Blade is dragging now (when it wasn't before)

Blade is dragging now (when it wasn't before)

Postby pasiphilo » November 14th, 2017, 5:52 pm

I've had my Silver Bullet cutter set to the exact same settings for the past year or so without any issues. The force and speed has been the same, the blade in the housing hasn't been changed, raised or repositioned at all. I've been doing successful print + cuts with this configuration through cardstock without any issues.

Until today, all of a sudden, the blade began dragging between the shapes, scratching the material and ruining most of the art I'm cutting around. I cut one sheet successfully today without problems, but with the next one I loaded this problem began.

What's worse is that after I took the blade out to examine it, clean out the holder, and put it back in, I can't seem to get it to cut properly anymore. Either the blade is too high and doesn't cut through the material, or the blade is low enough to cut through but drags across the media, ruining the artwork I'm cutting around.

The blade itself seems to be sharp and intact.

Again, this problem began out of the blue today without me having changed anything, not even the type of material I'm cutting.

Anyone have any insights?
User avatar
pasiphilo
 
Posts: 26
Images: 2
Joined: December 9th, 2012, 11:06 am
Location: Canada
Cutter: Silver Bullet 13"

Re: Blade is dragging now (when it wasn't before)

Postby Gigi » November 14th, 2017, 7:04 pm

My first thought, before I read the entire email, was that your blade was slipping in the blade holder. If you are sure that is not happening, then look at your mat. Is it warped? That would be the most obvious reason for a blade to appear to be dragging if it is properly secured in the blade holder. A warped mat will definitely give you inconsistent cuts. Are you rotating your mat on a regular basis so it doesn't warp?

Other thoughts - is the adhesive working well on the mat? Is the media you are cutting well-brayered to the mat? Have you tried a fresh mat? Even if you have a smaller mat, just try a flat mat and see if you can successfully cut shapes. If you can, then you know it is the mat. It's not the machine malfunctioning - it is the blade, the blade holder, the mat, the adhesive and/or the media.

Start with basics like you are beginning to use the machine for the first time. Take a flat mat with new adhesive and some inexpensive card stock that you know cuts well and do some basic cutting with the blade you checked and reset into the holder. If the results are still off, change the blade. Just eliminate one thing after another until you figure it out - but again - am guessing without seeing it, that it is a warped mat.
Silver Bullet Admin/Tech Support


Happily using an 24" Silver Bullet Platinum

Gigi
User avatar
Gigi
 
Posts: 10432
Images: 190
Joined: May 14th, 2011, 9:53 pm
Location: Southern California
Cutter: 18" Silver Bullet Pro, Foilmaster

Re: Blade is dragging now (when it wasn't before)

Postby pasiphilo » November 14th, 2017, 9:10 pm

Thanks for your reply, Gigi.

Gigi wrote:...then look at your mat. Is it warped?


It's a pretty new mat, but even on older, warped mats, I didn't have this problem.

Gigi wrote:Other thoughts - is the adhesive working well on the mat? Is the media you are cutting well-brayered to the mat? Have you tried a fresh mat?


Yeah, the adhesive is still quite strong on this mat. On older mats, I would tape the edges of the media to the mat and didn't have this problem then, either. The media is well brayered, too. I don't think the mat is the problem.

Gigi wrote:...and do some basic cutting with the blade you checked and reset into the holder. If the results are still off, change the blade.


I spent over an hour checking the blade, test cutting, adjusting the blade height and position, test cutting again... all to no avail. No matter what I do, the results are either the blade cuts deeply enough but drags cuts all over the artwork too, or it doesn't cut deeply enough. I can't seem to find that middle ground anymore, which was never this difficult to find before.

I suppose it could be the blade, but a dull blade has never behaved like this before. It usually just gradually stops cutting through so that I increase the blade force until I eventually change it out. Without any other ideas, I'll guess I'll give a new blade a try, though.
User avatar
pasiphilo
 
Posts: 26
Images: 2
Joined: December 9th, 2012, 11:06 am
Location: Canada
Cutter: Silver Bullet 13"

Re: Blade is dragging now (when it wasn't before)

Postby pasiphilo » November 14th, 2017, 9:41 pm

I've done some more troubleshooting and discovered something weird. I'm using the blade height guide that came with the machine (like I always have) to set the blade 1/16" over the media. That used to be the perfect setting. However, as I first reported, using that setting, the was no longer cutting deeply enough. Now, however, the blade doesn't even drop far enough to reach the media. It's like the mechanism holding the blade holder is impeded somehow, and getting worse. Anyone seen this before?
User avatar
pasiphilo
 
Posts: 26
Images: 2
Joined: December 9th, 2012, 11:06 am
Location: Canada
Cutter: Silver Bullet 13"

Re: Blade is dragging now (when it wasn't before) - SOLVED!

Postby pasiphilo » November 14th, 2017, 10:10 pm

Okay, I figured it out. And it was a mechanical, issue after all. The clamp holding the blade holder was stuck in a mostly downward position. I had to force it back up to its highest position. Once I did that, used the blade height guide, and cut, it worked properly.

I have attached an image to illustrate what I mean:
Image

This would also explain why the blade was suddenly dragging across the media when it hadn't before - because the mechanism was not raising the blade all the way up anymore. Now to figure out why that happened...
User avatar
pasiphilo
 
Posts: 26
Images: 2
Joined: December 9th, 2012, 11:06 am
Location: Canada
Cutter: Silver Bullet 13"

Re: Blade is dragging now (when it wasn't before)

Postby Gigi » November 14th, 2017, 10:29 pm

So glad you figured it out. I am not sure I have heard of the blade holder being stuck in the down position - but so glad you have it "unstuck" and working now. Thanks for letting us know. It's one more thing to keep in the back of my head if someone has an issue. Thanks for doing all of the troubleshooting - good work!

Happy Cutting!
Silver Bullet Admin/Tech Support


Happily using an 24" Silver Bullet Platinum

Gigi
User avatar
Gigi
 
Posts: 10432
Images: 190
Joined: May 14th, 2011, 9:53 pm
Location: Southern California
Cutter: 18" Silver Bullet Pro, Foilmaster


Return to Silver Bullet Professional Series

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 6 guests