# roland camm 1 rough cutting



## mysharona (Apr 23, 2008)

Hello all. My Roland Camm 1 has just started rough cutting. Just changed to a new blade 60º and now it is not cutting smooth, all of the letters are uneven and some lines are not joined. I have tried everything to fix this and have been reading past post for answers. Any suggestions? The top line of copy is how it should look. Also my down button and the power are not working good. The Roland is around 3 yr old. Have not replaced anything on it except for the blades.


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## nitewalker (Jan 27, 2010)

The cutter protection strip may need to be replaced. Also, make sure to adjust cutting pressure and blade offset. Keep trying test cuts until you dial everything in right. What material are you cutting?

As for the down and power button not working well; I'm not sure there, but I'm interested in how it plays out. The GX-24 (I think this is the one you have?) is on my short list.


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## Nick Horvath (Feb 26, 2010)

Check your offset. Should be at .225 - .250 for most vinyls.

Other things to consider:
1) Try another blade. It could be a bad blade.
2) Check your cutting strip for dents and scratches.
3) How old is your blade holder? It is recommended that you replace your blade holder every 2 years.
4) Make sure that your blade is not sticking out more than the thickness of a credit card.


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## Corel Whisperer (Sep 1, 2010)

Sharona, its hard to tell from the image you posted. As John and Nick have stated I would start with inspecting the cutting strip. The cutting strip is the white nylon strip that runs the width of the cutter. If it has nicks or a groove down the center it should be replaced. When you replace it you will need to clean the area and make sure there isn’t any glue residue left behind. Cutting Strips normally need to be replace every 6 to 9 months to a least once a year. If you have been cutting on the same one all this time, this is most likely the problem. 
However, it could also be your blade holder. The blade should spin freely in the holder. Remove the cap and make sure there isn’t any debris inside. Carefully see if you can turn the blade, if it feels like it is sticking, before replacing it I would suggest you clean it. Here are the steps.
Remove the holder from the cutter.
Remove the cap from the blade holder
Remove the blade from the holder.
Clean off the blade by wiping it on a tissue or soft cloth.
Place the blade on a piece of paper.
Place a single drop of clear oil (3-in1 or Sewing oil)
Roll the blade in the oil to coat the blade.
Place the blade back in the holder and rotate the blade.
Remove the blade again and wipe off any extra oil.
Place the blade back in the holder and again rotate the blade. It should turn freely and not feel like it is sticking. Because you have never cleaned and oiled the holder it might be best to let the newly oiled blade holder to sit on its side over night to give the oil time to lubricate the tiny bearings in the holder. Then in the morning see if the blade it turning freely again. If it is you should be good to go. If not I would recommend ordering a new blade holder if you are still having issues with the cutting and have tried the other suggestions. The blade holder should be cleaned and oiled every 4 to 6 months depending on use. Clean out the cap on the holder after cutting any material with fibers. 
Blade offset will also affect the why shapes are cut on corners. A good rule of thumb is; if the corners look rounded then you will need to increase the offset. If the corners have little flags or pieces hanging off of them once weeded, the offset needs to be lower. 
Hope this helps and you can get your issue solved.
CW


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## mysharona (Apr 23, 2008)

Great info, I have not replaced anything in 3 years...woops! except for blades. Does anyone know anything about the control buttons? the down button and power button is giving me problems. Will prob have to replace control panel?


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## nitewalker (Jan 27, 2010)

What exactly is the behavior of the buttons? Also, are the buttons acting up used more than the others? Buttons going bad in 3 years isn't something I'd expect nor be happy with after plunking down $1700...

How much use does the cutter see? Daily?

Sorry for the questions; the GX-24 is on my wishlist. I'd like to know what to expect.


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## mysharona (Apr 23, 2008)

Hey guys, here is a better picture of what Roland is doing. Does this help? Red is good....blue is bad.


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## nitewalker (Jan 27, 2010)

What program are you cutting from? Does it cut like that directly from cutstudio?
Also, try to cut a self test from the GX-24 menu. If that comes out right, it's likely a software error.


