Press out model kits

[BazookaJo]

Hi guys

I'm looking at creating a set of press out and build model kits in 100-150gsm card.

This will require several thousand a4 sheets to be cut but the parts are too detailed for traditional dies and lend themselves to lasercutting.

Im beginning to wonder however if a Silver Bullet would do the job..

The first question I have is re. the cutting boards - these always look 'sticky' in the demos to the extent that removing a partially cut sheet as a single price would be challenging.

Would this be a fair assumption?

[Gigi]

The mat obviously has to be sticky to hold the material so there is no shifting when cutting. You can remove some of the extra stickiness (when the mat is new) by placing a cotton material on the mat and "blotting" some of the adhesive. But more importantly, when you remove an item, you don't just pull it off as that will cause the material to often rip, especially when new. You can take a little spatula or anything thin and run it between the material and the mat and that will easily release the material without creating an issue with the cut media. Does that help?

[BazookaJo]

That's really useful to know thankyou so much.

Again I'm more and more inclined towards the silver bullet as being the way forward for me.

Thanks again

Paul

[Gigi]

It is a great machine. You might want to send the material to Sherri with a sample file to be sure you can get the detail you want out of that material - just to be sure this is the right machine for you. I have no doubt, but want to be sure you are happy with the results. I have been using the Silver Bullet since 2012 and now have the Silver Bullet Platinum and they are both AMAZING machines.

We are here to support if you have further questions. And you can contact Sherri, the owner, at Sherri@silverbulletcutters.com

[BazookaJo]

That's a great idea - I'll send a file over and see if she can give me feedback on quality and time.. i will need several thousand sheets cut, so if it takes ten minutes per a4 sheet I may struggle...

Again many thanks

Paul

[Gigi]

Hi Paul -

If you just want one of us to try the file, you can upload it here (as an .svg) and one of us can try it. What program have you used to design it? My concern, tho, is testing the design with the actual media you are using. You said it is 100-150 gsm. That designation always throws me because that means different weights depending on if it is coated or uncoated card stock etc. For instance, 150 gsm is about 100 lb card stock - which is a heavier cardstock than 100 gsm which is more of a light weight paper and will usually cut a detailed folder easier than a heavyweight. Again, a lot depends on the file as well.

10 minutes a sheet would be a VERY long time for a file - I cannot imagine a file taking that long to cut - to engrave yes but not just to cut. Remember that if a file is node intensive, it will take longer to cut because the machine will read each node as a "command". And depending on the detail, even tho the Silver Bullet tends to cut detailed files better at a faster speed, there are times when you need to slow it down a little to get detailed areas to cut well. There are all sorts of factors involved including if you have a lot of curved areas vs. angled areas etc. What is the finished size of an average project? You say A4 which is approximately letter size, but is the file that size? Obviously that plays a factor too - but all of that aside, I rarely have a file take longer than a minute to cut - most well below that. But all of the factors above have to be taken into consideration and may initially take trial and error to get the best force and speed and blade (you may get better results with the detailed blade). Once you get it figured out then the process will be just a matter of putting it on the mat and letting the machine do what it does best!

Sorry for the long answer - I just want to be sure you consider all of the things involved that could make a cut more challenging. That's why I think testing the file and media you wish to use (or give us the weight so we can at least try to get close to what you want to use.

Hope I have not confused you more.... feel free to upload the file or send it to be at Gigi@silverbulletcutters.com and I will be happy to look at it and try it on some card stock that I have here.

[BazookaJo]

Hi Gigi - thanks for your reply.

The images have been designed using CorelDraw, so I should be able to export as an SVG file without an issues. My current files however do not have separation between the cut and fold/score lines, but I will send an example to give you an idea of the level of detail involved.

As for the gsm I am currently envisaging a thickness and finish akin to that of a regular greetings card, but as you say, I will probably need to acquire some samples from the printers and play with the cutter before I settle on a suitable stock and coating.

I will send you a file now to give you a rough idea of the detail and then a proper test-piece maybe in a week or so when I get time to separate out the lines, and remove overlaying lines etc.

Again - many thanks.

Paul.

[Gigi]

Thank you for the pdf of your work. I just responded to your email.

Yes you can export an svg from Corel Draw - it will easily convert the cdr to an svg and then you can import that into SCAL for cutting. With SCAL PRO, you can download the plug in for Corel Draw which will allow you to send your file straight from Corel Draw to SCAL Pro for cutting without the need to export as an svg first. There are also plugins available for Inkscape and Adobe Illustrator.

I hope between the email and this response that you are getting some of the answers you need.