# Help. Cutter suddenly has incomplete cuts.



## BroJames (Jul 8, 2008)

My cutter has been OK. But I am suddenly encountering "incomplete" cuts. For example, in almost all cuts, it would leave a small portion uncut. I think this is where the blade falls and ends its cutting.

In vector, it is like unclosed curve. This is happening to almost all objects. 

What are the possible problems?


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## headfirst (Jun 29, 2011)

Sounds like your blade offset. You'll usually adjust this in your cutting software. Grab a scrap of vinyl and plot a 1" circle on it. If the ends don't meet raise the offset and plot again, when your circle is complete plot a line of text to make sure you don't have any tails on the letters. 

Hope that helps


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## headfirst (Jun 29, 2011)

There is a great article on setting up your blade and offset from Graphtec [media]http://www.tubelite.com/docs/support/graphtec/TNC_004_Accurate_Blade_Setup.pdf[/media]










Good luck with it!


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## BroJames (Jul 8, 2008)

Thanks for the replies.

My first 'problem' is that the blade settings is the same as before. Second, the image is also an old image I've cut before.

Aside from the "incomplete cuts" on almost all objects at least 3 letters, two 'O's I recall, has it's middle portion shifted to the right which makes it lik a pregnant O. But the shift is only on one side of the letter 'O' like this(attached below). 

Patrick, I am using flexi 8 starter but almost never adjusted the settings so I'm not sure what offset you are referring to. Before I posted this thread I already adjusted the blade length so that it is longer now. I've always used a pressure of 80 before on thin vinyls but set it to 86. These improved the problem but it is still there so I here I am. 

Sometimes (but not in this instance) the blade also cut all objects twice.

Would you also know what these settings mean or what settings I should watch out for? (sorry for the questions. I do not have a users manual)

Selection tolerance : 3 pixels
Constrain Angle: 45deg
Weeding Margin 0.100 in (disabled)
Advance after plot
Overlap 0.100 in (disabled)
Unidirectional cutting
Overcut
etc.


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## idonaldson (Sep 29, 2008)

It sounds as if it is the offset or the blade holder. You always adjust the offset first and if it cannot be adjusted then you have to change the blade holder. As was shown in the picture the 1st is hooking - decrease the offset, the second is rounding increase the offset and the third is how it should look. You state oldfile etch, which is good because you know file is good and jump straight to hardware. My steps:
1 - check holder and make sure blade can spin - at times pieces of media gets on or in the holder
2 - ensure the holder is lightly oiled - sames for hook on embroidery machine
3 - no fine the offset - Roland cutters have it under the menu option go to conditioins and page down or up
4- after adjusting keep test cutting 

Not sure if any of this helps, but the steps are basically the same for all cutters.


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## BroJames (Jul 8, 2008)

The only offset I see is "knife offset". It has a default value of 0.20inches but disabled. Is this it?


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## idonaldson (Sep 29, 2008)

Yes that is it - enable - do not adjust but do a test cut and see if it is complete. If the test is hooking picture 2 then decrease, if rounding increase.


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## BroJames (Jul 8, 2008)

Just did a test cut and it really seems the same as before. I will keep an eye on the actual cut though. 

BTW, the oil is on the blade so it rotates smoothly right?

Thanks.


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## headfirst (Jun 29, 2011)

BroJames said:


> The only offset I see is "knife offset". It has a default value of 0.20inches but disabled. Is this it?


Is it set for .20 or .020? .2 seems like a very large offset to me.

I had to adjust ours last week and I think we're at .035 currently.


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## BroJames (Jul 8, 2008)

just checked. It's 0.020in. 

What does knife offset means or what is it for? Offset against what? TIA


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## headfirst (Jun 29, 2011)

BroJames said:


> just checked. It's 0.020in.
> 
> What does knife offset means or what is it for? Offset against what? TIA


Change it to .04 and cut another circle. Does it connect? If not increase again.


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## BroJames (Jul 8, 2008)

It has improved since I ave adjusted the blade length and pressure. All seems to be connecting now (I adjusted the pressure to 90 but back to 86) and enabled the offset.



headfirst said:


> Change it to .04 and cut another circle. Does it connect? If not increase again.


Based on your earlier guide(Post #3) mine is too high at 0.020in. Got those pin sized "serif"-like corners. I am closing shop for today and will try tomorrow with both 0.015 and 0.025in. Or should I just try with 0.030in and 0.010in?


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## idonaldson (Sep 29, 2008)

Offset is the difference from where the blade enters to where it cuts. There is no magic number since blades comes in diffirent variations. I have mine set at .0250, but as my holder started to fail after 3 years I had to change it until it no longer matter. The reason the pressure matters is that the blade is on an angle so as it goes down into the media further it changes where the blade cuts. The reason you do not what too much blade into the media are plentiful: wear and tear on the cutting strip, more likely to break tip, chances of die cutting your design, ripping up media as it changes direction. Kind of like a tractor-trailer making a u-turn on a one way street. Yours sounds like it is hooking so I am on the side of decreasing (for my machine).


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## headfirst (Jun 29, 2011)

BroJames said:


> It has improved since I ave adjusted the blade length and pressure. All seems to be connecting now (I adjusted the pressure to 90 but back to 86) and enabled the offset.
> 
> 
> 
> Based on your earlier guide(Post #3) mine is too high at 0.020in. Got those pin sized "serif"-like corners. I am closing shop for today and will try tomorrow with both 0.015 and 0.025in. Or should I just try with 0.030in and 0.010in?


I had thought from your earlier post that the offset was off. If you are getting tails you should reduce it.

What blade are you using?


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