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13.09 Cutting
Demo: Cutting a vinyl record
Demo: Carving a Speedball Stamp Block
13.09.1 Things to Keep in Mind
•
IMPORTANT!
If you haven’t read
Sections 13.03
– 13.05
, then go back and work through them. It is very
easy to ruin a cutting mat and even damage the surface of your Force if you have incorrect settings.
•
IMPORTANT!
Do not attempt to use the smaller thinner drill bits for cutting!
•
Always increase
Passes
before increasing
ED
. The pen test determines the
ED
needed for the material but
the rotary tool may need more passes in order to fully penetrate the material being cut.
•
Reminder: Avoid bumping the Force or the mat while the rotary tool is in use. This can cause defects or
even breakages in the final product.
•
Reminder: Keep the pinch wheels clean. An accumulation of dust or fine shavings can prevent proper
gripping of the mat and will result in a distortion of the cut.
•
A flow chart procedure for test cutting with the Force rotary tool is presented in
Appendix D5
. Use this to
troubleshoot any issues.
•
Once you have finished using your rotary tool and switch back to the blade holder, remember to change
back the
Surface Height
(assuming it was changed from the normal setting of 300).
13.09.2 Important Checklist Before You Cut!
•
Have you measured the thickness of the material and used the online calculator to determine an
End
Depth
,
Start Depth
, and
Surface Height
for the test cut?
•
Have you performed the pen test for verifying the accuracy of the
End Depth
?
•
Do you have your material securely taped to the mat, in the required location, and the mat inserted into the
cutter?
•
Do you have the mat under at least two pinch rollers and the levers lowered in the back?
•
Are the pinch rollers aligned under gray labels?
•
Have you set the
Z Origin
?
•
Have you entered all settings? Have you set enough
Passes
and entered slow speeds, as appropriate for
use with the rotary tool?
•
Have you set the XY origin at the front right corner of your material (or where you need the origin to be)?
•
Have you selected the correct type of bit for your application? Is everything installed securely?
•
Have you turned on the power to the rotary tool?
•
Do you know, with confidence, where your shapes are going to cut?
13.10 Design Considerations
•
Because a rotary tool is considerably thicker than a blade, adjustments in the design may be required.
For example, if a shape is thin, it might not cut successfully because the bit is wider than the thickness
of one or more paths on the shape:
Summary of Contents for KNK Force
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