Vinyl Cutter

Introduction to the Roland vinyl cutter and guide:

The vinyl cutter works very similar to the milling machine and the laser cutter:  a computerized head moves a tool along a path determined by the uploaded file.  In this case, the tool is a small knife that cuts the top layer of the material leaving a backing in place.  We will mostly be cutting vinyl supplied from a roll, but the machine is also capable of cutting flexible circuitry.

The vinyl cutter is one of the few machines it is OK to walk away from while it is operating, though it does move very quickly.  For safety, keep fingers, hands, and any loose clothing or accessories away from the machine while running. 

To establish a new origin point. Use the arrow keys to drive the cutting knife to the new spot, hold the origin button for a second, this spot is the new origin.

Roland Cut Studio Guide.

Open Roland Cut Studio. 

Import any images/ design you want to cut out - Silhouettes are best

Insert the image file that you wish to use by clicking import and selecting the file.  

If using an image you will need to trace the image:

- Some file types work better than others.

- If the design is coming from Illustrator save it as an Illustrator version 8.

-Select the image

-When you have your image positioned, click “Object” and then select “Image Outline.” 

-In the menu that pops up, click “Extract Contour lines”

-This button allows you to define how many lines will be cut by adjusting the definition of the picture.  

-Move the slide bar until the definition you want is shown and then click “Extract Contour Lines.”  This may take several attempts.  

-When you are satisfied with the definition, you can move the path line, delete the original image, and then re-position the path lines where you want them on the material.

-Delete the original image

Position your image where you want it usually near the origin point, if you have followed the setup direction above the image will have adjusted to material size.  

Draw a box around the image this will aid in the removal of the image later.