MC-S CUTTING PLOTTERS OPERATION INSTRUCTIONS MUTOH EUROPE N.V.

Transcription

1 MC-S CUTTING PLOTTERS OPERATION INSTRUCTIONS MUTOH EUROPE N.V. Part N AP Rev /12/98

2 AP-75021, Rev. 1.0, 18/12/98

3 COPYRIGHT NOTICE COPYRIGHT 1998 Mutoh Europe N.V. All rights reserved. This document may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part, without written permission of the copyright owner. This document is furnished to support the MUTOH MC-S Series cutting plotters. In consideration of the furnishing of the information contained in this document, the party to whom it is given assumes its custody and control and agrees to the following: 1. The information herein contained is given in confidence, and any part thereof shall not be copied or reproduced without written consent of Mutoh Europe N.V. 2. This document or the contents herein under no circumstances, shall be used in the manufacture or reproduction of the article shown and the delivery of this document shall not constitute any right or license to do so. FCC WARNING This equipment complies with the requirements for a class A computing device in the FCC rules, part 15, subpart J. Operation of this device in a residential area may interfere with television reception or operation of utilities. Cutters generate weak radio signals and may interfere with television reception and utilities. If the cutter does interfere with radio or TV reception, try the following: Change the direction of your radio and TV reception antenna or feeder. Change the direction of the cutter. Move either the cutter or the receiving antenna so that there is more distance between them. Be sure the cutter and the receiving antenna are on separate power lines. AP-75021, Rev. 1.0, 18/12/98

4 AP-75021, Rev. 1.0, 18/12/98

5 Congratulations with your new MUTOH cutting plotter! We are happy to find you joining the ever rapidly growing family of MUTOH computer peripherals users. By purchasing an MC-S series cutter, you have become the owner of one of the most versatile single-tool signcutting plotters in the market. It is fast, reliable, of the highest quality and has been assembled with the application of the most stringent quality checks. But even more important, it is easy to use, as the following guide will show you. Hereafter you will find all information necessary to set-up your MC-S cutting plotter in a trice. ENJOY! AP-75021, Rev. 1.0, 18/12/98

6 AP-75021, Rev. 1.0, 18/12/98

7 TABLE OF CONTENTS MC-S CUTTING PLOTTERS OPERATION INSTRUCTIONS SETTING UP THE CUTTER... 1 PREPARING THE CUTTING ENVIRONMENT... 1 UNPACKING THE CUTTER... 2 WHAT S IN THE BOX?... 2 GETTING TO KNOW THE CUTTER PARTS... 3 ASSEMBLING THE PLOTTER... 5 CONNECTING THE CUTTER TO THE COMPUTER... 7 CONNECTING THE POWER CABLE... 8 COMMUNICATION SETTINGS... 8 CHANGING THE SET-UP LANGUAGE OF YOUR CUTTER... 9 PREPARING FOR A JOB LOADING MEDIA ADJUSTING THE KNIFE DEPTH TOOL TYPE SELECTION INSTALLING KNIFE HOLDERS OR PENS SETTING THE CUTTING FORCE / TEST SQUARES OFFSET PRINCIPLE OFFSET EFFECT OFFSET ADJUSTMENT PROCEDURE PERFORMING A TEST UNDERSTANDING THE KEYBOARD & MENU STRUCTURE GUIDED TOUR AROUND THE KEYBOARD KEYBOARD CONCEPT MENU STRUCTURE - OVERVIEW OVERVIEW GENERAL SETTINGS AP-75021, Rev. 1.0, 18/12/98

