Cutting A Design; General Guidelines; Power On; Loading The Material - Ioline SmarTrac I/S Series User Manual

Cutting a Design

Before cutting a design, turn the cutter on, load it with material,
install a 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 cutter
communication.

General Guidelines

1. Never let the material become suddenly taut between the
plotter and a roll of material during plotting. A 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
designs. Paneling will restrict the length of any X-axis move.
Ioline suggests 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. Prepare a large clean area to work.

Power On

Turn on the computer and the cutter. The cutter 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 clothing
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 material:
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 cutter has them. Place the roll behind the machine
if the cutter has only feet. Note: Do not place a paper roll between
two media rollers.
If using a cut sheet or scrap:
Disable Autoloop.
Chapter 2: Operation
i
Note
If Autoloop is not enabled in
the Control Center, do not
allow the material to become
taut between the cutter and the
material roll. Manually create and
maintain a service loop in the
rear. See Autoloop in the Ioline
Control Center section for
more information.
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