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User Guide Ioline SmarTrac™

1. Stand Leveling Foot O Traverse Cross member P LED Sensor Figure 2 The loline SmarTrac Contour SC cutter front view xi Dust Cover Blade Holder Drive Shaft Marker LED Sensor Idler Wheel Pinchwheel Carriage Drive Shaft See Detail See Detail 2 N N Eleg E IM N 4 _ a See Detail 3 Figure 3 The loline SmarTrac SC 72 cutter front view Stand Leg O Platen Platen Leveling Foot P Traverse Stand Leveling Foot Cross member Detail I Detail 3 Detail 2 xiii Media Shaft in rear T USB Port R Power Switch U Power Cord 5 Serial COM Port Figure 4 The loline SmarTrac Contour SC 72 cutter rear view Figure 5 Power and communications ports are located on the back of the right cover xiv 1 Installation Getting Started Thank you for purchasing the Ioline SmarTrac signcutter This manual contains instructions and guidelines for setting up operating and maintaining your signcutter The SmarTrac hooks up to your system like printer Use design software to create your designs and send files to the SmarTrac for cutting or plotting The following components are needed to cut designs BH A Windows compatible computer The computer must be as sembled and installed correctly before you connect it by serial or USB cable to the signcutter If you use Windows 985 lat B Design software load
2. SAFETY amp CAUTIONS VISUAL REFERENCE GUIDE 1 2 Installation Getting ee 15 Compatible Eee 15 TR TET ao RE 16 Unpack the Signcutter Le 16 PAD UU T tm 16 Prepare the Area 16 Connect the Signcutter to the Computer 16 Installing USB Drivers nsnsnrnerveresvrroreneereneneerereneerenenserenensensnenrenenessenenesreneneerenensesenensensnenee 17 Prepare to install 17 Windows XPWarning 17 NNN 17 Find the COM POr 18 Setup the Software to use USB 19 Manually configure the USB settings optional 19 FT Nr 20 Installing loline Software and Manuals 1t ettet dose oar euet 20 Operation Keypad Controls econ ee comes tec sestecee secon 21 2 I MON 22 vm eur oe 22 NN 22 pog 22 pss 22 ill d 23 The loline Control Center 23 Changing System Settings vassere eee 24 Menu Bar Features UN IU A UNIES 25 ge 25 Se e 25
3. dimensions Figure 27 loline recommends registration mark di of the printed mensions of 0 394 in 1 cm square image s See Figure 26 3 The registration marks are solid rectangular black squares with a minimum size of 0 275 in 7 mm and a maximum size of 59 in 15 mm recommends a 0 394 in 1 cm square See Figure 27 4 Make sure there is a minimum margin of 3 in between registration marks and the edge of the vinyl on both sides and the top and bottom See Figure 28 Chapter 2 Operation If using pen for testing recali brate the sensor by following the calibration process described in this User Guide 41 42 loline SmarTrac User Guide The design software was used to create the registra tion marks is capable of initiating regis tration process for Ioline cut ters and can adjust the cut file using the registration Figure 28 There should be a 3 in margin between measurements the registration marks and the edge of the vinyl made by the cutter Contact the manufacturer of the design software to determine if Ioline contour drivers are available An origin point should be set on the cutter so that the sensor light is positioned within the center of the first registration mark See Figure 29 before scanning begins See Set Origin earlier in this chapter to learn the steps for setting an origin point with the keypad The sensor is calibrated for the tool in
4. 3 4 Gal 25 ej 25 25 25 Screen Menu Options 26 Measurement UNITS onte DIERUM IMMUNE NINE 26 WB 26 vj M ees 26 8 0 5 geen eee rer eee 26 EE ER EN 26 PENNE sessen dui a e iuc m on 26 Update Display f 27 Send Settings to Cutter Temporary 27 Send Settings to Cutter Permanent 27 P Mc 28 BB 7p c 28 gogo qc 28 FG 28 NTN 28 Blade Steering Arc NS 28 C Uuttihp d SIBI uei ee ee ee ee ME MM ee ee 29 General Guidelines er uet neers tne ee rr E ERU DER UM 29 FY 29 Loading the Material EE E 29 Aligning the Material and Pinchwheels 30 Adjusting the Pinchwheel Pressure 30 Locking the Pinchwheels Off of the Platen 3l Installing a Blade and the Blade Foot esesnenesvevenenvenenesvenenesvenenesnenenssnenessevenensenenesseneneese 32 Installing a Blade Holder 2 32 Adjusting Blade Exposureand Force 33 Adjusting Blade Exp
5. 52 Prepare to Calibrate the Sensor 52 Calibrate th NT 53 amp SUPPOPE A 55 Getting Hep oio ee ee ui duo dem ee eee ee 55 End Notes Customer Service 56 Your Comments Are Requested 56 Before you contact Support 57 The FCC Wants You to Know 58 This booklet is available from 58 vii viii Please read these safety guidelines before beginning operation of signcutter The signcutter uses very sharp blade when cutting The parts can move quickly Always observe the following safety precautions Do not allow the material to become suddenly taut between the plotter and a roll of material during plotting A service loop of unrolled material is required for problem free opera tion Using the Autoloop function enabled in the Control Center will create the required service loop by gently pulling a set amount of material from the roll before cutting Ioline recommends using Autoloop function when plotting roll of material Do not try to repair the machine without factory authorization Only qualified service personnel should attempt any disas sembly or access to internal components If external mechanical adjustments are necessary turn off the signcutter and discon nect it from all
6. In Windows 2000 and XP click on the Hardware tab then De vice Manager button In Windows 98SE click on the Device Manager tab Double click on the Ports COM and LPT item to expand the list Right click on the Ioline USB to UART Bridge Control ler COMx item in the list then choose Properties Click on the Port Settings tab and enter the values shown above in Setup The Soft ware to Use USB Click on OK when finished E 2 IDE ATAJATAP controllers 25 48 keyboards 4 09 Mice and other pointing devices di MN Network adapters E Parte COM amp LPT Communications Port COML Communications Port 2 ECP Printer Port LPT1 loine USE to UART Bridge Controler COM3 Sound videa and game controllers H ben dence Universal Serial Bus controllers Figure 12 Enter the port settings under the De vice Manager window Chapter Overview 19 Manually changing the Windows COM port settings is required for some programs Use the Windows Device Manager to change settings 20 loline SmarTrac User Guide Both USB and Serial communica tions use a COM port designa tion See the SmarTrac Quick Start Guide for more informa tion If connected to serial port a COM port designation i e COM COM 2 etc must be selected The choice of a port for the signcutter will depend on the ports being used by other devices
7. 004 000 00345 4 This booklet is available from U S Government Printing Office Washington D C 20402 Acceleration rate that a signcutter changes velocity of the carriage or the vinyl Acceleration is measured in units of g 1 g 32 2 ft s Higher ac celeration can increase throughput but may degrade cut quality Arc segment of a circle also called curve Axis The geometric guidelines used to place coor dinate Used to determine pen or blade paths for signcutters B Blade Refers to the carbide steel cutting tool used by sign cutting signcutters Blades are specified by offset tip distance from center and angle relative to vinyl They are designed to work with many dif ferent materials Blade Bevel Angle of the vertical cutting edge of a blade Larger angles help the blade travel through thicker material that produce more drag between the blade and the medium Blade Offset The distance the blade tip trails be hind the center of the blade Blade Steering Arc The arc followed by the center of the blade as it rotates around the fixed tip This is used to align the blade in the direction of the next vector so no tearing occurs C Calendered Polyvinyl chloride PVC sheet ing squeezed between a series of heated rollers to achieve a small enough thickness for cutting with a signcutter Calendered film is generally thicker and less expensive than cast vinyl but it
8. 425 398 8383 support Qioline com www ioline com Your Comments Are Requested Ioline Corporation is interested in comments on our documentation and products Please send corrections or suggestions to loline Corporation 14140 NE 200th Street Woodinville WA 98072 USA Voice 1 425 398 8282 Fax 1 425 398 8383 info ioline com www ioline com Chapter 6 Notes 57 Before you contact Support Please gather the following information about your printer before contacting Ioline or your dealer for technical support Name Company Name Phone Number Fax E mail Model for the serial number above Serial the power switch on the back side Number of the right cover Date of purchase Dealer Type of material used Type of Computer Type of design software New software or peripherals Service history 58 loline SmarTrac User Guide This equipment was tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class digital device pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in commercial environment This equipment generates uses and can radiate radio frequency en ergy and if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual may cause harmful inter ference to radio communications Operation of this equipment residential area is likel
9. 53 60 Installing 20 Menu Bar 24 Screen Menu 24 Options 26 28 Send settings buttons 24 Setup 23 Control Panel 18 19 48 59 60 Coordinate 59 Cradle 16 29 30 36 38 39 See also Stand Cross member xiii Customer Service 56 Cutting 29 42 Aligning the material 30 Canceling a job 35 Contour graphics 41 42 General guidelines 29 64 SmarTrac Quick Start Guide Installing blade 32 Loading material 29 Long signs 36 37 Pausing 34 Quality 23 35 36 38 49 59 Replacing the blade 49 Scraps or short pieces 26 29 Sending cut files 29 34 Small characters 37 38 Tangential blade control 40 Cut Sheet 26 59 D Defaults 25 Design software 15 22 57 Support 15 DM PL 46 59 60 Drive Shaft vii x 59 Cleaning 50 Drive shaft marker 30 46 Drive shaft segment 30 Dust cover x xii E EPS 60 Factory defaults 25 FCC 58 Feed shaft xi File name extensions 59 Filtering 25 Firmware 25 Flange 60 Font 60 Force 22 23 28 31 33 34 35 37 39 60 33 34 Friction feed 60 G Green light mode See START mode H Help x 22 25 36 38 43 55 57 59 60 High Force Position 3l HPGL 25 46 60 HPGL Setting 60 I Idler wheel x xii 60 Position 30 Installation 16 18 loline Corporation x 56 IQ Plot 20 J Jaw 32 52 53 K Keypad v xi 21 59 60 Arrow keys 21 Controls 21 23 Force 22 Repeat 23 Set Origin 22 Speed 22 START STO
10. Calibration r Sensor Ofsets Y Forward S Reverse Figure 37 The Small Sensor Calibration window Perform test registration cuts to verify that alignment is correct If it is not check that the black box is exactly 1 cm then repeat the procedure again Contact Ioline Customer Service if calibra tion is unsuccessful Service amp Support Ioline has many years of experience working with designers graders and marker makers Feel free to contact us if you have questions or to share information Getting Help Ioline is committed to providing the highest quality service and sup port to its customers If you need assistance with an Ioline SmarTrac a number of resources are available 1 First refer to this SmarTrac User Guide for answers to your spe cific questions 2 Many detailed troubleshooting and repair issues are listed in the SmarTrac Service Manual available upon request from Ioline Customer Service Consult the support section of the Ioline Web site www ioline com 4 For additional assistance contact your local dealer or Ioline Customer Service Contact information is listed under Customer Service in this chapter Any warranty servicing of this product not specifically described in this manual must be authorized in writing by Ioline Customer Service You may obtain service by calling or faxing Ioline Customer Service The technicians will help you determine the nature of the problem I
