Cutter not cutting through

[WeaverLady77]

My cutter has suddenly stopped cutting through the media. The test cut cuts the first 1/8 inch or so , then just cuts the surface of the media. I was trying to cut HTV, but thought it might be the problem so changed to cardstock using the setting I always use. Same result. Gradually increasing the pressure to the maximum made no difference. The mat is flat, the medium is brayered on. I changed to a new blade, Checked that it was protruding the right amount, and used the height tool to make sure the holder was set the right distance above the medium. The blade holder is tight in the carriage, and the carriage moves freely.
I thought that SCAL5 might be the problem. As I already have SCAL4, I tried that. Same result

[Gigi]

Did you check the new blade before you put it in? It doesnt happen often, but sometimes a new blade can be nicked or damaged. I would double check it as my first thought was that the blade was nicked. Also be sure that the blade holder is firmly secure in the clamp and doesn't move when it hits the material to cut.

You said your mat is flat - is it also clean? Paper fragments on the mat can also interfere with the cutting.

[WeaverLady77]

I tried 3 blades. Same result. I tried cutting on different parts of the mat but it made no difference. I tried using the click holder instead of the regular one case that was the problem, and the holder screw is tight. Every time I replaced the holder I used the spacer to make sure the distance was right.......

[Gigi]

Have you done a machine reset? Try that as sometimes it will clear whatever is wrong. If that doesn't work, you could either need a new motherboard or a new carriage; both parts are available at the store. Sherri said if the reset doesn't work, you could purchase both parts and return the one that you don't need or get one at a time. So hoping that the reset will help. It is rare for a carriage head to need replacing - she has only had a few machines that have needed that.

From the information you posted, I cannot tell if you purchased the machine recently in which case it would be under warranty. Try the machine reset and let me know if that resolves it. Hoping for an easy fix.

[WeaverLady77]

Although I had reset it twice during the course of my investigation, just for the heck of it I tried it again and it has worked. It cut the file I sent you perfectly. Thank you for your suggestion. I am finding I have to use the reset quite often as the machine runs very slowly sometimes and the reset fixes it. Is this normal?
I purchased the machine on January 28 2020. What is the warranty period?
Once again, thank you for your help

[Gigi]

I am glad it worked, but you should not have to reset your machine often at all. I would reach out to Sherri (sherri@silverbulletcutters.com) If you bought it new directly from her, it is still under warranty.

One other thought, do you turn your computer off on a daily basis (or at least restart it daily?? If not, it could be a computer issue. I know on my old computer (my current one has a ton of RAM) if I was doing a lot of cutting during a day - and involved cutting as well as other things, everything got sluggish by the end of the day and a computer restart was the solution. Just one more thing to add to the mix. I never used to turn my computer off at night, but now I do on a daily basis when I am done and things run much better. My youngest son does computer repair and I have other friends in the business as well and they all believe in the shut down process. I know that many don't think it is necessary, but just trying to think of everything that could be causing issues for you.

Thanks for letting me know. And do reach out to Sherri. She was the one who suggested a machine reset. It is usually my "go to" suggestion when things go wrong, but it didn't click this time!

Good luck. Please keep us posted if there are other issues.