Operating Tips - Challenge CHAMPION 370 XT Operator's Manual

9.0 Operating Tips

9.0 Operating Tips
Use a jogging aid to align stock. This will reduce the chance of an accident by not
having to reach under the knife or clamp. Likewise, use the backgauge to push out
stock before removal.
Never attempt to remove paper trim clinging to the blade or clamp until they have
stopped moving!
Carefully lay out each sheet before you start cutting. Find the best-cut pattern to give
you the most pieces out of the sheet. If the sheet will be folded, be sure the grain of
the paper is running in the same direction as the fold or you will get a rough edge on
the fold.
If an accurate cut is necessary for close register work, you MUST have a sharp blade
in the cutter. A dull blade will pull or draw the stock and cause uneven cutting. See
Knives section, below.
Clamp pressure should not be increased to eliminate draw without first checking for
knife sharpness. Draw from a dull knife can only be eliminated by installing a sharp
knife. See Knives section, below.
Appropriate clamp pressure will vary from one stock to another. As a rule, you
should have enough pressure to securely hold the stock but not so much that the
stock is unacceptably deformed. Excessive clamp pressure causes pile distortion
and inaccurate cutting.
To make stock slide as easily as possible on the cutter table, wash the table with
non-offset powder or with a silicone/rust preventative.
Mark the gripper edge and the guide edge of printed stock and make sure the first
cuts are with these guide edges against the backgauge.
Measure printed stock to check for shrinkage or expansion of the paper from
humidity. You may have to disregard the printed cut lines and make your own.
Use pre-clamping to remove air from an aerated pile.
39