11. Cut Use Full Force if the Test Cut is not complete 2 Ifthe Test Cut is complete turn the Force down again and repeat the Test Cut Continue until the cut is incomplete This indicates that there is not enough force to push the exposed blade fully into the material At this point turn the Force knob up one mark which should be just enough Verification 1 Press the Test Cut key for seconds The signcutter will cut a 1 9 inch x 7 1 inch design 2 If the sign does not separate cleanly and leave a light scoring on the backing try another 1 8 turn upward counter clockwise from above of blade exposure and a very slight increase in force Sending a Cut Plot File to the Signcutter Always load the signcutter and make test cuts to determine the cor rect settings before sending any files See the Adjusting Blade Expo sure and Force sections for more details Important Make sure that the carriage and material are in the proper position and that an origin is set by pressing Set Origin on the keypad LED is green Send the file directly from the design software following the direc tions in the documentation or From Control Center 1 From the menu bar select File Send Cut Plot File 2 Either enter the path and name of the cut or select the cor rect location from the directory file lists in the dialog box For example the path might be C IOLINE lt filename gt plt 4 Select OK Pausi
12. Installation window 2 Operation Keypad Controls Unless otherwise stated the following information applies to both the 1 5 and SC SmarTrac lines The keypad allows access to the main signcutter functions Figure 14 The SmarTrac keypad START STOP The START STOP key connects or disconnects communication between the computer and the signcutter If the START STOP key Start Stop is pressed during cutting or plotting STOP mode the machine will stop when the current vector is finished The Arrow keys are active when in STOP mode When the START STOP key is pressed again START mode cutting will resume exactly where it stopped START mode Green light Arrow keys inoperable sign cutter online ready to receive instructions STOP mode Red light Arrow keys operable sign cutter offline not ready to receive instructions 22 loline SmarTrac User Guide Arrow Keys gt Pressing the Arrow keys moves material back and forth carriage from side to side The Arrow keys will not work unless the signcutter is in STOP mode see START STOP above Set Origin The Set Origin key sets the initial origin or starting position for the sign Unless you use the Repeat function to cut the same graphic it is best to set a new origin before cutting each sign If new origin is not set before sending a file to the signcutter Figure 15 Origin point the signcutter will begin at
13. Loop Slack material between the material roll and the signcutter Stencil thin sheet of material into which design is cut When a stencil is placed on another substrate and paint or ink is applied the image represented by the cut out portion of the stencil is printed on the substrate below it T Tag Board A heavy paper usually 150 pound that is used in the apparel industry for cutting patterns and stencils Tangential Cutting When enabled the tangential Glossary 6 cutting feature carefully aligns the blade with a line segment before making each cut in the material of fering cleaner cuts on thicker materials Throughput The speed at which a signcutter com pletes a job Represents the ability to process infor mation and produce an image U V Vector In computerized sign making a line seg ment between two coordinates on which a pen or blade path can be created for cutting Vinyl Polyvinyl chloride PVC film that in sign making is backed with an adhesive that will create a strong bond to a surface when pressure is applied W Weeding Process of pulling extraneous material away from a cut sign leaving only the sections repre senting the intended design X X Axis Theoretical horizontal line providing a lengthwise reference point for signcutters Associ ated with vinyl movement over the platen on the signcutter Y Y Axis Theoretical vertical line providing a longi tudin
14. Settings Factory Defaults ROM Version Memory Buffer Blade Status Options Filtering HPGL Setting Install New Firmware Calibrate Calibrate Plotter Test Serial Test Computer Port Test Plotter Port Test Help Contents About Sends cut PLT file to the signcutter Restores saved settings files Save settings files Exits the Control Center program Selects the correct signcutter model Selects the communications port Displays current signcutter settings Restore original factory settings Displays installed ROM version Displays installed memory buffer size Displays whether or not the blade holder is installed Toggles Filtering on and off Selects an HGPL language Installs new firmware on the sign cutter Calibrates the signcutter Tests serial communications Tests the computer port Tests the signcutter port Lists contents of help files Provides Control Center version information Chapter 2 Operation 25 26 Smar Trac User Guide CAUTION gt Autoloop default is Y off Do not allow the material to become taut when using roll of material with Autoloop disabled Manually create and maintain service loop in the rear Screen Menu Options Measurement Units English or Metric units are available when adjusting settings Panel Size The Panel Size is the maximum area the signcutter can use for cut ting The factory set and maximum
15. available at computer stores or from Ioline The SmarTrac has a 9 pin male serial port receptacle If your com puter has a 25 pin serial port a 9 to 25 pin adapter is necessary Adaptors are inexpensive and available from computer stores or from Ioline After the cables are correctly connected between the computer and signcutter select the correct port within both the design software and the Control Center Consult the design software manual or your dealer for further information Consult the Operation chapter of this manual or contact Ioline Customer Service for assistance with the Control Center Installing USB Drivers Prepare to install 1 Make sure power to the Ioline equip ment is off 2 Connect the PC to the equipment with the USB cable Power on the PC Insert the included Bo Figure 6 USB Connection Unused serial port also shown above CDROM into the drive Windows XP mare Warning warning may appear koline USB Composite Device during Windows XP has na pared ede Logo aring vy is installation that the rath Window asset driver 15 Pues your covet operate mpau Microsoft Please press othe des future Microsoft v ong the Continue Anyway hideng vender for solbeeane that har parsed Windows Logo testing button to continue with the installation Figure 7 Ignore the Windows XP Warning Inst
16. computer operating system or the installation of new peripherals or software might cause conflicts If the computer or the design software cause problem consult the computer or software manuals or call the manufacturer or dealer If the problem is with the signcutter begin by making sure power is on and that the cable between the machines is connected correctly Test the connection with the methods described in the Communica tion Testing section Consult the following chart for more detailed troubleshooting techniques Troubleshooting Chart The plot does not start at the correct point on the material Cause Solution You have not set an origin Select an origin 2 The origin selected in your soft 2 Select origins in the software ware is different than the one and on the plotter that coincide you selected on your plotter usually lower left which is the right side of the plotter See Figure 4 The plot does not repeat when pressing the Repeat key Cause Solution Buffer overflow file size exceeds See Repeat under the Opera buffer size tion chapter When a plot is sent nothing happens Cause Solution The SmarTrac is in STOP mode Press the START STOP key the keypad to put the Smar Trac in START mode 2 You forgot to set an origin Use the Arrow keys to position the blade and press Set Origin on the keypad 3 There is a communications See Communication Testing problem a
17. cut Since some Force is applied to the Foot a slight increase in cutting force might be necessary When the Foot is adjusted properly the blade tip should just cut through the material Chapter 2 Operation 37 38 loline SmarTrac User Guide Lower Acceleration When cutting Rubylith or Amberlith set the Acceleration to 0 1 g in the Control Center Set the Accel eration to 0 5g for all other material Minimum Angle This is listed in the Control Center under the Blade Steering Arc heading The Minimum Angle should be set at 0 degrees Overcut Set this between 0 5 mils If weeding becomes dif ficult at corners increase Overcut by one mil at a time until weeding is easier A little more force might help if the material has incomplete cutting not at the corners Offset Usually the offset listed for the blade is used as the Offset in the Control Center For very small characters tiny manufacturing variances among blades can make a difference Check this by cutting small characters with sharp turns i e the letter N With the standard 45 degree 015 inch offset blade try several tests using different offset values i e 13 14 15 16 and 17 mils then pick the value with the best result Position the Wheels Place the pinchwheels near the cutting area to assure that the vinyl stays flat How to Pounce Use the pounce feature with high quality paper Ioline recommends 20 Ib paper that lies flat pounce tool and pou
18. on the computer Consult with the dealer if a port is not available Power On Turn on the computer and the signcutter to make sure they work The signcutter power switch is located next to the power cord behind the keypad The carriage will move toward the keypad side of the machine when the power is turned on Keep hands and loose cloth ing away from all moving parts of the signcutter The red LED on the front panel will light when the start up process is finished Installing loline Software and Manuals The Control Center is a utility that enables you to adjust parameters and optimize cutter performance IQ Plot provides advanced pro duction management The SmarTrac comes with a CD ROM which has the Microsoft Windows 98SE 2000 and XP version of the Ioline Control Center and Plot programs and electronic User Guides 1 Turn on the power to the computer and start Windows 2 Insert the Ioline CD ROM into the CD ROM drive usually D 3 Select the Start button 4 Choose Run 5 Type D SETUP substitute the correct letter if the CD ROM drive letter is not D and Click OK Follow instructions that appear on screen 7 Consult the Operation chapter of this manual for details on us ing the Ioline Control Center software PT E AX In tha options lat below select the checkboses For the teftes that pou would libe bo hane The disk space Figure 13 The loline Control Center
19. sometimes tends to shrink or move back to its original thick ness GLOSSARY Cast Polyvinyl chloride PVC sheeting formed by spreading a molten vinyl mixture on a carrier sheet or web and then baking at high temperatures to re move solvents and fuse the remaining material into a film Cast film is usually thinner and more expen sive than calendered vinyl Control Panel Panel on the right side of the ma chine where primary plotter functions are accessible Also called the Keypad Coordinate A point that can be referenced by its position on the X or Y axes of a signcutter The use of line or arc segments to connect coordinates creates paths for pens and knives to follow when cutting Contour Cut The contour cut feature provides an automatic registration process that when combined with contour cut enabled design software will read registration marks on a pre printed image send the position data to the software then receive an ad justed plot file that precisely cuts around the image Cut Sheet A single piece of material that is loaded into the signcutter but is not pulled from a roll D DM PL Programming instructions language used to connect a signcutter with a computer DM PL is used in the plotter drivers of some sign programs Drive Shaft The motor driven shaft that moves material through a friction feed signcutter The drive shaft has a rough surface that grips the material E F File Name E
