# is there a market for a vinyl cutter that automatically weeds?



## fedecnc (Feb 19, 2012)

Hello everyone!

I'm Federico, I am writing from italy.

I am a graphic designer, but for hobbies I enjoy designing with Inventor, I built a small workshop with CNC also a self-made.

I would ask an opinion.
Working as a graphic designer in a clothing store custom, I suppose you know very well what it means spending hours with a knife in his hand to lift the scraps of vinyl and then apply it on t-shirts. is a tedious and tiring.

Searching the web, I realized that there is no plotter that does this job automatically ..

so I set to work, and I designed a system that can automatically remove the waste and give the finished work ready to be pressed, obviously would not have built, I just did some testing, and saw that it can work, and I only created the project in inventor.

Before spending time and money in building the prototype of the plotter and software, which requires a large expenditure of money and time, I thought I'd see how this could be requested on the market.

_My question is this:_
Who uses the cutter, usually makes small quantities, by the time it takes to cut, remove the gap and press, so generally if you have to make large quantities, gets silk screen / transfer .. etc. ..
*Therefore, you would be interested in purchasing this plotter if it existed, at a price that is put on the market, expected to cost about: $ 1,900, more or less?*

I hope your spelling, I'm using google translate.

Thanks in advance for the answers.

greetings
Frederick


----------



## Blue92 (Oct 8, 2010)

If I understand what you are saying is that you could design a cutter that would self weed (remove the unneeded vinyl) and produce a design ready to heat press.

I'd say that yes there would be a market for it bit it's haes to say how large that market would be.

Many of the designs we do have pieces to be removed that are less than 1/8" in all directions. That type of design is the most labor intensive to prepare for pressing.


----------



## fedecnc (Feb 19, 2012)

Yes, you understand it, is that plotters in much less time than it is doing it by hand, can remove from sheet vinyl waste that are already printed.

The only thing you must do is select the parts that are raised by software.
What intrigued me is because it has not been created yet, admit it's not easy, but the big brands that produce cutting plotter, I doubt they have trouble making it.
I thought that perhaps have not yet created because the cost of the finished product, was too high to justify the production.

thanks for the reply 

i wait for other reply !


----------



## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

:: edited thread TITLE to be more descriptive  ::​


----------



## treadhead (Jul 26, 2006)

$1900 is not out of line as you will pay that much for the Rolan GX-24 cutter..which is a very nice cutter. 

If you can come up with something that will also weed the design SUCCESSFULLY then I expect there would be a HUGE market for that product...especially for around that price point.

Now..if it requires as much time fiddling around with the cutter to make it weed correctly as it takes to weed the product ouselves...then NO. 

I will be keeping an eye on this thread for updates.


----------



## lben (Jun 3, 2008)

A few months back I saw a video (I think from Ryonet) about an easier way to weed. The woman took the cut vinyl and placed it under a heat press for a few seconds (don't remember if the press touched the vinyl or not) but then removed the vinyl and the uncut part just pretty much fell off the backing while she pulled it leaving behind some pretty intricate detail. 

Now if you could make a cutter with maybe a heat element in it that the cut vinyl would feed into and that would pull up the uncut vinyl with maybe a blade or something else that would start the separation process and then would feed the vinyl into two directions - top for uncut and bottom for press ready design - that would be awesome.

Or maybe even a separate machine that would weed in this fashion that we could just feed the vinyl into ...


----------



## idonaldson (Sep 29, 2008)

Yes you have interest peaked - just keep us informed of the updates so this would not be just someone elses dream.


----------



## kriscad (Dec 18, 2006)

I remember seeing a machine that would weed the vinyl after it was cut. It wasn't perfect, but would do a 50 yard roll in about 8 minutes.


----------



## api (Nov 22, 2009)

A cutter (at least 24" wide) with "AutoWeed" function would be HUGE! If it works successfully and the price is affordable, it is a HUGE business.

Im MY opinion:

Creating a software which can identify the pieces to be removed can be done. Probably even a macro can do the trick.

After the cutting process, something (a different knife or hook) has to start the separation process. I don't know how but it can be done also. (I hope) 

The real problem - in my opinion - is the removal of the large quantity of the excess (scrap) vinyl material from the cutter.