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9 Setting up the cutter SETTING UP THE CUTTER PREPARING THE CUTTING ENVIRONMENT The location where you set up your equipment is very important. Please see to it that it meets following conditions : Power supply of 100 to 120 VAC 50/60 Hz or 200 to 240 VAC 50/60 Hz. Ambient Conditions : Operating environment - Temperature : 5 C to 40 C (41 F to 104 F). - Humidity : 35% - 75% non-condensing. Recommended environment - Temperature : Room temperature 16 C to 32 C (61 F to 90 F). - Humidity : 50% to 65%, non-condensing. Variation rate - Temperature : 2 C per hour. - Humidity : 5% per hour. Storage environment - Temperature : 0 C to 50 C (32 F to 122 F). Please protect your cutter from moisture, dust, draughts and direct sunlight. It is best to keep your machine away from open windows and air-conditioners. See to it that there is an adequate space around the cutter so that ventilation is not obstructed. Avoid unnecessary vibrations and set up your cutter on a level surface. When selecting a place for your cutter, leave at least 150 cm (60 ) in front and 150 cm (60 ) at the rear. Page 1 AP-75021, Rev. 1.0, 18/12/98

10 Setting up the cutter UNPACKING THE CUTTER When unpacking the cutter, check whether all parts described in the parts lists are included in the boxes. Consult your dealer if anything seems to be missing. Lifting the machine out of the box should be done by two persons. Protect the plotter from firm shocks. Do not dismantle the unit. To unpack the cutter : 1. Lift the cutter unit out of the box and put it on a flat, stable surface. 2. Take out the accessories box. 3. Remove all plastic wrapping materials. 4. Remove the pieces of foam. 5. Unpack the stand. WHAT S IN THE BOX? MC-S plotter unit with roll support system, 2 conveyor rolls and small guiding flanges Cutting plotter stand Mutoh MC-S Series User s Guide Knife holder with depth indication (+ 1 cutting blade) Set of 2 spare cutting blades 45 Blade for auto-sheet-off (pre-installed in head) Set of 2 water-based fibre tip pens Spare cutting mat Power Cord RS-232 Serial interface cable 3 core roll media guiding flanges (2 pcs) Page 2 AP-75021, Rev. 1.0, 18/12/98

11 Setting up the cutter GETTING TO KNOW THE CUTTER PARTS Page 3 AP-75021, Rev. 1.0, 18/12/98

12 Setting up the cutter N Part Description 1. Control Panel Panel with Liquid Crystal Display (4 lines by 16 characters), indicator LEDs and control keys. 2. Power Switch Turns the plotter ON or OFF. 3. Carriage Cover For safety reasons, the cutter will not work while the cover is open. The cover will also prevent objects from falling into the cutting zone. 4. Conveyor Roll Support Brackets These brackets carry the conveyor rolls. 5. Conveyor Rolls 2 pieces - these rolls carry the roll media. 6. Small Media Guiding Flanges These rings are placed alongside the roll media core, to prevent media wandering. 7. Hold Lever Raises and lowers the pressure rollers. Lowering the pressure rollers will press the media against the drive rollers ( grid rolls ). 8. Platen & Grid Cover Supports the media and guides the movement of the media along the X-axis. 9. Cutting Mat Provides a reliable cutting surface and minimizes damage to the knife tip. 10. Serial Interface Connector 11. Parallel Interface Connector RS-232 serial interface connector to connect the cutter to the host computer. Centronics parallel connector to connect the cutter to the host computer s printer port for fast data transfer. 12. Power Connector Connector for the power cord, which plugs into the main power supply of the cutter. 13. Dual Action Head Plotter head accommodating various job tools as well as a fixed sheet-off knife. 14. Tool keeper To store tools which are not in use. 15. Drive Rollers or Grid Rolls Move the cutting media along the X-axis. 16. Pressure Rollers Hold the media against the drive rollers during cutting. 17. Media Alignment Stripes Indication marks to facilitate loading of cut-sheets. 18. Caster Wheels The cutting plotter s legs are equipped with 4 pre-installed caster wheels, two of which have a lock switch. 19. Slip Ring The slip ring is placed onto one of the conveyor rolls and prevents undesirable movements of the roll media. Page 4 AP-75021, Rev. 1.0, 18/12/98