20. the pinchwheels over a drive shaft tread located under the white drive shaft markers Reduce the Blade Force Set Acceleration to 5g Reduce Speed to 5076 or less Make sure the material remains smooth flat and square during loading Clear the media path in the front and rear of the SmarTrac Clean the drive shaft LED Codes The Green light on the front panel blinks once Cause Solution The carriage is jammed Turn the SmarTrac off and clear away any debris or jammed material The Red light on the front panel blinks once Cause Solution The drive shaft is jammed Turn the SmarTrac off and clear away any debris of jammed material The Red light on the front panel blinks twice Cause Solution Buffer overflow or communica Communication Testing tion problem and perform diagnostic tests Call your dealer if the problem persists The Red and Green lights on the front panel blink intermittently Cause Solution Plotter language syntax error sure the correct driver is selected 2 Bad corrupted file Restore the file from backup or recreate it Troubleshooting the Parallel Port for older machines If the computer communicates with the signcutter over network it is common for LPT 1 to be captured meaning the data is redirected to the network instead of flowing out of the parallel port on the back of the computer Ending the c
21. visible when viewing the blade from the side This technique approaches the correct blade exposure from too little with no chance of having too much which could damage the blade 3 Press the START STOP button on the front panel until the LED is red Move the carriage until the blade is near the right edge of the material 4 Press the Test Cut key for one second The signcutter will cut a test sign There will be no cutting if the initial foot adjustment was correct 5 Turn the foot turn upward clockwise from below Press the Test Cut key The material should have a light pattern 6 Continue increasing the blade exposure and making test cuts The test sign will completely separate from the surrounding material and lightly score the material backing when enough blade is exposed Chapter 2 Operation Successive test cuts will automati cally be positioned to the left of the previous test cut 33 34 loline SmarTrac User Guide CAUTION Do not turn the material roll or pull material tight between the drive shaft and the material roll while cutting is paused If the material becomes suddenly tight the machine will jam Force Adjustment Different types of materials require a different cutting force Before adjusting Force make sure that the blade exposure is adjusted first See Adjusting Blade Exposure above 1 Turn the Force knob down slightly from maximum about one mark and repeat the Test
22. 0 grams 1 to 400 grams for the 1 5 60 Test Cut The Test Cut button cuts a test pattern Use it before cutting new material to help determine the proper force for knives or pens and blade exposure for cutting signs and the effect of the blade offset and overcut settings specified in the Control Center See the section on Cutting Sign for details on adjusting force and blade exposure The Control Center section has details about blade offset and overcut Test Cut CAUTION e Note Using too much force can cause excessive 1 Make sure that material is loaded in the signcutter that the arag damage pener blade holder is installed in the carriage Position the blade over the material near the right side of the signcutter 2 Check for the Red light Press the START STOP key if it is not on Press the Test Cut key for one second The plotter will cut a small test pattern consisting of circle within square 4 Adjust the force and blade exposure up or down with the Force knob and the blade foot Repeat the test cut until the desired line quality is obtained See the section on Cutting Sign for details on adjusting force and blade exposure 5 Successive test cuts automatically align to the left of the last test cut 6 If Test Cut key is pressed for three seconds plotter will cut a 1 9 in x 7 1 in pattern Repeat The SmarTrac nearly 1 megabyte of data in buffer memory so that yo
23. 05745 included in the Accessory Kit 3 Move carriage and material so that the tip of the tool is near the lower left corner of the black square 4 Turn Speed knob down to the minimum level and continue to position the carriage and material until the tip is exactly over the corner Gently press the tool down onto the paper to ensure that the tip is lined up See the Figure 35 5 Press the Set Origin button on the keypad and ensure that the keypad light is Green Calibrate the Sensor 1 Open Ioline Control Center A shortcut is available in Start gt Ioline zi set Calibration E xj Intended in Y Axiz Intended in M asused in Calibration Setting Calibration Setting Set Calibration Calibration Plot Reset Cakbration Done Senco Calibration Send calibration plot to plotted Figure 36 The Control Center Calibration window 2 Inthe Menu Bar choose Calibrate gt Calibrate Plotter Figure 36 Press the Sensor Calibration button at the bottom of the window Ensure the cutter is ready with the tip of the tool positioned over the lower left corner of the black box and a Green keypad LED Press the Calibrate Sensor button in the small window that appears Figure 37 5 sensor will automatically perform the calibration process and update the four values in the windows 6 Press Done when the process is complete 54 loline SmarTrac User Guide Sensor
24. AM iis GASIS CAFE es Lll r A 1 VL h User Guide I S Series SC Series IOLINE SMAR I USER NOTICE Trademarks Ioline and SmarTrac are trademarks of Ioline Corporation Other product names logos designs titles words or phrases mentioned within this publication may be trademarks service marks or trade names of Ioline Corporation or other entities and may be registered in certain jurisdictions including internation ally Ioline Disclaimer IOLINE CORPORATION PROVIDES THIS MANUAL AS IS WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OR MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE IN NO EVENT SHALL IOLINE ITS DIRECTORS OFFICERS EMPLOYEES OR AGENTS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT SPECIAL INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS LOSS OF BUSINESS LOSS OF USE OR DATA INTERRUPTION OF BUSINESS AND THE LIKE EVEN IF IOLINE HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES ARISING FROM ANY DEFECT OR ERROR IN THIS MANUAL OR PRODUCT Limit of Liability Statement It is the responsibility of the operator of the signcutter to monitor the performance of the signcutter and maintain it in proper working condition by following the instructions in this User Guide It is the respon sibility of the operator of the signcutter to follow all safety precautions and wa
25. B Install drivers 17 Setup 19 USB port v xiv 15 20 V Vector 61 Vinyl 61 W Warranty 55 Weeding 61 X X Axis 61 Y Y Axis 61 Z
26. M version 25 S Safety x ix Sandblast 28 30 31 Scaling graphics 26 Scraps 26 30 Sensor vii xi xii 41 42 52 54 Sensor Calibration button 53 Serial communications 61 Serial port xiv 15 17 20 25 43 57 60 61 Adaptor 16 Testing 25 44 Service 55 Service loop ix 26 29 37 39 50 61 SmarTrac Quick Start Guide 16 20 SmarTrac Service Manual 55 Software See Control Center Speed v 22 33 35 38 46 53 Stand xi 16 29 30 36 Cross member Leveling foot xiii 66 SmarTrac Quick Start Guide Media roller xiv Stand leg xiii Stand leg xi xiii Stand leveling foot xi xiii Start up Procedure 29 START mode 21 24 38 39 45 50 51 Start point See Origin START STOP 21 Stencil vi 15 26 35 39 61 Blank value 27 Cut value 27 STOP mode 21 23 34 35 45 Support 55 57 55 58 Contact information 56 loline VVeb site 55 Required information 57 Warranty 55 System requirements 15 System settings Adjusting 23 Permanent 27 Saving 25 Suggested settings 35 Temporary 27 I Tag board 27 35 38 39 61 Tangential cutting 40 61 Tech Support 56 Test cut v 22 23 27 33 34 36 38 43 44 Throughput 61 Traverse xi xiii Troubleshooting 45 48 Communication Conflicts 23 Computer Port Test 25 Diagnostic tests 23 Plotter Port Test 25 Radio TV interference 58 Radio or TV interference 58 Serial Test 25 Typewriter Method 30 U Up Down delays 28 Update Display vi 23 27 US
27. P 21 Test Cut 22 L LED sensor xi xii 41 42 52 53 Limit of liability statement x Loading material 29 Long signs 36 37 Lower left 22 Low Force Position 31 M Material 15 Alignment 30 Feed path ix Loading 29 Reflectives 28 30 31 40 Sandblast 28 30 31 Tag board 27 Vinyl 15 35 61 Maximum cutting area 26 Measurement units vi 26 Media 57 Media rollers xi 16 29 30 36 38 39 Media shaft xiv Memory 23 25 Mil 60 Minimum Angle 28 38 60 Offline 21 Offset 60 21 Operating System 15 Origin 22 23 29 34 35 42 45 50 60 Lower left 22 Setting 22 Overcut 22 60 Overlap 60 60 Paneling 29 37 60 Panel size vi 26 37 Parallel communications 60 Parallel port 47 Pausing 34 Pens Guidelines 35 Installing 32 Pinchwheel x xii 30 31 35 38 46 60 61 Adjustment 30 3l For pen plotting 30 Cam slot 3l Locking 3l Locking clip 31 Maximum force 30 Position 30 Pinchwheel lever x 30 3 Platen vi xi xiii 31 Platen leveling foot xiii Plotter 60 Plotter settings 25 PLT 25 60 Pounce vi 26 38 39 61 Index 65 Blank value 27 Cut value 27 Pounce pattern 61 Pouncing Cut 38 Power cord xiv Power switch xiv 57 Q R Radio frequency 58 Red light 47 Red light mode See STOP mode Reflectives 31 40 Registration marks 41 42 59 61 Registration tool 52 Repair 55 56 Repeat v 22 23 43 45 51 Resolution 61 Roll feed 61 RO
28. Special Features See the sections How to Pounce and Stencil Cutting for details on us ing these features Pounce The Pouncing feature will make a series of holes for trans ferring a pattern to a flat surface Special pounce tools are required The hole size and spacing is adjustable See Cut and Blank below for more details Tag Board Tag Board Cutout is for cutting stencil material tag board Cutout standard blade holder and blade is required n in termittent cut is created so that the stencil stays in place during cutting See Cut and Blank below for more details Cut The Cut value is the length in thousands of an inch mils that the blade will cut when plotting the segment ed line for pouncing or tag board cutout Cut Values nt Length 40 mils 04 in 2000 mils Maximum Length 4000 mils 5000 mils Blank The Blank value is the length in thousands of an inch mils that the blade skips e g will not cut when plot ting the segmented line for pouncing or tag board cutout The default length is 600 mils 6 inches for pouncing and 60 mils for tag board The maximum is 4000 mils for pouncing and 5000 mils for tag board The minimum is 40 mils for pouncing and 50 mils for tag board Blank Values mu Length 600 mils 6 in Maximum Length 4000 mils 5000 mils Update Display Selecting this option will update all of the screen values with the current settings stored in the signcutter For exampl