Nice project.  

Good luck!


----------



## kriscad (Dec 18, 2006)

while searching for it, I found this


Welcome to WEEDER SHEETER.com!


----------



## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

kriscad said:


> while searching for it, I found this
> 
> 
> Welcome to WEEDER SHEETER.com!



The key is having a solution that will also weed within letters and designs. A's, O's, etc. Now that I would buy! That's really where all the weeding time is spent.


----------



## idonaldson (Sep 29, 2008)

I have seen the weeder sheeter in operation and think it is a good product, but not like those pictures. I would like to see the auto process for the weeder is not.


----------



## api (Nov 22, 2009)

Very smart! I am sure this weeder is a blessing for the sign shops. For t-shirts? I am not sure. 

The sign vinyl is easier to weed. (less tack)
The text signs are in-line designs, with long strips between the lines. The t-shirt designs are much more complex and much more intricate.
There is no solution for weeding the closed objects.


----------



## lben (Jun 3, 2008)

I was thinking the same thing. If it won't pull the center of letters how will it work with intricate designs? So back to the drawing board.


----------



## fedecnc (Feb 19, 2012)

hello all. 

The system shetterweeder.com , is a help to remove the bulk of waste paper, is a help, but as you noted, can not remove the internal parts to the letters / design. 
What I want to create, leverage the internal parts, the most difficult, they do lose hours of work. 
You can do it quickly, and all types of vinyl, for glass, car, clothing, etc. ... 
The system that I'm planning to have a complex structure, the tests that I did not give 100% guarantee that the system works, but gave good results. 
The problem is that further testing cost me many hours of work and also money. 

I worked in a small company, and work, is rarely so much as to need a machine like that. 
Typically you start a job, if you get another job, gets tomorrow.
_*here is the conversation with my boss: 
*_*I: *Hey Boss, theres a plotter that automatically prepares us for the sheets ready to print !
*BOSS:* excellent! how much it costs?
*I:* 1900 $ 
*BOSS:* Takes the cutter, this costs $ 10, Take it and use it ..
*I:*  

is also true that we are not very well economically. 

My question was just that. In your opinion would have great success. 
But you, in your business, you buy it?


Thanks to all for the time I dedicated


----------



## gorilladiver (Oct 25, 2011)

the sign company that I work for bought the Weeder and Sheeter when it first came out. The weeder worked ok on large block letters like shown in the photo, but our production guy could still weed the large letters faster by hand. Other than large block letters it was useless. The sheeter was kind of cool for tapeing, but the vinyl would go off track if wasn't loaded perectly straight. Our production guy could tape 30 inch by 30 foot sections of vinyl by himself faster than we could load the sheeter. after a couple of weeks we returned both of them for a refund.


----------



## idonaldson (Sep 29, 2008)

@gorilladiver I seen one on a job I was doing and my impression was exactly your experience. I researched it because I was intrigued but once I saw the price and knew that the potential for not tracking and worki g with the details of garment vinyl that it would not work for me.


----------



## fedecnc (Feb 19, 2012)

Hello everyone,

The shares closed interiors are difficult to remove by hand on a complex design, even more difficult is it done automatically by a macchine.
Perhaps that is why no company has produced a plotter can do this job, because it is impossible to make complex and elaborate designs, or better, you may, but need a machine that executes movements that are too complex, it's like the manual human.
The complexity and therefore the cost of the machine turns out to be too high.

I will continue to design with Autodesk inventor in his spare time, and I hope to build something within a certain budget, the cost for creating a prototype is very high.
Also there are so many calculations to do, is an advanced engineering stuff, but I feel the same. I love the impossible challenges

if I get some results I will let you know.


Thank you all for your responses.


----------



## SilverfishTees (Dec 12, 2010)

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've had this idea for ages but don't know how to build a machine!!!! DESIGN THIS PRODUCT!!! I BEG OF YOU!!! I'LL BUY ONE TODAY! ...ACTUALLY I'LL BUY 2 OF THEM YESTERDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Any update on this idea???


----------



## PatWibble (Mar 7, 2014)

SilverfishTees said:


> YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've had this idea for ages but don't know how to build a machine!!!! DESIGN THIS PRODUCT!!! I BEG OF YOU!!! I'LL BUY ONE TODAY! ...ACTUALLY I'LL BUY 2 OF THEM YESTERDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> Any update on this idea???


