Object:
Accurately cut multiple lines of text, or larger objects (above 50 cm)
Problem:
After printing four lines of text, each line about 5 cm high, it was noticed that the alignment of the letters was out. Even worse, letters made out of two separate cuts, such as o, a and e, had problems because the letters were not cut in one sequence. This alignment problem was only seen in a direction square to the cutterbed, and the further from the origin, the worse it became.
Cause:
The cutter does not work from left to right, but cuts every closed curve separately. So the outside of an e could be cut first, with the inside being cut several letters later. Because the cutter is moving the vinyl up and down a lot, if only a minor amount of slippage occurs between the roller and the vinyl, the alignment will be off.
Solution:
Force the printer to print mainly in a left to right direction, before moving the vinyl in the up/down direction.
How to do this:
Print every line of text separately. In Rhino this is easily done by hiding the text, one line after the other. As long as you do not change any other settings, the cutter remembers the original origin. (this also speeds up the cutting process considerably, since the cutter head moves a lot less between the lines)
(p.s. if your text is printed in landscape, this won't work! You will need to creatively hide the letters above and below each other, instead of the lines of text. I suggest a band of 20 cm should do the trick)
In other programs you might need to put a new origin point after every line.
This problem may also occur when you are cutting straight from a roll. The cutter is not powerful enough to turn the entire roll, so make a loop with plenty of material. (If the roll rotates during cutting, make a larger loop)
For large artwork, with a lot of small gaps, it might help to cut the outside first, and then cut the inner gaps in separate bands of about 10 cm high. By doing this you will prevent the vinyl from being transported up and down a lot, thus preventing the dis alignment. It won't work flawlessly, so if you have a better idea please add it to this tutorial!