29. X axis panel length is 838 in long 2129 cm The maximum Y axis panel size depends on the machine width The material moves along the X axis the carriage moves along the Y axis When cutting on a Cut Sheet the panel val ues should be adjusted to match the sheet size Scale The factory set Scale is 100 The signcutter will produce cut in the exact size of any cut file that is sent If the scale is 50 the sign cutter will produce cut that is half the intended size The scale of the signcutter can range from 1 to 999 Note Both X and Y axes are set independently Autoloop With Autoloop enabled signcutter will create service loop of material at the beginning of the plot and whenever necessary during the cutting process The factory setting is 30 in 76 2 cm but the loop size is adjustable Disable Autoloop when cutting short pieces of vinyl or scraps Tangential Cutting When enabled the tangential cutting feature will carefully align the blade with the line segment before making each cut in the material Settings Enable Turns on the Tangential Cutting feature in the cutter after the Permanent button is pressed Length Determines how far the alignment cut starts from the begin ning of the line segment The default of 33 is best for most materials Force Sets the pressure used when making an alignment move Ten grams typically makes little or no mark on the mate rial but properly aligns the blade
30. al reference point for signcutters Associated with carriage movement on the signcutter Z 62 Smar Trac User Guide This page intentionally left blank Symbols Icm square doc 52 square jpg 52 A Acceleration vi 28 35 36 38 46 59 Accessory Kit 16 32 53 Arc 59 Arrow key v ix 21 22 23 30 34 40 44 45 50 Assembly 16 See also The SmarTrac Quick Start Guide Autoloop vi ix 26 29 37 38 39 50 Axis 59 B Blade Installing 32 Replacement 49 Blade bevel 59 Blade exposure 22 34 39 Adjusting 33 Blade foot 23 Blade holder vi ix x xii 22 25 27 29 32 38 39 42 49 50 52 53 60 Installing 32 Blade Offset 22 28 46 59 Blade Overcut vi 28 46 Blade status 25 Blade Steering Arc 28 Buffer 23 25 45 C Calendered 59 INDEX Calibration v vii 25 50 52 53 For contour cutting 52 54 Measuring the calibration box 51 52 53 54 Calibration Box 51 Cam slot 31 Cancel a job 35 Carriage x xi xii xiii 16 20 22 26 27 28 29 30 32 33 34 39 42 47 50 53 59 60 61 Carriage rail See Traverse Cast 59 Communication Conflicts 23 Parallel 60 Parallel port 47 Serial Setup within the design software 16 Setup within the loline Control Center 16 25 USB xiv Setup 19 Communication Testing 43 43 44 Computer 57 Port v 18 19 44 Finding 18 Contour cutting 41 42 59 Control Center v ix 15 16 20 22 25 27 29 33 40 43 44 50
31. all Drivers 1 Turn power to equipment 2 The Add New Hardware Wizard window will appear Click on Next 3 Click in the circle next to Search for A a suitable driver for my device then click Next deca Gower i a polea progusm that makes a 4 Click on Browse Purse then find the USB Drivers folder on the Ioline Installation CDROM Click on Open then OK 9 Anote will appear Figure 8 Click Next when the New Hardware that the Wizard Wizard window appears Chapter Overview 17 loline USB drivers are only com patible and tested with Microsoft Windows operating systems ver sions 98SE 2000 and XP They are not WHQL certified at this time loline USB drivers create a special COM port that allows computer software with serial communi cation support to use the USB connection loline SmarTrac User Guide completed install Add Mew Hardware Wired ing drivers for the Winderes e aac cs the rv Ioline Composite LISE Compose Desse Device Click the oe Windows intel they for thir Finish button E dence Ce Bad tone de click Hest 6 Some versions of Location of chives Windows may gt 25 pR 5VDLBUS repeat this process a second time for the Ioline USB to UART Bridge ee Lee ee Controller Click the Finish button Figure 9 Locate the USB driver folder Find the COM Port 1 Open t
32. and blade foot in the holder 32 Figure 21 Installing the blade holder in the carriage 32 Figure 22 When properly exposed the blade lightly scores the backing 33 Figure 23 Suggested settings for different materials 35 Figure 24 Plotting pen guidelines 36 Figure 25 The Tangential Panel 40 Figure 26 Rectangular registration marks ssenenesvsnenenesvevenenesvenenenesnenenessenenenesnenenesessenenensenen 4 Figure 27 Recommended registration mark dimensions 4 Figure 28 Registration marks maren 42 Figure 29 Registration mark locations plot 42 Figure 30 Replacing the blade 2 49 Figure 31 Cleaning the drive shaft 50 Figure 32 The Calibration Box and measurements 5I Figure 33 Print and measure cm black square on a white background 52 Figure 34 Registration tool in JAW ssesssssssessessessssesressssessessessesessesssstoseeseseesesnessestoseeseseesess 52 Figure 35 Align tool with the corner of the box 52 Figure 36 The Control Center Calibration Window sess 53 Figure 37 The Small Sensor Calibration window 54 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS
33. apture will allow data to flow normally from the computer to the plotter 1 Click the START button select Settings and then click Printers to open the Printers window 2 Right Click the printer icon for network printer and select Properties Click on the Capture Settings or Details tab 4 Click on End Capture Select LPT 1 and click OK Assign the network printer path to another parallel port desig nation such as LPT 3 Set the printer to use that port or select a network print queue path Chapter 4 Troubleshooting 47 If any yellow lights blink on the keypad make note of the number of times the light blinks and contact loline Customer Service immediately Contact informa tion is located in the End Notes chapter If other lights are visible contact loline Customer Service These instructions may vary de pending the Windows version 48 loline SmarTrac User Guide BIOS settings can also have an effect on parallel port performance The SmarTrac supports only SPP parallel port communication ECP and EPP modes are not supported These instructions include edit ing the PC BIOS to ensure that the port is in the proper mode prior to staring Windows 1 Click START button select Settings and then click Control Panel to open the Control Panel window Double Click the System icon to open the System window and then click the Device Manager tab Remove the parallel port by clicking Ports selec
34. before continuing to use the signcutter 50 Smar Trac User Guide CAUTION Warning Do not use any Sy cleaning agents beside alcohol water or brushes with metal bristles to clean parts of the plotter Pay special atten tion to keeping the drive shaft bearings free of all liquids The Scale command does not effect the calibration values Cleaning the Drive Shaft Clean the drive shaft regularly to make sure the cut lines remain ac curate To clean the drive shaft 1 Turn off the signcutter and disconnect the power cord 2 Remove any accumulated dust and residue with stiff bristle brush Figure 31 Cleaning the drive shaft Size Calibration Over time signcutters may require calibration to account for normal wear and tear Typically the accuracy of a cut is within 0 2 overall By using the calibration feature the variance can be adjusted to within 0 05 Prepare the signcutter 1 Open Control Center program Put the signcutter in START mode green LED 2 Load the signcutter with material that is greater than 22 in wide 60 cm model or greater than 30 in wide 80 cm or larger models and a minimum of 48 in long Install a blade holder use vinyl material or pen use paper material in the carriage Enable Autoloop or manually create a service loop of material 3 Move the carriage and material with the Arrow keys so that the blade or pen is about one inc
35. chine before connecting any cables This will protect the equip ment and reset the signcutter Make sure power is off to the computer and the signcutter loline recommends using surge protector power strip for both machines Installation Unpack the Signcutter This procedure requires two people Carefully remove the signcutter from the box and place it on a flat stable surface Check the Packing List to ensure that all of the accessories are present Save all packing materials and the box Assembly Refer to the SmarTrac Quick Start Guide for directions on assem bling the signcutter If you purchased the SmarTrac with stand or table top cradle you ll find assembly directions and hardware in the Accessory Kit Assemble and attach the stand or cradle to the signcutter before attempting to plot Make sure the media rollers media shaft on the SC 72 are properly installed and that the signcutter is facing the correct direction Place a level on top of the signcutter and adjust the stand leveling feet as required to level the stand Prepare the Area Prepare a large clean area to work Make sure the floor is free of debris and clear of any obstacles Pull the signcutter away from the wall so the material can move freely Connect the Signcutter to the Computer Connect the SmarTrac to the computer with either USB or serial cable serial cable is provided in the Accessory Kit Standard USB cables are widely
36. e using Update Display after blade is inserted in the carriage will update the Con trol Center and allow access to the Tag Board Cutout parameters Send Settings to Cutter Temporary After changing any setting the changes must be sent to the sign cutter If Send Settings to Cutter Temporary is selected all of the displayed settings will be used for the current session When the signcutter is turned off these settings will be lost and the previous permanent settings will be in effect when the signcutter is turned on again If any settings are changed repeat the Test Cut procedure to ensure that the results are satisfactory Send Settings to Cutter Permanent If Send Settings to Cutter Permanent is selected all of the displayed settings will be sent to the signcutter and will be saved for all subse quent sessions even after turning off the signcutter Chapter 2 Operation 27 The design software may override the Control Center settings Check to see if it has by pressing the Update Display button be fore and after a cut is completed Check the plotter setup screens in the design software to make adjustments if necessary 28 loline SmarTrac User Guide Acceleration The factory set Acceleration is 1 0 The Acceleration setting deter mines how quickly the pen or blade will reach full speed when start ing or ending cut line Use the Control Center to change setting within range of 0 1 to 1 0 Fo
37. e Material and Pinchwheels Ioline recommends using the Typewriter Method to align the mate rial to the platen The drive shaft is optimized for most common mate rial widths as well as scraps When loading material use the drive shaft markers on the traverse to find the drive shaft segments 1 Lift the pinchwheels by raising the pinchwheel lever on right side of the signcutter Bring the material up and through the space under the pinchwheels Pull down enough material to reach media rollers on the stand 1 5 80 SC 40 and larger models or about one foot 25 cm on the table top cradle mounted I S 60 models 2 Roughly align the material so that the edges are overlapping the wide right drive shaft segment and one of the smaller seg ments Use the drive shaft markers on the traverse to find the drive shaft segments when they are covered by material 3 Position the outer pinchwheels on the material about 1 in 2 5 cm from the edge Use the drive shaft markers on the traverse as a guide to make sure the wheels are over a drive shaft segment 4 Slide the inner idler wheels when provided so that they are as close to evenly spaced between the outer wheels as possible while remaining over drive shaft segment Use the drive shaft markers on traverse to ensure that the wheels are positioned correctly 5 With both hands reach under the stand or cradle and clasp the front edges of the sides of the material hanging from