13 Setting up the cutter ASSEMBLING THE PLOTTER After you have selected a suitable location for your cutting plotter, some assembly is necessary before the plotter is ready for use. This section describes how to assemble the stand and how to attach the plotter body to the stand. 1. Use the hex wrench (4) to fix the stand side stays (1)(2) firmly to the cross beam (3) with the hex bolts M8, long type (5). As indicated in the illustration, the caster wheels with locking switch have to be on the front side. Also, the cross beam s flat side has to be on the back side. A = Front / B = Back 2. Place the cutting plotter body (1) onto the stand (2). 3. Fix the plotter body (1) to the stand (2) using 4 hex bolts M8 (short type). 4. Fix the conveyor roll support brackets (5) to the stand (2), using 6 hex bolts M8 (short type). Page 5 AP-75021, Rev. 1.0, 18/12/98

14 Setting up the cutter 5. Slide the 2 small conveyor flanges and the slip ring over one conveyor roll. 6. Mount this conveyor roll between the support brackets in the frontmost position, as shown in the illustrations. 7. Make sure that the screw which protrudes out of the slip ring fits nicely into the corresponding hole of the support bracket. 8. Mount the second conveyor roll (which carries no flanges nor slip ring) into the backmost position between the support brackets, allowing to be easily moved into the different slots. Page 6 AP-75021, Rev. 1.0, 18/12/98

15 Setting up the cutter CONNECTING THE CUTTER TO THE COMPUTER To make the connection between the cutter and the computer, you are offered two possibilities. The first possibility is a high-speed unidirectional 8-bit parallel Centronics interface. The second possibility is a 2-way RS-232C serial interface. Of course, it is also possible to connect two different computers to the cutter, the first one using the serial interface, the second one using the parallel interface. The cutter will automatically determine on which port data is coming in and will handle the jobs one by one. PARALLEL INTERFACE All you need to make this connection is a parallel printer cable. SERIAL INTERFACE The serial RS-232C interface enables the cutter to be connected to and controlled by an RS-232C compatible host computer system. The cutter is equipped with a standard RS-232C - DB-25P connector on the rear panel and requires a standard RS-232C db- 25S mating connector. a) Make sure both the cutter and the computer are turned off. Connect one end of the parallel interface cable / serial interface cable to the parallel interface connector / serial interface connector at the back side of the cutting plotter. b) Secure the lock pins to the connector. b) Fasten the screws to secure the connector. c) Connect the other end of the parallel printer cable to your computer. c) Connect the other end of the serial cable to your computer. Please be advised that the parallel interface only works one-way. This means that the cutter can receive data from the computer but cannot send any information to the computer. Consequently, software polling for media size will not be available when using parallel communication. Using the serial communication, your cutter will not only be able to receive data from the computer, but will also be able to send information to the computer (media size,...). For proper operation of the serial communication, it will be necessary to match the computer settings to the plotter settings! Page 7 AP-75021, Rev. 1.0, 18/12/98

16 Setting up the cutter CONNECTING THE POWER CABLE 1. Make sure the plotter s power switch is turned OFF. 2. Plug the plotter-end of the power cable into the connector at the back of the plotter. 3. Plug the other end of the power cable into an electrical outlet of the correct voltage and with a proper grounding. COMMUNICATION SETTINGS In order for your plotter to be able to communicate well with your host computer, the communication settings on both machines have to match exactly. Please refer to the manual of your software to determine which communication settings will be used by your software. Your cutter is able to be set up to use any settings necessary. You can proceed in two ways: You can check which of the 5 possible defaults matches your software and enable this particular default setting. You can set all communication parameters yourself. In this case, for communication, select USER DEFINED. Communication DEFAULT 1 DEFAULT 2 DEFAULT 3 DEFAULT 4 DEFAULT 5 USER DEFINED BAUDRATE Adjustable DATABITS Adjustable PARITY EVEN NONE EVEN NONE EVEN Adjustable STOPBITS Adjustable SOFTWARE HANDSHAKE OFF OFF Xon/Xoff Xon/Xoff OFF Adjustable DTR-Pin ON ON OFF OFF ON Adjustable CTS-Pin OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF Adjustable RTS-Pin ON ON ON ON ON Adjustable The factory default settings are shown in Bold-face. Page 8 AP-75021, Rev. 1.0, 18/12/98

