# SummaSign T750 Cutting Issues



## Mallion (Nov 30, 2009)

My name is Earl, I'm new here & was hoping one of you may be able to shed some light on a recent problem that's put a halt to production. My SummaSign T750 isn't cutting fully any more. Words alone don't do it justice so I've thrown together a quick illustration of what I mean:









The black lines around the word TEST show where the knife is actually cutting. As you can see from the illustration, it isn't cutting both of the T's in the same way but if I run a second "TEST" it cuts almost exactly the same spots as on the first one. Also I know it isn't the rip software as I get the same problem when running internal cutting tests.

This machine was working great when I put it into storage. It was climate controlled & I treat it like it's made out of gold so I know it's not physical abuse. I'm hoping one of you has run into something similar & knows of a fix, even if it's not quick or easy to get it working again. I'm tech savvy but this is new to me. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for taking the time to read this!

-Earl


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## tdeals (Dec 13, 2006)

Hi Earl!

Check your PM if this is not yet fixed.


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## The Youngin (Nov 26, 2007)

Summa has this problem quite often. What it is is that they put a die cut feture to cut the backing paper. You can turn this feature, but I cant remember how. You will need to get ahold of the manual:/ I will check my files monday to see if I have it. But dont chuck the cutter, It is doing its job just fine
Jason


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## Mallion (Nov 30, 2009)

The Youngin said:


> Summa has this problem quite often. What it is is that they put a die cut feture to cut the backing paper. You can turn this feature, but I cant remember how. You will need to get ahold of the manual:/ I will check my files monday to see if I have it. But dont chuck the cutter, It is doing its job just fine
> Jason


Yeah I'm still having no luck what-so-ever. I've been on the phone with tech support but & while they've been great, they seem to want to sell me hardware.
While I'm not opposed to the idea of buying parts, $1000 for a new head is a bit beyond what I can afford. Did you have any luck figuring out how to turn that feature off?


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## Dwright (Dec 9, 2009)

I joined this forum to reply to your problem on the Summa. I have been searching for a solution other than the $1500 replacement head Summa wants to sell me. (They quoted you light).

From what everyone I have talked to about the missing cuts, only a new head will do. If I can't find a fix for the knife not releasing all the time and making contact I may just buy a cheaper model Graphtec. That is way too much for a machine I paid $4000 for 6 1/2 years ago. 

Their tech support is mainly a second tier level of their sales force. All problems can be fixed by purchasing, usually a new plotter.


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## Mallion (Nov 30, 2009)

Unfortunately I know exactly what you mean. My whole first day on the phone was spent explaining I don't want to buy a new machine. They kept saying, "Well, at the cost you're looking at for repair parts, it's smarter to just get one of our newer models."
Why? So it can last just over 6 years & need to be replaced again? I'm sorry but that's not a solid product. I expect things to break but if you've priced your parts purposely high just to sell new machines you really need to evaluate your business practices.


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## Dwright (Dec 9, 2009)

The real point that bothers me is this is a high end machine with a big price. If I had paid $1800 for a lesser model and this happened it wouldn't bother me as much. Plus the repair on lower end would cost less too.
I think they should offer a very good deal and lose some of their profit to compensate us. This my second and last Summa.

Oh, they did say they would give me $1000 trade in and $500 off my purchase as a loyal customer. Right, the same deal they would give a first time buyer who pushed for a deal.

I could convert this to a drag knife model for around $550 with me doing the fix.


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## Mallion (Nov 30, 2009)

Yeah they offered me the convert to drag as well. I won't be buying another Suma.


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## tdeals (Dec 13, 2006)

Mallion said:


> My name is Earl, I'm new here & was hoping one of you may be able to shed some light on a recent problem that's put a halt to production. My SummaSign T750 isn't cutting fully any more. Words alone don't do it justice so I've thrown together a quick illustration of what I mean:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Hi Earl,

It's unfortunate to hear that your Support experiences have not been as top-notch as mine with Summa USA. I have some questions for you that may help us to help you more:



By any chance, was your cutter left uncovered while stored? Vinyl cutters are susceptible to issues due to dust. I noticed that you mentioned having the cutter in storage and prior to it going there, it worked fine. (I have a make-shift cover over my Summa D75.)
 


 Have you gone through any of the maintenance procedures for your model? (i.e., *Cleaning the media sensors/OPOS sensors, nose piece, drive system, guide rails*?)
 


 Have you checked or changed out your blade and/or tried a different (yet compatible) blade altogether? You may have a broken blade tip.
 


What is the outcome when doing a DIN CUT test?
 


Have you reinstalled the last firmware version for your model? Check here.



What happens if you plug your cutter into a different A/C outlet and do any test cuts? This sounds far fetched, and may be. But, you'd be surprised to know what happened when I plugged a heat press into a bad outlet. Let's just say, the manufacturer immediately heard from me, only to find it was the outlet. 



 Have you test cut with different materials and/or a different roll, or only the same roll of one material?
 


What other steps have you tried exactly to correct the problem? When I first setup my Summa, I had one wacky, yet consistent cut problem due to a few settings (DRAGL, OPTICUT and Knife Offset). When I tweaked those settings, it was fixed.
 


 Have you spoken to the Summa Support manager?


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## cookster (May 10, 2006)

We are working on a possible fix for the continued problems people are having with the head not cutting complete cuts or missing cuts while cutting vinyl. We currently have two T-750's that were having the same problem of incomplete cuts. Once the fix was applied to the cutters they have been working flawlessly. The units to fix the problem are still in the testing stages. When we are satisfied with testing these items will be available for purchase. As for the cost of the fix at this time we are looking at keeping the price under $150.00. We are planning on releasing the fix in march of 2011. 

So in short don't throw your plotters out when it can be fixed for a fraction of the cost of a new head.


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