38. e diagnostic module is not required to run this test 1 Turnthe plotter off Connect the plotter to the computer with either a serial or parallel port cable See the section Connect the Signcutter to the Computer in the Installation chapter for more details 2 Start the Ioline Control Center Select Test Communication Test from the menu bar at the top of the window 3 Turnon the signcutter while holding down the Test Cut key on the keypad Hold down the Test Cut key until the signcutter beeps and the light flashes three times The signcutter is now in Test Mode 4 If testing the serial COM port press the START STOP key on the signcutter and verify that the handshake line CTS sta tus displayed on the computer screen toggles ON OFF Leave the handshake line ON This is not necessary for the parallel LPT port 5 Press the Repeat key to switch the signcutter into Echo Mode The Green light will come on 6 Press a key on the computer and verify that the character trans mitted equals the character received If the characters match then the connection between the signcutter and computer is working properly 7 Select Exit after the communication test is complete 8 Turn off the signcutter at the end of the test to exit Test Mode 9 The next two tests are not necessary if serial COM port testing is successful 44 loline SmarTrac User Guide Testing the Signcutter Serial Port The diagnostic module is required fo
39. ed into the computer according to the er you can connect the SmarTrac manufacturer s installation instructions If you have any ques to your computer via USB Use a tions about the computer or the software you will need to serial connection for older oper contact the manufacturer or your dealer Most design software provides drivers for Ioline signcutters If you need assistance with drivers contact Ioline customer service B There is a specialized software program that comes with the signcutter called the Ioline Control Center This software utility enables you to adjust signcutter settings and perform system diagnostics B The signcutter will cut the graphic exactly as you have de signed it from the material that you have loaded into the SmarTrac See table below for a list of compatible materials Compatible Materials SmarTrac 1 5 SmarTrac Contour SC Vinyl Vinyl Sandblast Sandblast Rubylith Rubylith Flock Flock Stencil Stencil Thin reflectives 3M 9600 amp some other reflectives l6 SmarTrac User Guide CAUTION Do not lift the signcutter by the plastic end covers the dust cover or the car riage rail This may permanently damage the machine Use the bottom surfaces of the signcutter to lift or move it The plotter will not function if serial cable is connected to parallel port on the PC Always turn off the power to both the computer and the ma
40. eously run more than one application that is communicating with the plotter The design software may override the Control Center settings Check to see if it has by pressing the Update Display button be fore and after a cut is completed If the settings change use the design software to modify cutting parameters 24 Smar Trac User Guide SmarTrac 1 5 Control Center File Setup Display Options Calibrate Test Help Tag Board Cutout Blank mils e je Tangential Cutting Enable il en E Minimum Figure 17 The Control Center Main Menu Changing System Settings You can adjust many settings with the Control Center to fit your needs B Put the signcutter in START mode Green light mode before changing system settings To do so press the START STOP key and make sure the Green light is on before changing any settings E The Screen Menu displays most commonly adjusted param eters The Menu Bar contains utilities and less commonly adjusted signcutter settings Your selected changes take effect only after you press one of the Send Settings buttons Menu Bar Features The Ioline Control Center provides comprehensive help files to ex plain the functions of the software options Below is a brief summary Menu Bar items File Send Cut Plot File Open Settings File Save Settings As Exit Setup Plotter Setup Port Setup Display Plotter
41. f factory repair is necessary you will receive a RMA Re turn Material Authorization Please gather the information indicat ed on the next page before contacting or your dealer 1 Whenreturning a machine carefully package the equipment in its original container or packaging equivalent You may purchase shipping containers from Ioline by contacting Customer Service Ioline is not responsible for any damage due to inadequate or improper packaging 2 Carefully wrap and secure all items in the shipping container to prevent damage Seal the container and note the RMA number near the address block CHAPTER 6 End Notes SmarTrac Service manuals techni cal bulletins software updates and other information are available to SmarTrac owners on WWW ioline com Access is free 56 loline SmarTrac User Guide 3 Ship the container using FED EX or another approved carrier COD shipments ARE NOT ACCEPTED Ioline representa tive will contact you prior to the start of work with an estimate of repair cost All repairs are warranted for 90 days Customer Service Ioline Corporation is committed to providing quality service and support to our customers If you need assistance with an Ioline prod uct contact your local dealer or Ioline authorized service center You may also contact Ioline Customer Service Department Monday through Friday 7 00 A M 5 00 U S Pacific Time Voice 1 425 398 8282 Fax 1
42. gncutter by sending 1 byte 8 bits at a time through a cable This method is faster than serial communication The par allel port on a PC is a female small holes connector Plotter A device that uses coordinates and vectors to create images In electronic sign making plotters recreate vectors on material with a set of coordinates stored in a computer file Pinchwheel Wheeled roller tensioned by springs that clamps material between it and the drive shaft for transporting the material Pounce Pattern A full sized pattern of any design to be painted Once the pattern is created the outline is perforated into paper using the Pounce feature The pattern is then held firmly against the substrate and perforations patted with powder charcoal or colored chalk dust leaving an outline of the design Q R Registration Marks Shapes printed on material that provide reference points for manual or auto matic correction systems Resolution The smallest distance that signcutter can move the material or the carriage Plotter resolu tion affects the accuracy that plot is reproduced on the material Roll Feed method of pulling material from roll for plotting and cutting Works in conjunction with panels 5 Serial Communications Method of sending infor mation from computer to signcutter by sending 1 bit at a time through cable The serial port on PC is a male small pins connector Service
43. h from both the right and front edge of the material Set an origin See the Operation chapter for more details on preparing to cut Gather the Calibration Data 1 Select Calibrate Calibrate Plotter from the Control Center Menu Bar 2 Select Calibration Plot to cut the factory stored calibration cut The signcutter will plot a large box Figure 32 Precisely measure both X axis Y axis lines Better accuracy in measurement equals better calibration Measure both sides and the top and bottom of the box Y1 XI X2 x2 Figure 32 The Calibration Box and measurements Take the average of the horizontal Y values by adding them together and dividing by 2 Repeat this procedure for the verti cal X values Example If XI 39 750 in and X2 39 700 in The sum is 79 450 in 39 750 in 39 700 in 79 450 in The average is 39 725 in 79 450 2 39 725 in The X calibration value is the average 39 725 in Enter the Calibration Data jm Enter the measured values in the boxes in the Calibration win dow Make sure the SmarTrac is in START mode green LED Select the Set Calibration button The signcutter will send the calibration values and the new Calibration Setting will be displayed in the boxes in the window Click on Done when finished Chapter 5 Routine Maintenance 5 52 loline SmarTrac User Guide Sensor calibration is required if using any tool other than the lol
44. he Win dows Control Panel 2 Double click on EHE dsk drives 5 amp IDE controllers the System icon H di 3 In Windows 2000 sil and XP click on 4 19 nav ng the Hardware tab communications Port 1 then Device Man pci in Win 1 ASer button In 2 Windows 98SE click on the Device Manager tab 4 Double click on the Ports COM ama LPT ens Figure 10 the COM port number under the expand the list Device Manager window 5 Find Ioline USB to UART Bridge Controller COMx item in the list Write down the COM port number shown in the label Use this infor mation when configuring software that communicates with the equipment see below Setup the Soft ware to use USB 1 Install the application s that will send data to the machine This includes utilities that are included with the equip ment When configur ing the driver and communications Bits per second 9500 Data 8 Parity None Stop bits E r Flow control Hardware M Figure I I Setup the software for USB for the application choose the COM port number determined above in Find the COM Port If additional COM port settings are required use the values shown in the Figure 11 Manually configure the USB settings optional Open Windows Control Panel Double click on the System icon
45. ine blade holder i e a ball point pen Calibration is also required to switch back to the loline blade holder after calibrat ing for a different tool Calibrating the Sensor for Contour Cutting The registration sen sor is calibrated for the standard Ioline cutting tool at the factory before ship ment If the registra tion sensor if ever replaced or if tools other than the stan dard Ioline blade holder are used for registration use the following process to recalibrate the sensor Prepare to Calibrate the Sensor 1 Print a black 1 cm square white background Use the sensor calibration files lem square jpg or 1 square doc in C N IolineNCalibra tion to gener ate the square Make sure that there is at least a margin of 3 inches from each edge of the material to the edges of the box Printing the square in the center of a standard sheet of white paper is acceptable Make sure to carefully mea sure the square after printing to ensure that it is exactly 1 cm Figure 33 Print and measure a black square on a white background Figure 34 Registration tool in jaw Figure 35 Press the tool down to verify the tip lines up with the corner of the box Chapter 5 Routine Maintenance 53 2 Insert the tool is used during registration into tool jaw on the carriage If calibrating for the Ioline blade holder insert the registration tool Ioline PN 1
46. ines for plotting with a plotter pen Refer to the Figure 24 for recommended settings for a variety of pen Blade Offset mils Amberlith Rubylith Flock Polyester Metalized Reflective Engineering Grade Sandblast Mask2 Stencil Lacquer Adhering Stencil Vinyl Stencil Water Soluble Tag Board Vinyl Calendered Vinyl Cast These sandblasts typically have a backing which is designed for cutting by hand Use the low force setting on the pinchwheels if using 80 cm or larger plotter Figure 23 Suggested settings for different materials Down Delay millisecs Accel Min eration Angle grams degrees mils Force Overcut grams 30 60 100 200 100 140 240 250 220 260 220 260 80 100 200 220 125 135 300 400 100 150 100 150 NOTE Settings should be adjusted for cutting small letters or intricate detail refer to the Cutting Small Characters section 36 SmarTrac User Guide Paper Speed Force Comments grams BMI Super HP style Maximum 5ms pen up Layflat or ballpoint 5ms pen equivalent down delays high quality bond BIC Round Maximum 180 200 Stic ballpoint Standford Maximum 70 100 Sharpie HP style Maximum 70 100 fiber tip Plastic tip Not recommended Ceramic tip Not recommended Liquid ink Not Metal tip recommended Figure 24 Plotting pen guidelines types Use Test Cut and gradually increase these settings until