17 Setting up the cutter CHANGING THE SET-UP LANGUAGE OF YOUR CUTTER It is possible to change the user language of your cutter, thus changing the set-up sheet language. Changing the set-up language can be done by pressing two keys simultaneously during power-up. See table below for an overview. LANGUAGE American (dimensions in inches) German French English (dimensions in metric units) Japanese KEY COMBINATION ENTER + JOG-DOWN ENTER + JOG-UP ENTER + JOG-RIGHT ENTER + JOG-LEFT ENTER + ONLINE Page 9 AP-75021, Rev. 1.0, 18/12/98

18 Setting up the cutter Page 10 AP-75021, Rev. 1.0, 18/12/98

19 Preparing for a Job PREPARING FOR A JOB This section covers the tasks you should perform as you prepare for running a job: Loading the media Adjusting the knife depth Installing knife holders or pens Offset principle, effect & adjustment routine Performing a test LOADING MEDIA Page 11 AP-75021, Rev. 1.0, 18/12/98

20 Preparing for a Job You can load either cut sheet or roll material into the cutter. CUT SHEET MEDIA ROLL MEDIA 1. Close the safety cover (1), put the pressure rollers (2) in the up position using the media hold lever (3), and turn the power switch (5) ON. a) The cutting plotter performs an initialisation routine and the display shows the initialisation menu. b) The tool head (6) moves to the rightmost position. 2. Open the protective cover (1) and insert the cut sheet media into the cutter. On the platen (7), marker lines (8) have been affixed for alignment purposes. It is best to position the media so that half of it hangs in front and half of it hangs at the back of the cutter. 2. Open the protective cover (1) and pull the media through to be able to choose the best possible position for the pressure rollers (2). 3. Depending on the width of the MC-S cutting plotter you have purchased, it is equipped with 2 or 3 pressure rollers. Up to your choice, you can use 2 or 3 pressure rollers for good media handling. a) At least 2 pressure rolls are needed. To disable the third (leftmost) pressure roll, it is to be placed beyond the leftmost drive roller (9), at the extreme left of the plotter. b) Adjust the position of the pressure rollers (2) in use, so that they align well with the drive rollers (9). Always make sure that the leftmost and rightmost pressure rollers in use are at least 5 mm (0.2 ) inside the media. It is not recommendable that the rollers run on the very edge of the material. 4. Doing this, you are helped by the tactile and audible click system for the left pressure rollers. The rightmost pressure roller s movement is limited so that it can never be malpositioned. Always make sure that all pressure rollers in use are completely inside the sheet of media you want to load. Especially when you use a cut sheet of which the corners are not perfectly square, it is best to put the pressure rollers well inside the media, as the width of the sheet may vary. 5. Put the hold lever (3) in the DOWN position (3 Î 3 ) and close the cover. To ensure good & straight transport of the roll media, see to it that there is an even tension across the whole width of the roll as you lower the media hold lever ( 3 Î 3 ). Page 12 AP-75021, Rev. 1.0, 18/12/98