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## Twanabee (Sep 14, 2009)

Well at least you designed yourself a new font. Were you cutting with a 60 degree blade before you changed it. Looks like some of your problems are offset related. I would go with new cutting strip, holder and blade. Always a good idea to have a cutting strip on hand as a spare. Cant help you on your button problem.


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## mysharona (Apr 23, 2008)

I just installed Adobe illus. cs2 that didn't help. Did the self test and the corners are slightly rounded which doesn't look bad. It is the small type that is a problem. They should have included smaller words in the self test. The pin that is sticking out of the blade holder leans to one side, should it be in the middle at all times? Smoothing is on and offset is 60º. I am also using a 60º blade...that is all I have been using the past 3 years. I have tried 3 new blades but they all cut the same. I can cut better looking letters by hand with an exacto!!! I haven't had any problems with the Roland for 3 years until now. The cutting strip does have horizontal grooves on it. I will replace it and the blade holder and see what happens.


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## Twanabee (Sep 14, 2009)

There is no such thing as a 60 degree offset. I would check your blade offset and like Nick said it should be about .225. Also what are you using for a downforce and blade extention. I tend to use a little more blade extention and back off on my downforce. The holder does not put so much pressure on the vinyl that way. Too much downforce can can cause the vinyl to stick and not move smoothly. How about your pinch rollers? Ever been changed? How about cleaned. Can you move the vinyl when you have the rollers down? Just some other things to go over.


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## Corel Whisperer (Sep 1, 2010)

Sharona, is this a GX-24? In your post you say a CAMM-1, they are all CAMM-1's from a 1000, 900, 1200, CM300, CM24 to a GX24 and everything in between. 
If the corners are cutting round it sounds like your offset. You might want to start by resetting the cutter back to factory defaults and go from there.
CW


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## mysharona (Apr 23, 2008)

Hey there, it is a Roland GX 24, I have tried different offset settings and it is a little better, the problem is also the distorted letters but only on small letters, as you can see in the pictures. I will try to set it back to factory default. I have ordered new parts but they aren't going to ship out for 4 - 5 bus. days and of course I need it tomorrow!


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## Corel Whisperer (Sep 1, 2010)

Sharona, I assuming you are ordering a new blade holder, from what you describe it sounds like the blade holder is broken. Do you know if it was dropped? The push pin should sit straight in the holder and not to one side. If the blade wobbles side to side as it is cutting it will produce the cuts you are seeing and they will be worse on smaller letters. The other thing to check is the area where you fit the blade holder in to the cutter. You do not want to over tighten the thumb screw. Roland changed the design on this part of the cutter with this model. The older units had a small nut on the end of a long screw to hold the blade holder in place. The problem was over time this little small nut could come loose and fall off. Because it was in the back it was hard to get back on. The new one as a square end on a long screw that fits in from the back and the thumb screw attaches from the front. You can start having a problem if you get in the habit of over tightening the thumb screw. Although the screw itself is metal the part it fits into is plastic, it continually over tightened the plastic area can become rounded making it impossible to loosen the thumb screw. If this happens the entire carriage head needs to be replaced because you can’t replace just the plastic section. So, remember not to over tighten the blade holder in the cutter. 
You might try slowing the cutter down to cut your small letters.
CW


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## Nick Horvath (Feb 26, 2010)

mysharona said:


> Hey there, it is a Roland GX 24, I have tried different offset settings and it is a little better, the problem is also the distorted letters but only on small letters, as you can see in the pictures. I will try to set it back to factory default. I have ordered new parts but they aren't going to ship out for 4 - 5 bus. days and of course I need it tomorrow!


Have you tried .250 for your offset? This setting will work for most vinyls.

I would agree that there may something wrong with your blade holder and/or blade if this setting is producing rounded corners.

Let us know how this turns out.


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## K Chez (Jun 11, 2008)

If you are cutting with a 60 degree blade, your offset should be .50
A .25 offset is for 45 degree blades


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