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Author Topic: Digital Print profiling with Mach software  (Read 6296 times)

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Digital Print profiling with Mach software
« on: June 14, 2010, 11:36:06 AM »
Hello, I jost posted a "hello" in the thread.

Basically, why I am here is to see if anyone else has developed a solution and I am at present preparing our company to leap into digital offset cutting of printed signage.
There is commerical solutions out there, mainly called i-cut / i-script which is normally developed into the post processor (e.g. Mach)

To explain:-

This link shows the i-cut solution http://www.icutvision.com/videos.php

The designer places registration marks (or dots in i-cut design) on the sheet, these get printed within the edges of the sheet which then a CNC software controller will then use to find the sheet.

What I want to do is something similar, I want to see if I can use a laser-pen marker to align a mach controlled head to head off coords and then process a distortion...

When you print onto a sheet of vinyl, ink and lamination changes the sheet and shrinks it around a few mm, so what I am trying to acheive is to try and replace my controller with something else that will allow us to cut around signage.

TBH we could purchase a system, but our machine is so old that most of the quotes are about replacing it, its just a waste of money and risk to update an old machine, so I am trying to set about a project to do something similar.

We used vectric vcarve, axyz 6012 with later boards (steppers), corel draw workflow...

I will then start looking at mach with our stepper controllers, it doesn't look a nightmare from the inital look, so was seeing if I could do the contour stuff as well.

I am also a part-time programmer, so thats another incentive.



Offline Tweakie.CNC

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Re: Digital Print profiling with Mach software
« Reply #1 on: June 15, 2010, 02:42:51 AM »
Hi Dave,

A very interesting and ambitious project you are describing there.

Is the shrinkage rate a known constant for all the materials you will use or will it vary from one project to the next ?.

Tweakie.
PEACE
Re: Digital Print profiling with Mach software
« Reply #2 on: June 15, 2010, 04:20:07 AM »
its a good question, on vinyl it would shrink and cause problems all over, our vinyl cutter compensates with alignment marks already, what I want to do is for boards.

boards are less likely to shrink, but it could have problems with feeding through the machine, so it could change direction while it is being printed.

Offline Tweakie.CNC

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Re: Digital Print profiling with Mach software
« Reply #3 on: June 15, 2010, 07:38:23 AM »
Hi Dave,

It probably doesn't help very much but if you could work out how they have done this and repeat it (without the University funding) then it could provide an answer to your requirement. 

                http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBxPYhOnKv0&feature=player_embedded

Tweakie.
PEACE

Offline Bill_O

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Re: Digital Print profiling with Mach software
« Reply #4 on: June 16, 2010, 09:09:38 AM »
I developed a system to use on our routers that use mach. I only use 3 dots for overall stretch or shrink in the x and y. It also compensates for the rotation. The dots need to be within 1/2 inch of where they should be located but as long as they are that close it works very well.

Bill

Offline Tweakie.CNC

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Re: Digital Print profiling with Mach software
« Reply #5 on: June 16, 2010, 09:36:06 AM »
Hi Bill,

Are you willing to share the details of your system please ?

Tweakie.
PEACE
Re: Digital Print profiling with Mach software
« Reply #6 on: June 16, 2010, 01:33:48 PM »
Bill sounds great, i have many thoughts on how to do it with dots and can see ways of doing it with corel draw envelopes which are reasonable but not perfect.
Send me a PM if you can do that if you want to keep it private, but I appreciate the input

Dave
Re: Digital Print profiling with Mach software
« Reply #7 on: November 28, 2010, 03:14:13 PM »
Hi people

I'm new at CNC and just build my first one. I live in Portugal and I amconnected with large format digital printing since the early days.

I have the same problem, as I need a camera solution that can detect reference points and them correct to cut. Do you manage to find any solution?
Pls let me know if you come up with any solution or just give up.

thanks
Sacramento
Re: Digital Print profiling with Mach software
« Reply #8 on: November 28, 2010, 05:37:04 PM »
hi there, sadly this project never go going and we now have a UV digital printer which is giving me very good registration but its not perfect.

We are making do with just coming off the axyz with its existing controller and cutting the sheet upside down or before it is printed.

Offline Tweakie.CNC

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Re: Digital Print profiling with Mach software
« Reply #9 on: November 29, 2010, 02:47:50 AM »
I developed a system to use on our routers that use mach. I only use 3 dots for overall stretch or shrink in the x and y. It also compensates for the rotation. The dots need to be within 1/2 inch of where they should be located but as long as they are that close it works very well.

Bill


Is there any chance you could share details of this please Bill ?


Tweakie.
PEACE