21 Preparing for a Job 6. Lowering the lever (3 Î 3 ) will initialise the media loading sequence, during which the cutter will measure the loaded sheet. Depending on the current SHUFFLE / PRE-FEED settings, the sheet will be moved back and forth, enabling the cutter to determine the media size and enabling you to verify the media transport. The cut sheet will only be recognised as being a cut sheet if the shuffle length is set to a value which is larger than the length of the cut sheet. Otherwise the cut sheet will be treated as being a roll. Please do not use the marker lines to align a roll of media! They are for use with cut sheets only! Rolls can only be correctly installed using the EQUAL TENSION METHOD. 6. Lowering the lever (3 Î 3 ) will initialise the media loading sequence, during which the cutter will measure the media width and pull off a user-selectable prefeed length, called the shuffle length. At the same time you are able to check the media transport. The SHUFFLE / PRE- FEED settings allow the user to interfere with the pre-feed length as well as with the speed at which the media is pulled off the roll. 7. After finishing the media loading sequence, the tool head will be parked at the origin position and the cutter will be in ON-LINE mode, ready to receive data from the host computer. Please notice that the pressure rollers cannot be moved when the media hold lever is in the DOWN position. Page 13 AP-75021, Rev. 1.0, 18/12/98

22 Preparing for a Job ADJUSTING THE KNIFE DEPTH Two types of high-quality knife holders are available for the MUTOH cutting plotters. No matter which type of knife holder you are using, adjusting the knife depth is a very important parameter when it comes to making high-quality outputs. Always make sure that the knife blade protrudes enough, but not too much out of the knife holder. When you adjust the knife depth, refer to the illustration below for guidance. 1. Knife Holder 2. Media to be cut 3. Cutting mat or material backing 4. Cutting blade TO ADJUST THE KNIFE DEPTH, PROCEED AS FOLLOWS : KNIFE HOLDER WITHOUT NONIUS KNIFE HOLDER WITH NONIUS 1) Hold the body (2) in one hand and adjust the depth by using the set screw (3). 1) Loosen the base part of the knife holder. To do this, take the base part in your left hand and twist the ring slightly. Page 14 AP-75021, Rev. 1.0, 18/12/98

23 Preparing for a Job KNIFE HOLDER WITHOUT NONIUS KNIFE HOLDER WITH NONIUS 2) Turning the set screw (3) clockwisely will make the blade protrude out of the edge of the base part (1). Turning the set screw (3) counterclockwisely will retract the blade. For a first test, turn out the blade until it protrudes about 0.2 mm (0.008 ) out of the base part. 2) Take the base part and the ring in your left hand and twist the shaft until the knife tip protrudes about 0.2 mm (0.008 ) out of the edge of the base part. Tighten the ring firmly against the base part. This will prevent the cutting blade from coming loose during cutting. 3) Make a manual test-cut on a small piece of media, of the same type that you will be using. When cutting material with no backing, verify that the media is just cut through. The blade should only protrude as much as the thickness of the material you are cutting. When cutting material with backing adjust the blade depth so that the top layer is completely cut through and that you can see a slight scratch on the backing when weeding off the top layer. 4) Repeat steps 2 and 3 until the correct depth is obtained. Page 15 AP-75021, Rev. 1.0, 18/12/98

24 Preparing for a Job TOOL TYPE SELECTION The TOOL key has a double function: It allows the user to specify which tool the cutting plotter has to use. During adjustment procedures, the tool key is used to select the tool type for which you want to make the adjustment. To select a specific TOOL or change tool settings, proceed as follows: 1. Press the TOOL key with the cutter in OFF-LINE mode. 2. A menu will be displayed as in the example below: DISPLAY * Tool setting * Select drawing tool À Knife 1 3. By pressing the (UP) / À(DOWN) keys or the TOOL key, you can view all available selections in two directions. Available selections are: Knife 1, Knife 2, Knife 3, Pen, Oil Ball and Pounce. Always select the tool type corresponding to the tool which is actually mounted in the tool-head in order to avoid damage to the plotter, the media or the cutting plotter tools. 4. Press ENTER to accept the new tool settings. Press EXIT to quit the tool settings procedure. Page 16 AP-75021, Rev. 1.0, 18/12/98

