Multiple cuts within one job

Multiple cuts within one job

Postby srjeffgr » October 27th, 2016, 11:27 am

Hi, I have a strange thing happening and I can't figure out why. I have a print of a toy packaging that has the reg marks on it and the layers in SCAL are for the score, one for the cut and one for the colored art. When I go to cut the cut layer, after I position the laser dot on each of the reg marks, it cuts perfect, but then I go and turn off the cut layer and turn on the score layer it performs the score way bigger than what it should be, probably 10% bigger. When I go to do the score using print and cut, I apparently need to re-position the laser dot over each reg mark again. Hopefully some day the SCAL can be programmed to remember the positioning when the cut matt stays in the machine to be able to do the second cut without having to scan the reg marks again. Does anybody know why the second pass is bigger than the first cut?
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Re: Multiple cuts within one job

Postby MeFlick » October 27th, 2016, 12:22 pm

I would have to see the actual cut file that you are working with but my speculation is that it has to do with you turning layers off and on and one or more layer extends the origin out further then another. Depending upon the layers and how they are set up, turned off and on to print first and then to cut separately, you can change reduce, enlarge, change the origin of the cut. In order to do a "print and cut" of something that has a printed image and score lines separately, you have to make sure that the furthest out layer stays "open" for cutting on all layers. Hope that makes sense.
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Re: Multiple cuts within one job

Postby srjeffgr » October 27th, 2016, 12:56 pm

But doesn't registering where the reg marks are with the laser dictate where the constraining bounding box is? I just did a new cut with a new file and even left the reg marks on and the whole cut, just one pass, is smaller than the file in SCAL. Totally confused now. Last night I had the SB cut perfectly once, then it started resizing the cuts.
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Re: Multiple cuts within one job

Postby srjeffgr » October 27th, 2016, 1:27 pm

I think I know what it is. The cut line is the largest piece so the reg marks that get printed are for it. When I turn that layer off and the score layer on, SCAL makes new reg marks for the smaller piece. But the cutter is still trying to use the reg marks for the larger cut layer. Why can't this software use one reg mark set like the Silhouette does? Is there a way to set this up?
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Re: Multiple cuts within one job

Postby MeFlick » October 27th, 2016, 9:25 pm

There is only one set of registration marks printed so that is what you have to use. It has nothing to do with the cutter, it has to do with how you have created the layers in your design. You can not have one print layer larger and turn it off, if you do it "shifts" the registration marks in based on the layer being closed. That is what I am saying - if you turn off the outer layer - it is going to "shift" the registration marks in smaller. However, the registration marks that are "printed" are still going to be the outer registration marks since you are only printing one registration mark. The problem is not with the cutter, it is with the setup you have created. Typically, if a user is trying to do "score lines" you would use the WYSIWYG alignment. if you need to do this with a "print and cut" then you have to "force" your registration marks out even for the smaller score layer. You do this by creating an outside layer that stays open no matter what other layers you are working with that way the "registration marks" stay in proper position for all the layers. There are different methods you can use for doing this. Some people use a larger rectangle shape as the outer side that is colored "white" - this works if you have room to cut a larger outside rectangle. Doesn't always work though on some projects. Others, use small single "cut" line or something similar to registration marks in the corners so that it pushes out the registration marks for all layers. Just simple little line where cuts are already being made for example. It is not a difficult thing to do once you understand what is happening and how to work with it. There should be videos I think that show or discuss how to do this but I am not sure. Its been too long since I used my Silhouettes to do a print and cut so I don't recall if it "shifts" in if you open and close layers or not. However, I can tell you that I much prefer using my SB to do a print and cut because at least I don't have to worry about the optic eye not finding my registration marks like on the Silhouette.

Ideally, you could "lock" your registration marks in the software to stay at a certain spot no matter which layers are open or closed when printing but that is a software issue not the cutter.
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