Holding Down Material - Vision Max Pro User Manual

68 Vision Max Pro User Manual
3.6

Holding Down Material

There are many ways to hold material down on the t-slot table. One of the major things to remember is
that the material must be placed in the upper left corner of the t-slot table. This will ensure that the
engraving is in the correct position on your material.
You can use double-sided tape, Multi Mat hold down material, the quick lock vise, or optional clamps
and fixtures (see the Optional Accessories section of this manual for more details) to hold down
material to the t-slot table. Double-sided tape or Multi Mat material are available from your Vision
Distributor or directly from Vision.
Hold Down Techniques
Holding material in place is critical for engraving and cutting applications. The Multi Mat material is
useful for both applications, but using double-sided tape or a spray adhesive can be a better choice for
some applications. For most materials and engraving applications, the Multi Mat material is the easiest
to use. Simply place it on the table and place the material to be engraved on top of it. When cutting
completely through, or kiss-cutting materials, care must be taken to not cut too far through the material,
or the Multi Mat will be slightly cut in the process. The most common approach to cutting when using
the Multi Mat is to set the cut depth using the machines micrometer or the "stacked material method" as
described below and in the section on Profile Cutting. When using the micrometer, the material
thickness should be measured with calipers. Keep in mind that some materials can vary in thickness
and there may be areas that remain uncut. For a detailed explanation on the use of the micrometer for
setting cutting depth, see Level 1 Example Job 4 in the Profile Cutting section.
Stacked Material Method
Many times, double sided tape can be a quick and very secure way to hold material down to the t-slot
table. The downside to using tape is that it will remain on the table and can be a problem to remove. A
better solution is to place Multi Mat material on the t-slot table, then place a piece of sacrificial material
(of the same type as being cut) on top of the Multi Mat. Then apply double-sided tape to the sacrificial
material and place the material to be cut on top of the sacrificial material. In this manner, while the
machine is engraving or cutting other jobs, the sacrificial material/cut material can be removed and
separated by the user, making better use of machine time and allowing for easier clean up. Note - if
double-sided tape is used, be careful to cover a sufficient area to keep the material in place and also to
hold smaller pieces in place so they to not move when the last section of the small piece is cut.
Spray Adhesives
Using a spray adhesive, in conjunction with "transfer tape" or "application tape" is yet another method
often used. As with the other methods, place Multi Mat on the t-slot table, A piece of sacrificial material
is then covered with transfer tape on its top surface and a spray adhesive is applied on top of the tape.
Place the sacrificial material with the tape/adhesive side facing up on the Mutli Mat material. Then, the
material to be cut should have transfer tape applied to its back side and adhesive is sprayed on to the
transfer tape. Place the material to be cut, tape/adhesive side down, on to the sacrificial material. This
is a very secure way to cut through materials and once cutting is finished, the tape/adhesive can be
easily removed from the back sides of cut pieces.
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