machine (physically moving, as well as migrating drivers/software) it seems to be having problems cutting. Some (but not all) cuts will not finish and most straight lines appear somewhat wavy, with curves often having a few jagged bits.

Via Google, I saw people experiencing similar things and fixing it via either tightening the blade holder or changing the protective strip. I've checked every screw in the unit and nothing appeared to be loose. The protective strip does seem to have a moderate amount of wear, but I'm not sure if it would really qualify as damaged. There are one or two spots that appear to have fairly deep grooves, possibly running all the way through the strip. Could this explain the problem?

For what it's worth, the primary experimentation we've done so far is with SignGo, though we've also experimented with SignCut and WinPCSIGN (all in demo mode.) I should probably move the cutter back to it's original location and try it again with Flexi 6 to determine for sure that it's a hardware issue but it would be rather a pain to transport it and hook it back up to the other location.

Any advice is appreciated.

-Samuel

 

[CS-SignSupply]

I believe the cut carriage may have been jostled a bit when moving... There is a small metal plate with two wheels that ride the top portion of the carriage rail that can get loose or sloppy.

Take the cover off the cut head as well as the top cover of the unit.

To test this, power the cutter off and unplug it. Then remove the blade holder.

Now see if you can physically move the cut carriage up and down to see if you get any space between the rail wheels and the rail. If you do, there lies your problem.

As for software, upgrade you Flexi 6. You already know the software and would be an easy transition.

Feel free to call me if you have any questions about the cutter or the software.

 

[Farmboy]

Get a new strip. Pretty cheap and sounds like it needs to be replaced. And some blades while your at it. Don't forget to adjust your pressure with the new blade and strip.

 

[MikeD]

The protective strip does seem to have a moderate amount of wear, but I'm not sure if it would really qualify as damaged. There are one or two spots that appear to have fairly deep grooves, possibly running all the way through the strip. Could this explain the problem?

The question "what constitutes a damaged strip"
too much pressure or blade stick-out, or just general use over time can put those grooves into the cutting strip, which is a consumable part and should be replaced based upon appearance, feel and performance.
when the blade goes over those little grooves, the pressure settings no longer are effective. the vinyl will not cut all the way through, or if you're using a drag knife, it may wiggle. cutting strips are held in with adhesive and can be pulled up and replaced. make sure an remaining adhesive is cleaned away first.
Hope that helps!

 

[btropical.com]

try using chrome chrome vinyl as a new strip// apply over old strip

 

[gabagoo]

Try cutting your graphics higher up on the y-axis as the lower area wears out much faster. I have noticed lately that small letters (1/2") are really tough to weed when they are cut between 0 and 2 of the y axis and this is probably due to the wear of the cutting strip.

If everything cuts cleanly above that area then you need a new strip for sure.

When you remove the teflon strip it usally leaves ALL THE ADHESIVE behind so as was previously mentioned...make sure you remove it all.
I generally rub my thumb all along the strip slowly and it seems to create enough friction to lift the glue cleanly although you will have a tender thumb for a day or so lol

Good luck

 

[MikeD]

one other note: make sure to apply lots of even pressure along the entire length of the strip when you press the new one into place. otherwise you may encounter the same problem; an uneven cutting surface with humps and valleys!

 

[Samuel K]

I believe the cut carriage may have been jostled a bit when moving... There is a small metal plate with two wheels that ride the top portion of the carriage rail that can get loose or sloppy.

Now see if you can physically move the cut carriage up and down to see if you get any space between the rail wheels and the rail. If you do, there lies your problem.

This does seem to potentially be the problem. How would I go about tightening this up?

As for software, upgrade you Flexi 6. You already know the software and would be an easy transition.

From what we've been told, it's not possible to upgrade from Flexi 6 directly to Flexi 10 and the company isn't willing to spend the money for another full version of Flexi. Sign making is an incidental portion of our business (almost more of a customer courtesy). Also, based on our experiences dealing with Flexi themselves a few weeks ago, we're not terribly interested in giving them anymore money. Also, our signs are usually quite simple and Flexi has far more power than we ever use. Also, part of upgrading the system to a modern machine includes someone else taking over the operation of the vinyl cutting operations, so familiarity with the software is a non-issue in this case.

Thanks to everyone for the advice on changing the strip. Even if that's not the cause of the problem, I think the strip probably needs changed regardless.

 

[CS-SignSupply-TT]

If you upgrade the computer, but do not upgrade the software, how will you design and cut the graphics? As Mike D said previously, REPLACING the blade protection strip requires you to COMPLETELY remove the old strip (including adhesive).

 

[Samuel K]

If you upgrade the computer, but do not upgrade the software, how will you design and cut the graphics?

We will be upgrading the software, just to something other than Flexi, most likely. SignGo seems to be working very well for the most part, is half the price and offers excellent support, whereas Flexi blew us off when we made it clear we were interested in purchasing the upgrade immediately.