47. ing Control Center set Accel eration to 0 5 g or less Lower acceleration will help with overall accuracy especially in the transition between Frames 10 Use Autoloop Autoloop will gently pull set amount of mate rial from the roll This helps the material feed into the signcut ter more accurately and keeps it from jerking from the roll Autoloop also helps to set up the drive track in the backing of the material which helps keep the material aligned Autoloop is enabled in the Control Center Set Autoloop to ON and set the Loop Size to the default of 30 inches Setting the Panel Size in the signmaking software to the same length as the Loop Size might help tracking accuracy If Autoloop is OFF maintain service loop of material behind the signcutter to prevent jerk ing material from the roll Speed Set the Speed knob to 50 percent or less Moving the material at a slower speed helps to keep it more stable and prevents it from kinking or buckling Force and Blade Depth Incorrect cutting Force and Blade Depth can cause misalignment problems over the range of a long plot If the Force is too high the material may skew If the Blade Depth is set too deep it could cut all the way through the material and or cause the material to become jammed un der the blade Let the software help Use the Automatic Sorting Ordering or Contour Ordering feature in the design software some soft ware programs auto
48. matically handle this process This will reduce the number of time consuming back and forth and side to side movements Wear on the material backing as well as the vinyl is also decreased which will improve tracking The more complex the file the more difficult the problem Use the Paneling feature in the design software Paneling will restrict the length of any X axis move Ioline suggests a Panel Size of 10 to 20 inches With most signmaking software the Paneling feature allows the placement of a panel between char acters Cutting Small Characters Under in For cutting small characters or intricate detail in various material it is necessary for the signcutter to be calibrated properly and to make sure the pinchwheels are spaced correctly Also some of the system settings should be adjusted to achieve more accurate detailed cut ting This is done by making changes in the Ioline Control Center and by adjusting the dial controls on the front panel The following is a list of adjustments that should be made Lower Force The lowest blade force possible is best for small detailed cutting Start by making test cuts with one guarter Force Gradually increase the Force until the vinyl is completely cut Slower Speed The Speed knob should be set halfway or less Foot Adjustment After setting the lowest cutting Force adjust the Foot downward until the cut is not complete then back it up just enough to get a complete
49. nce blade avail able from Ioline are also required 1 Select Ioline Control Center Make sure Tag Board Cutout is turned OFF Put the signcutter in START mode green LED on Update the signcutter with the Send Set tings temporary or permanent buttons Slide the paper roll onto media roller use the roller as an axle Ioline does not recommend using two media rollers to cradle paper rolls Enable Autoloop or create service loop of material Set the Speed knob to maximum Set the Acceleration to 0 5 g Performance will vary with different paper types Experiment with lower settings if required Turn the Force knob to maximum default is 200 grams Install the pounce tool and blade like standard blade holder Note there is no foot on the pounce blade assembly With the Red light ON press the Test Cut key for 3 seconds The signcutter will pounce a 1 9 inch x 7 1 inch design Increase or decrease the force on the Force Knob as needed for a complete puncture through the paper If the pounce blade picks up the paper and jams try setting the Force and or Ac celeration to lower settings The Pouncing Cut is intermittent short pounce cut followed by a longer uncut segment The default length is 40 mils 04 inches for the cut and 600 mils 6 inches for the blank The lengths of the cuts and blanks are adjustable with the Control Center Perform test cuts to determine the proper set
50. nd perform diagnostic tests Contact your dealer if the prob lem persists CHAPTER 4 Troubleshooting loline SmarTrac User Guide Printing or cutting is erratic Solution Cause The wrong plotter language is assigned to the plot file Make sure the correct driver set ting is selected HPGL or DM PL The blade skips or tears the material Solution Cause l 2 The blade is dirty Blade Force is too low The blade is dull or broken l 2 3 Clean or replace the blade Increase Blade Force Replace the blade The corners of the plot or cuts do not completely meet Solution Cause The material is slipping The blade is dull or broken The Blade Overcut is too low The Blade Offset is incorrect Cause Blade Force is too low The blade is dull or broken The Blade Overcut is too low The Offset is incorrect Clean the drive shaft Replace the blade Use a higher Blade Overcut value See the Blade Offset section Solution Increase Blade Force Replace the blade Use a higher Blade Overcut value See the Blade Offset section Solution Cause Pinchwheels are positioned over a bearing e g a smooth section of the drive shaft Blade Force is too high Acceleration is set too high Speed is set too high The material kinks as it accumu lates in the front or rear of the plotter The drive shaft is dirty Reposition
51. ne SmarTrac Contour SC 72 cutter rear xiv Figure 5 Power and communications ports eee eese serene tenente tnter xiv Figure o 7 Figure 7 Ignore the Windows XP Warning 17 Figure 8 Click Next when the New Hardware Wizard window appears 17 Figure 9 Locate the USB driver folder esee 18 Figure 10 Find the COM port number under the Device Manager window 18 Figure 11 Setup the software for USB eoserevsvnenenrersreovevsesenenrerererenvevsesenenrsrerersesevsenenenseser 19 Figure 12 Enter the port settings under the Device Manager window 19 Figure 13 The loline Control Center Installation window 20 Figure 14 The Sm r Trac keypad 21 Figure 15 Origin POINT 22 Figure 16 The Control Center Setup Screen 23 Figure 17 The Control Center Main Menu 24 Figure 18 Adjusting pinchwheel presure eee eese cete eere tentes 3l Figure 19 Locking the idler pinchwheels off the platen sess 3l Figure 20 Installing the blade
52. ng Cutting 1 Press the START STOP key to place the signcutter in STOP mode red LED 2 When cutting is interrupted the carriage and material can be moved with the keypad Arrow keys 3 Press the START STOP key to resume cutting The signcutter will return to the original cutting position and continue plot ting where it stopped The keypad LED will change from red to green Canceling a Cut Chapter 2 Operation 1 Press the START STOP key to place the signcutter in STOP mode red LED 2 Cancel cut from the design software refer to the design software manual or consult software dealer or cancel the cut in the Control Center software by clicking on the Abort button in the Send File window Note If this step is skipped the cut will continue when a new origin is set 3 Press the Set Origin key to make the signcutter delete the cut data it has already received but has not yet plotted Suggested Settings There are many variables that determine signcutter output quality Ioline recommends using low force and speed settings when making the initial test cuts Gradually increase these settings until the best values for the material are found Refer to Figure 23 for settings for a variety of material types Force values are provided for starting reference only These settings may vary due to manufacturer color age and temperature of the material Guidelines for Plotting Pens Ioline has determined guidel
53. older 1 Remove foot from assembly unscrewing it counter clockwise Slide the blade into the hole in the blade holder until it bottoms out The blade should spin freely Screw the foot clockwise onto the shank Stop before the blade emerges Figure 20 Installing the blade and blade foot in the holder Installing a Blade Holder or Pen 1 Rotate clamp out of way then turn clamp screw until there is enough room to insert the blade holder or pen If using blade holder or plotter pen slip the flange into the slot in the carriage jaw If using a regular pen position the tip off of the platen when the jaw is in the up position The signcutter can hold any pen with maximum barrel diam eter of in 22 mm Tighten the clamp screw until the blade or pen is secure Figure 21 Installing the blade holder in the carriage jaw Adjusting Blade Exposure and Force Properly adjust blade exposure and force to achieve good cutting results Adjusting Blade Exposure Figure 22 When properly exposed the blade lightly scores the backing 1 Turn the Force knob clockwise to maximum Set the Speed to 50 with the keypad knob The maximum force setting is ad justable in the Control Center to 500 grams 400 grams for the 1 5 60 if required for thick materials A maximum force of 200 grams is sufficient for most materials 2 Check that the blade tip is barely
54. osure vr 33 E 34 NN 34 Sending Cut Plot File to the Signcutter 34 FE 34 Canceling a CUC 35 Suggested 35 Guidelines for Plotting Pens e 35 L ng SIENS 36 Cutting Small Characters Under J 37 PION 10 11 38 TN e 39 Tangential Cutting 40 Contour CUCINE 41 Communication Testing Communication ESE Gene 43 Testing the Signcutter Serial Port er tae sort dort e debe doctior 44 Testing the Computer Serial Port etertte tend pestis certos ebd tup sto eU 44 Troubleshooting Chart vr 45 Troubleshooting 6065 E E 47 5 GLOSSARY INDEX Troubleshooting the Parallel Port for older machines 47 Replacing the Blade 49 Routine Maintenance Cleaning the Drive Shaft 50 Size Calibration 50 Prepare the Snutter 50 Gather the Calibration Data 50 Enter the Calibration Data essensen 5 Calibrating the Sensor for Contour Cutting
55. power sources both the computer and the wall outlet Be careful with hair jewelry or loose clothing near the signcut ter They can become caught in the mechanical parts Never move the carriage by hand Use the Arrow keys and let the machine do it Keep hands away from the carriage when the signcutter is in operation The carriage will automatically move to its right end position when the power is turned on Be careful when lifting the signcutter Hold the bottom surfaces of the signcutter to lift or move it Keep fingers away from the drive shaft when the signcutter is in operation Use caution when changing a blade in the blade holder See the Routine Maintenance chapter of this User Guide for the recommend ed procedure Be careful when handling the blades They are sharp and could cause an injury if mishandled Although the blades are made of an extremely hard material they are brittle and can break if dropped or mishandled SAFETY amp CAUTIONS Dust Cover Idler Wheel Drive Shaft Marker Drive Shaft beneath vinyl Carriage Pinchwheel Blade Holder Pinchwheel Lever 9 m il i x 4 ul il i QU Tm il ill Figure The loline SmarTrac 1 5 cutter front view VISUAL REFERENCE GUIDE Keypad M Media Roller Stand Leg Platen
56. r long or difficult cuts or when try ing to achieve maximum accuracy use lower Acceleration settings Up Down Delays The factory set Up and Down Delays are both 0 milliseconds ms or 0 thousandths of second The Delay setting controls the amount of time in milliseconds the signcutter pauses after lifting or lowering the pen or blade Under normal circumstances this setting will not require adjustment Thick material e g sandblast mask may require a delay of 25 to 50 ms Force The minimum and maximum force settings for the Force control knob on the keypad is adjustable Force Values Blade Overcut Blade Overcut is the distance the blade travels beyond the end of a cut Blade Overcut ensures that each cut actually reaches the point where one cut line meets and slightly overlaps another cut line This ensures that all of the pieces of the sign will be cut completely with no undercuts The factory set Blade Overcut is 10 mils This setting is ignored when a pen is installed in the carriage Blade Steering Arc Blade The Blade Offset is nominally 15 mils or 47 mils on some Offset blades but specific blades can vary within a tolerance For close work making some tiny test cuts at several set tings then picking the best one can improve accuracy This setting is ignored when a pen is installed in the car riage Minimum Minimum Angle sets the angle for the signcutter blade Angle steering arc For a