Secabo (germany) have been making a small format ( 16") version for several years. It seems to work on contour cut labels - don't know how it would work with intricate designs and text.
I don't know if the concept would translate to the extra force needed to weed t-shirt vinyl. 
The technology is there, but would require someone to develop a specialist, easy weed print and cut garment media

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmNUx9B0_Tk


----------



## BrianHahn (Dec 29, 2013)

This is Saga's label cutter. The trick here for auto weeding is that the weed is continuous and can be continuously spooled.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5d-lluXFPlc


----------



## SilverfishTees (Dec 12, 2010)

Eh...these are cool-looking machines and all but i don't really see any connection to t-shirt making. Need a VERY specific model to work with heat transfer vinyl rolls and weed out ALL cavities of the cut. Not just the outline. That's the EASY part of weeding


----------



## Blue92 (Oct 8, 2010)

It might be doable but would require both custom cutting software and hardware.

If I had the time and money (and brains....) to do it it might work.

I use Great Cut with my Expert 24 LX so other software and cutters may be different.

Great Cut displays the vinyl itself as a rectangle with the dimensions you specify. The object or objects to be cut are then displayed on the layout.

Start by modifying the cutting software to display the vinyl with a black diamond shaped grid pattern with a 1/16" or so grid in black.

The vinyl design to be cut would then be displayed on this background.

Add an electric eye with built in software to the cutter that can detect the areas where the grid is displayed.

Depending on the design's size a separate rail to carry the weeding "head" might be the best bet or a second separate device altogether. Since a full front design can run up to 14" or so you would need a fair amount of space between the two rails. 

The second rail would have a carriage with electric eye and the the "weeding" head. Both the eye and weeding "tool" would most likely ride on the same rail and head. The eye would scan the vinyl as it passes underneath and trigger the weeding function when the grid pattern is detected.

That leaves several issues to be addressed or resolved:
Some vinyl runs I've done are 72 inches or more in length. 

Since under this scenario vinyl is still being cut, how does the weeding function work in conjunction with the "still in process" cutting function?

A method of clearing the weeding head of weeded vinyl would be needed keeping in mind that this scrap material could be quite lengthy. It would need to clear itself and dispose of the scraps.

Best solution may be a separate device altogether but linked to the cutter and/or computer so as to be able to read the design. This would allow the "weeder" to do it's job without causing issues with the cutter itself. This does mean loading the vinyl twice but less time than manual weeding.

Let me know when you have it designed and I'll provide an address for my royalty checks....


----------



## Jetskigal (Jul 21, 2017)

I have a very large customer in the US interested in a weeding machine for opaque t-shirt transfers.
This company has the money to invest in this type of machine and could work with you to develop this cutter.
There is a very large market for this type of machine in the t-shirt transfer business .

Please let me know if you are still looking for a partner to work with you on this
Janice


----------



## Jetskigal (Jul 21, 2017)

I believe there is a market for this type of machine if it can be modified for opaque t-shirt transfer paper and not just vinyl lettering.
Please let me know the best way to contact you and do you speak any English?


----------



## dlcompton (Jan 8, 2008)

If you have a laser, you can actually negative cut some garment vinyl (no PVC) so there is no weeding. I just saw this at the NBM Show in Long Beach last week. You can do some really detailed work that would be impossible with a regular cutter.


----------



## Jetskigal (Jul 21, 2017)

Will this work with Opaque Transfer Paper?
And do you have the name of the company (s) that manufacture the laser cutter you are referring to?


----------



## dlcompton (Jan 8, 2008)

Jetskigal said:


> Will this work with Opaque Transfer Paper?
> And do you have the name of the company (s) that manufacture the laser cutter you are referring to?



The company talking about it was Universal Laser but any laser would work (Epilog, etc.). I doubt it would work with paper. They used garment vinyl (Siser Easyweed). 

Note: Sign vinyl has PCV - Do not use in a laser cutter/engraver.


----------



## DrivingZiggy (Apr 24, 2017)

If you skip to ~12:25 on this video you can see how the laser works on HTV.


----------

