Blade Dragging & Pen tool no pressure

[peredaa]

Hi!

I pulled my machine out for the first time in a while and I always have to refresh my memory on what exactly I need to do to make it work properly. . . But at the same time, I feel I've done all the things I was supposed to and some how the machine isn't responding how I hoped.

Issue #1

I used the Pen tool for the first time ever this week and at first the tool holder on the machine wasn't moving up and down at all. I started out on very light pressure because I had never used it before and began increasing it. I am not sure what changed or if the holder just doesn't move very much when the pressure is lighter? But got it to work.

Issue #2

I switched back to using my 45 degree blade in the regular blade holder to cut vinyl. I did a practice run and the blade is dragging across the work. The blade is set to be poking out about the width of a dime and I used the spacer to make sure it was at the proper height. Perhaps it's a setting in the SCAL 5 program? I noticed when I hit "cutter" there's a setting I don't remember seeing there before. "Up Speed" Does this need to match the speed? Or be less or more than speed? Or maybe it doesn't matter?

Any help, tips, and advice would be great... Thanks so much for your time.

Lexy

[peredaa]

By the way, In both cases I used the spacer to adjust the height of the tools I was using.

[Gigi]

Hi Lexy -

Lets start with the pen tool first. Are you using the actual pen tool holder or the "practice" pen holder that comes with the machine. They respond very differently so I want to be sure that we are talking about the same tool. Different pens will work differently as well but let's get on the same page with the holder first. The holder should move the same regardless of your pressure, unless of course you have it set too high and it is digging into the media - then it will slow it down but you would see that.

When you are cutting the vinyl, what are you trying to cut? Are you sure the blade holder is tightly in the clamp and not slipping down and that the blade is firmly seated in the blade tool as well? Is your mat warped? If your mat is not totally flat that can cause the blade to appear to drag because the mat is pushing the material up. Are you using a mat to cut the vinyl? If so, is it properly brayered on?

[peredaa]

Hi Gigi,

For the pen, I am using the actual pen holder - I had a skinny pen so I used the smaller holder and put it inside the larger one. I don't believe I had the pressure set too high. It was very strange. The holder wasn't moving at all. Eventually it did and it seemed to work alright.

Yes, the Mat is a little bit warped, but I have used it recently like this and it wasn't dragging this way So I'm thinking maybe something else is wrong. The blade is firmly seated and the clamp is tight enough. By brayered on, do you mean using the roller over the vinyl to make it stick to the Mat?- Yes, it is. . . I am using the machine to cut out name decals.

[Gigi]

What pressure are you using for the vinyl. And if it is warped you might be hitting the spot where it is the most warped. Are you cutting origin or WYSIWYG.

Rather than cutting something complicated, try cutting just a simple square or circle and see if you can get a clean cut on part of the mat that seems to be the flattest. I would first try to get the mat as flat as possible. Sometimes you can just roll it up in the opposite direction to flatten it out. You can also place it under some heavy weighted items (like heavy books) to flatten it. It might be that when you cut earlier you just lucked out where it was cutting. I would try to flatten it first, but you can also experiment by trying to cut in an area that is not warped - if possible. It's not unusual to have problems with cutting if the mat is warped. That is why it is important to try to place the pinch wheels to the outside of the mat and move the mat around to keep it from warping.

My guess is that it is the mat and/or the pressure is too high or the blade is extending a bit too far and that along with the warp is creating problems. Normally when a blade is dragging it is either sticking out a bit too far or the mat is warped or both.

[peredaa]

Ok,

I'll try rolling the Mat or placing it under books. Thanks! I bet you're right. I probably just lucked out and was cutting on the more warped part of the Mat.

I'm using pressure 32. But I started low and worked my way up until the blade started cutting the vinyl. Even at 32 it isn't making cuts all the way through the vinyl. I am using WYSIWYG.

[Gigi]

I would recommend cutting origin as there you can choose where your design is going to cut much better and be sure it's on a flatter part of the mat. There is a wide range of cut settings for vinyl, but if it is just regular vinyl, that is pretty high. Be sure you are using the set tool . The fact that it is not cutting all the way through in areas makes me more convinced that either the mat is warped and/or the vinyl is not well brayered onto the mat. Try cutting some simple shapes first once you get the mat in better condition and do try to keep the pinch wheels on the outside borders of the mat to reduce the incidence of warping.

It's always good to get successful cuts on simple shapes first before moving onto more complicated ones - it will help determine the best cutting force and then if there are still issues it could be the file or other things. Doing a test cut first helps insure fewer problems down the road. Good luck.