57. r this test 1 Connect diagnostic module directly to signcutter port From the Control Center main menu select Test Plotter Port Test Turn on the signcutter while holding down the Test Cut key on the keypad Hold down the Test Cut key until the signcutter beeps and the light flashes three times The signcutter is now in Test Mode Press any Arrow key on the keypad to transmit and receive characters Verify that the signcutter beeps Turn off the signcutter at the end of the tes to exit Test Mode If this test fails the signcutter port is faulty Testing the Computer Serial Port The diagnostic module is required for this test l Connect the diagnostic module directly to the COM port on the computer If the computer COM port has a nine pin connector use a 9 pin to 25 pin adapter between the COM port and diag nostic module From the Control Center main menu select Test Computer Port Test Verify that the COM port selected is the correct one If it is not select the proper COM Port Verify the CTS handshake line is on Press any key on the computer keyboard and verify that the character transmitted equals the character received Select the Exit button at the end of the test to exit Test Mode If this test fails the computer port is faulty If the system is not working correctly problem could be with the computer the cable the design software or with the signcutter Changes to the
58. re a large clean area to work Power On Turn on the computer and the signcutter The signcutter power switch is located next to the power cord on the back The carriage will move when the power comes on Keep hands and loose cloth ing away from all moving parts of the SmarTrac The Red light on the front panel will come on when the Start up Procedure is finished Loading the Material If using a roll of vinyl Place the roll between the media rollers stand on the axle cradle or SC 72 stand or at the back of the machine foot If using a roll of paper Hang the paper roll on an axle if available Use a media roller or the cradle tube if the signcutter has them Place the roll behind the ma chine if the signcutter has only feet Note Do not place a paper roll between two media rollers If using a cut sheet or scrap Diable Autoloop Chapter 2 Operation 29 If Autoloop is not enabled the Control Center do not allow the material to become taut between the signcutter and the material roll Manually create and maintain a service loop in the rear See Autoloop in the loline Control Center section for more information 30 loline SmarTrac User Guide CAUTION While checking alignment with the Arrow keys make sure that the mate rial between the material roll and the signcutter is never pulled taut with the drive shaft This option is not available on all SmarTrac models Aligning th
59. rnings that are described in this User Guide Ioline is not responsible for injuries that may occur as a result of unsafe operating proce dures Ioline is not responsible for substandard operational performance as a result of failure to maintain the signcutter as described in this User Guide 1997 2005 Ioline Corporation rights reserved This manual may not be copied photocopied repro duced translated transmitted or converted to any electronic or machine readable form in whole or in part without prior written approval of Ioline Corporation Service and Support If you require assistance with an Ioline product your local Ioline dealer or authorized service center is ready to help Support information is also available 24 7 on the Ioline Web site or you may contact Ioline directly loline Corporation 14140 NE 200th Street Woodinville Washington 98072 U S A loline Customer Service Department Monday through Friday 7 00 A M 5 00 U S Pacific Time Voice 425 398 8282 Fax 425 398 8383 techsupport ioline com www ioline com Part Number 106844 Rev 3 IOLINE SMARIRAC I S Series SC Series IMAGES amp ILLUSTRATIONS Figure I The loline SmarTrac 1 5 cutter front view cesses Figure 2 The loline SmarTrac Contour SC cutter front view xi Figure 3 The loline SmarTrac SC 72 cutter front view eese xii Figure 4 The loli
60. stalled in the FIRST REGISTRATION POINT R1 carriage The cutter is cali brated for the blade holder at the factory Figure 29 Registration mark locations on plot Procedure 1 Load pre printed material into cutter and verify that material movement is as straight as possible Center the sensor light over the first registration point and press the Set Origin key on the keypad The first registration point R1 is nearest the right end of the cutter and the front edge of the material See Figure 29 Use the design software to begin the registration process The cutter will automatically scan all four registration marks and send the measurements back to the design software The design software will adjust the cut output to the image then send the Ioline formatted file to the cutter 3 Communication Testing There are three communication diagnostic tests available in the Control Center These tests are designed to help determine if a communication problem exists and to isolate where the problem is occurring A diagnostic module is required to run two of these tests It will work on both the computer and signcutter serial COM ports It is available from Ioline or an authorized dealer Communication Test This test will determine if communication is working between the computer and the plotter on the parallel LPT or serial COM ports Run this test from the Control Center Test Menu Th
61. ter 2 Operation 31 cates 8 lbs of force On units equipped inner pinchwheels force can be set to 12 lbs vertical setting or 4 lbs horizon tal setting The 12 Ib inner pinchwheel setting is useful for heavier materials such as heavy sandblast or reflective sheeting High Force Position Low Force Position Cam Slot Vertical Cam Slot Horizontal Figure 18 Adjusting pinchwheel presure Locking the Pinchwheels Off of the Platen The idler pinchwheels have a locking feature that will hold them off of the platen during cutting or plotting This will reduce ink smear ing if plotting with a heavy ink marker 1 Lift the idler pinchwheels off the platen with the pinchwheel lever 2 the handles at the rear of the idler pinchwheel arm 3 Flip the locking clip into position with both thumbs Make sure that the clip is under the lower tabs 4 When pinchwheels are lowered onto the platen the idlers will stay in the up position This option is not available on all Figure 19 Locking the idler pinchwheels off the platen SmarTrac models 32 loline SmarTrac User Guide Be very careful when handling the blades as they are sharp and brittle and the tips can chip or break Using hard surface to insert the blade may damage it Installing Blade and the Blade Foot blade and blade holder are included in the Accessory Kit To install the blade and blade foot in to the blade h
62. termine the proper settings for these parameters See the section describing the Ioline Control Center for more details on adjusting the cut and blank settings 40 loline SmarTrac User Guide Tangential Cutting This feature is available only on SmarTrac SC models and 1 5 85 100 and 130 models manufactured after March 2005 When enabled the tangential cutting feature will carefully align the blade with the line segment before making each cut in the material This process is useful for especially challenging materials like reflec tive vinyl Using tangential cutting will reduce throughput because of the extra alignment steps Use Ioline Control Center software to enable and adjust tangential cutting Follow these steps to enable tangential cutting 1 Power the Ioline cutter 2 Use Arrow keys to position the blade and material where cutting should begin Press the Set Origin button on the key pad so that the keypad light turns green Open Control Center software Find the Tangential Cutting box on the main screen Check the box next to Enable Press Permanent in the Send Settings to Cutter window 6 Performa test cut on the machine See Cutting a Sign earlier in this chapter to learn about test cuts 7 Adjust parameters as necessary The settings are explained below Make sure to press Start Stop until the keypad LED is green before updating settings in the cutter with the Permanent bu
63. the origin point set for the previous cut file Design software usually refers to the origin as lower left because it is the lower left corner of a sign Because the cut is usually oriented as shown it is physically Your design software may give you the option of selecting the origin point If you set the origin within the software but do not reset it on the signcutter using the Set Origin button the SmarTrac will treat the new file as continuation of the previous cut This affects the Repeat function See the Repeat section below To set new origin make sure the SmarTrac is in STOP mode Red light is on Use the Arrow keys to move the pen or blade to the in tended origin of the cut then press the Set Origin key The signcut ter will then be ready to accept cut plot files f Speed d Use the Speed knob on the front panel of the signcutter to adjust the speed Turn the knob clockwise to increase the speed or counterclock wise to decrease the speed Set the speed according to the type of cut ting and material being used See the Cutting a Sign section of this manual l Force Adjust force by using Force knob front panel Turn the Force knob clockwise to increase the force exerted on the pen or blade See the section on Cutting Sign for the recommended settings The range of force available at the knob is adjustable in the Control Center The maximum range is 1 to 50
64. the best value is found for the pen being used Remember that Force values are for starting reference only These settings may vary due to manufacturer color age and temperature of the material Cutting Long Signs When cutting long signs it becomes increasingly important for the material to be aligned properly and for the settings to be properly adjusted Before cutting verify that the SmarTrac is properly cali brated and that the pinchwheels are correctly spaced For best re sults certain system settings should also be adjusted Use Ioline Control Center to make these changes The following suggestions will help you produce fine quality long signs 1 Use a stand or cradle The use of a stand or cradle takes ad vantage of the signcutter platen design When draped over the platen the material benefits from its natural tendency to curl downward 2 Build a material slide Cut two cardboard pieces the width of the stand and large enough to lean against the stand legs This prevents the material from going under the machine and get ting buckled with material from the other side 3 Check the material roll Place the roll of material to the right of the material cradle or media rollers Make sure the roll is tightly wrapped and even along the sides 4 Load the material straight See the previous sections Loading the Material and Aligning the Material and Pinchwheels to properly load the signcutter 5 Lower Acceleration Us
