Print and Cut starts cutting PAST the registeration marks

Alien312

I'm using Make the Cut with a KNK Zing. I've printed the registration marks but the cutter keeps starting the cuts past the registration mark. In the attached picture, you can the registration mark should stop mid-center of the black line. The cutter is cutting the shape the right dimensions, but because it starts the cut past the registration mark, everything is offset. What is going wrong here? Why would it even try cutting past the set registration marks?

Liz_A

@Alien312 - did you have your printer set to borderless printing?

SandyMcC

Have you gone through the Zing user manual and calibrated the Zing's laser for print and cut applications?  It's Chapter 9 in this manual: https://www.iloveknk.com/0um/KNKZing/KNKZingwithMTCUserManual.pdf

If you HAVE calibrated the Zing and you're still using the same installation of MTC on this computer, then the next question is this: Are you changing the Show/Hide properties of any layers after printing and before cutting?

Alien312

@SandyMcC, @Liz_A It's calibrated and works fine for most shapes, in that everything is cut within .5 mm of where the path is. It is only when cutting rectangles that things get noticeably messed up.

SandyMcC

I've never heard of rectangles causing any issues with PNC alignment. 

I'm now trying to understand what I'm seeing in your photo.  It looks like there's a printed image touching your reg mark? 

Alien312

@SandyMcC, @Liz_A if I orient the rectangles at a 45 degree angle to the mat, everything cuts relatively well because the errors are spread out more evenly, but of course this wastes most of the sheet. But when I cut rectangles parallel to the cutter, the errors become very apparent.

For examples, during the calibration procedure when cutting the arrow, it's impossible to set the Y offset exactly since either the right half of the arrow cuts perfectly (and the left right is off by .5 mm) or the left half lines up but the right is off. This is likely because the blade carriage just doesn't move left/right accurately.

SandyMcC

When calibrating with MTC, it's perfectly normally to see that happen and it can be in either direction.  I THOUGHT I had mentioned that in the user manual that when one side is perfect and the other is off, then you need to focus on correcting the one that is off and just ignore the correct one for the time being. I would focus on that first.

The second thing is to make sure there is nothing sticky that can throw off the accuracy. Make sure the pinch wheels and the grit shafts beneath appear to be very clean, as well as the underside of the cutting mat.  Also, load the mat so that  you have pinch wheels about the same distance from the outside. 

Alien312

@SandyMcC, there's nothing wrong with how I'm loading the mat. As I said previously, I have NO issues when cutting any shapes OTHER than rectangles, and ONLY if the rectangles are parallel to the cutter.

I've had this machine for 7 years and it has gradually become more and more inaccurate across the Y axis despite numerous calibrations.

Also, you clearly misunderstand - the issue with one side being perfect and the other being off CANNOT be fixed with calibration, as the offset only SHIFTS where the blade is cutting, as per the manual. But if one side cuts fine but the other is off ON THE SAME axis, then the distance the cutter travels needs to be *SHRUNK*, not just shifted left/right. Again, this is because the blade carriage just doesn't move left/right accurately, likely due to the rubber belt.

SandyMcC

Well, since you obviously consider yourself to be the expert here, I'll consider my  contributions to this issue to be complete.  Doesn't seem to matter that I've spent the past 15 years resolving issues JUST LIKE THIS and getting KNK USA's participation in the troubleshooting, when needed.