65. the front of the machine against the edges of the material hanging from the back of the machine Pull downward on the material and square the edges so that they are parallel front and back Alternatively align the edge of the material with the edge of the material roll 6 While maintaining the material square and taut clamp the pinchwheels to the material by lowering the pinchwheel lever on the right side of the signcutter 7 Check alignment by using the Arrow keys to move the material forward and back The material edge should run straight Adjusting the Pinchwheel Pressure I S 80 SC 40 and wider models have pinchwheels with adjustable spring force This allows the user to use maximum force 24 lbs for holding vinyl which requires more force for better tracking or less force 8 lbs for lightweight materials like paper and for sand blast resists that must be tracked directly on the rubber surface The pinchwheels can also be set in a position that keeps them completely off the surface so that the inner pinchwheels on larger cutters will not interfere with pen plotting Set Force Adjustment by turning the screw on the back of the pinchwheel assembly 1 Move the pinchwheel to the access hole on the back of the dust cover 2 Inserta flat screwdriver into the slot and turn the adjustment screw 90 degrees When the slot is in the vertical position on the outer wheels the force is 24 165 The horizontal position indi Chap
66. ting the port and clicking the Remove button Shut down Windows Restart or Reset the computer Enter the PC BIOS setup This is usually done by hitting the DEL key or ESC key during the boot sequence Consult the computer manuals or contact the manufacturer for more infor mation about entering BIOS setup Find the parallel port setup options and set the port to be SPP not ECP or EPP Also make sure there is no DMA activity over with the port Save the BIOS settings and exit setup Restart the computer and allow Windows to start up Win dows should find the port and install it using the new settings 5 Routine Maintenance Replacing the Blade CAUTION If plot quality suddenly degrades the blade might be dull or broken The blade tip is sharp and The tip of the blade is very fragile and can chip or break if dropped It is difficult to see when the blade 15 damaged magnifying glass can be helpful To replace the blade a fragile Be careful when handling it 1 Remove the adjustable blade foot by unscrewing it counter clockwise 2 Remove old blade with a pair of needle nose pliers and discard it 3 Slide the new blade into the blade until it bottoms out The blade should spin freely 4 Screw the foot onto the blade holder clockwise Stop just be fore the blade tip emerges Figure 30 Replacing the blade 5 Perform test cuts as described in the Cutting a Sign section
67. tings for these parameters E g try wider blank spacing for larger im Chapter 2 Operation 39 ages See the section describing the Ioline Control Center for more details on adjusting the cut and blank settings Stencil Cutting Stencil material Tag Board is handled much the same as vinyl with the important exception of using much higher force 1 Select Tag Board Cutout in Ioline Control Center Make sure that Pounce is turned off Put the signcutter in START mode green LED on Update the signcutter with the Send Set tings temporary or permanent buttons Slide the paper roll onto media roller use the roller as an axle Ioline does not recommend using two media rollers to cradle tag board rolls Enable Autoloop or create service loop of material Install blade holder in the carriage Perform test cuts to establish blade exposure and Force set tings See the section Adjusting Blade Exposure and Force for the proper procedure Most tag board cuts are made at or near maximum force 400 grams Check the Control Center for the maximum force setting Adjust as necessary See the Suggested Settings in Figure 23 for more details A Tag Board Cut is intermittent a long cut length followed by a short uncut segment The default length is 2000 mils 2 0 inches for the cut and 60 mils 06 inches for the blank The lengths of the cuts and blanks are adjustable with the Control Center Perform test cuts to de
68. tton 8 The cutter is ready to make Tangenkal Culling tangential cuts Open the Enable Control Center software and uncheck Enable box then Length press the Permanent button to hd return to normal cutting mode Force grams hd Figure 25 The Tangential Panel Contour Cutting This feature is available only on Smar Trac Contour SC models and retrofitted 1 5 85 models The contour cut feature provides an automatic registration process that when combined with contour cut enabled design software will read registration marks on a pre printed image send the position data to the software then receive an adjusted plot file that precisely cuts around the image The registration and adjustment process is required because the color printing and or laminating process may distort the media especially when heat is used to cure the ink or apply films These processes cause the image to expand and contract and might affect accuracy The following condi tions are required for successful regis tration cutting with an Ioline SmarTrac Contour cutter 1 The background material is white 2 Four registra tion marks are printed in the corners of an Figure 26 Rectangular registration marks encompass ing rectangle around the pre printed image s In other words the marks form the corners of a rectangle that encloses and is at least 1 bigger all sides than the maximum
69. u can use the Repeat key to create additional copies of a graphic without having to resend the file The signcutter must be in STOP mode red LED in order to use the this key Since the SmarTrac begins cutting or plotting at the current blade location in STOP mode reposition the blade or pen first using the Arrow keys before pressing the Repeat key Several issues affect the repeat function and the data stored in memory 1 If the file exceeds the capacity of the buffer the Repeat function is disabled 2 Your graphic will remain in memory until you reset the origin send another file or update settings with the Update Display function Update Display is described later in this chapter The loline Control Center The Ioline Control Center is a utility program that does three things B Allows adjustment of settings to tailor output from the computer m Sends completed cut files to the signcutter To make design changes to the file you must use the design software m Includes several diagnostic tests for troubleshooting Control Center Setup Figure 16 The Control Center Setup Screen Chapter 2 Operation If an origin is not set between files two possible unintended results can occur if the combined cuts do not exceed the buffer Repeat will cause them all to be recut or if the combined files exceed the buffer size Repeat will be disabled To avoid communication port conflicts do not simultan
70. uses a center origin so cutting begins at the center of the intended cutting area I Idler Wheel Secondary wheels that help keep wide material flat during cutting J K Keypad Panel on the right side of the machine where primary plotter functions are accessible Also called the Control Panel L M Mil Thousandths of an inch or milliinches For example 75 mils is the same as 075 inches 1 mil is equal to 025mm Minimum Angle This is the minimum angle for which the machine will perform Blade Steering Arc N Offset The distance tip of the blade trails hind the center of the blade Origin Place marking the zero 0 coordinate on the X or Y axes Used as a starting reference by sign cutters for pen or blade paths Overcut Distance the blade travels beyond the end of each cut vector Overlap Amount of material cut in one panel or tile that duplicates what is done in the previous panel or tile The overlapped image allows for alignment when assembling and installing a large image Panel Production area of signcutter Signcutters have a size limit along the Y axis a few inches less than the width of the signcutter and the X axis job exceeds the production area consecutive panels must be set up by the sign software Also called til ing Paneling a long cut will increase accuracy Parallel Communications Method of sending information from computer to si
71. very tiny cut a small or zero angle can be specified For larger cuts a greater angle of up to 45 degrees is best The factory set value works well with most files Adjusting this setting for small cuts may im prove performance This setting is ignored when a pen is installed in the carriage Cutting Sign Before cutting a sign turn the signcutter on load it with vinyl install blade holder and set an origin These steps are outlined below In most cases the design files are sent directly from the design software to the plotter If necessary use the Ioline Control Center software to send design files adjust settings and test sign cutter communication General Guidelines 1 Never let the material become suddenly taut between the plotter and a roll of material during plotting service loop of unrolled material is required for problem free operation Ioline recommends using the Autoloop function enabled in the Con trol Center It will create the required service loop by gently pulling a set amount of material from the roll before cutting Autoloop default is off 2 Use the Paneling feature in the design software for long signs Paneling will restrict the length of any X axis move Ioline sug gests an X panel size of 10 to 20 inches with no panels greater than 40 inches 3 Force Incorrect force can cause misalignment problems over the range of a long cut If the force is too high the material may skew 4 Prepa
72. xtensions In MS DOS and Windows based programs the three letters after the period in a file name In sign files the three letters denote a file 60 loline SmarTrac User Guide type such as the vector and bitmap based Encapsu lated Postscript EPS and the vector based Hewlett Packard Graphics Language PLT Flange The projecting rim around the edge that holds the pen or blade holder to the tool carriage The signcutter automatically recognizes when pen or blade is installed and changes cutting parameters accordingly Font Refers to the style and width of a particular design of letters numbers and symbols such as Helvetica Bold or Times Roman Force In cutting the downward pressure exerted pen or blade tip to ease cutting through ma terials Additional force can be added by adjusting the Control Center Force settings and updating the signcutter Increasing the force will darken pen lines or aid in cutting thicker materials like tag board Friction feed Process where the material is fed through signcutter by placing it between motor driven drive shaft and tensioned pinchwheels G H HPGL Setting The signcutter supports three in dustry standard signcutter languages HPGL 7475 HPGL 7596 and DM PL Most design software uses DM PL or HPGL 7475 which have a lower left ori gin DM PL cannot be selected in the Control Center because the signcutter will automatically recognize it HPGL 7596
73. y to cause harmful interference in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his or her own expense The Wiants You to Know This equipment generates and uses radio frequency energy and if not installed and used properly in strict accordance with manufac turer instructions it may cause interference to radio and television reception Operation is subject to the following two conditions 1 This device may not cause harmful interference and 2 this device must accept any interference received including interference that may cause undesired operation If this equipment does cause inter ference to radio or television reception which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on you are encouraged to try to correct the problem by one or more of the following measures Use only shielded interface cables Reorient the receiving antenna Relocate the host computer with respect to the receiver Move the host computer away from the receiver Plug the host computer into a different outlet so that the host computer and receiver are on different branch circuits If necessary consult the dealer or an experienced radio television technician for additional suggestions How To Identify and Resolve Radio TV Interference Problems a booklet published by the Federal Communications Commission is a helpful reference Please contact the FCC to request a copy www fcc gov Document stock number

User Guide Ioline SmarTrac™

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User Guide Ioline SmarTrac™