25 Preparing for a Job INSTALLING KNIFE HOLDERS OR PENS Your cutting plotter is equipped with a state-of-the art dual action head. The left-hand side of the cutter head is equipped for performing automatic sheet-off. At the right-hand side of the cutter head, you will find a pivoting mounting bracket. Opening this bracket will enable you to install a full range of cutting and drawing tools. Proceed as follows to mount a tool in the tool head: 1) Open the screw to unlock the tool head mounting bracket. 2) Hold back the clip of the tool head and slide the tool into position, making sure the tool collar fits into the groove just beneath the locking screw. 3) Fasten the screw to secure the tool into position. Page 17 AP-75021, Rev. 1.0, 18/12/98

26 Preparing for a Job SETTING THE CUTTING FORCE / TEST SQUARES In order to get excellent cutting quality, it is important to take good care to adjust the cutting force. A design should always be cut with the lowest possible pressure. This minimises blade wear and gives better quality. To adjust the Force and cut a test square, proceed as follows: 1. Make sure the cutting plotter is OFF-LINE. 2. Press the FORCE key to enter the FORCE Adjustment menu. 3. Press the TOOL key to select the tool for which you want to adjust the FORCE. 4. Adjust the FORCE using the UP / DOWN keys. 5. If media is loaded and a knife-holder with correctly adjusted blade depth is installed in the tool head, you can immediately cut a test square by pressing the TEST key. The test square normally is positioned automatically. If you desire to do so, you can also position the test square using the JOG keys. In case a test square is cut, the new FORCE settings are saved automatically. 6. Press ENTER to accept the new FORCE value. Press EXIT to exit force set-up and leave everything unchanged. Pressing ENTER is not required in case a test square was cut in step 5 Page 18 AP-75021, Rev. 1.0, 18/12/98

27 Preparing for a Job OFFSET PRINCIPLE One of the most important factors to obtain good quality, but unfortunately also one of the factors that is easily forgotten, is the offset. 1 1: Cutter blade 2: Theoretical Offset 2 As you can see in the above figure, the knife offset (2) is the distance between the knife centre and the knife tip. Accurate measurement of the OFFSET to be used is very difficult and requires specialised equipment. You should therefore adjust the offset (2) by checking real cutting results on the media you will use. MUTOH helps you doing this by way of a semi-automatic offset adjustment routine, which has been integrated into your cutter. OFFSET EFFECT The selected Offset value is larger than the optimum knife offset. In this case, a square corner will be cut as follows : The selected Offset value is smaller than the optimum knife offset. In this case, a square corner will be cut as follows : The cutting direction is indicated by the arrow. The corners are not well formed. The cutter cuts too far in the angular points. The cutting direction is indicated by the arrow. The corners are not well formed. The cutter did not cut far enough in the angular points. Page 19 AP-75021, Rev. 1.0, 18/12/98

28 Preparing for a Job OFFSET ADJUSTMENT PROCEDURE In order to obtain perfect quality, MUTOH recommends you to perform an offset adjustment routine each time you change cutting blades or switch to another type of media. To perform offset adjustment, you can select two offset modes, called BASE TUNE & FINE TUNE. Base tune allows a limited adjustment, only setting the typical blade offset. Fine tune is a semi-automatic fine-tuning. In this mode, the plotter automatically creates test patterns with different offsets allowing the user to choose the best result. By factory default, the semi-automatic fine-tuning is activated. Page 20 AP-75021, Rev. 1.0, 18/12/98

29 Preparing for a Job SEMI-AUTOMATIC OFFSET ADJUSTMENT (Only if OFFSET MODE is set to Fine Tune ) 1. Make sure the cutter is ready to start with a cutting job. Media has to be loaded and a knife holder with well adjusted blade depth has to be available in the tool head. The tool type needs to be set to knife 1, 2 or Press OFFSET to initiate the offset procedure. 3. A menu will appear on the cutter display, indicating the BASE-OFFSET value. The indicated value can range from 0.1 mm ( ) to 1 mm ( 0.04 ). *Offset Adjust* TOOL: Knife1 À Base: 0.50 mm Save with ENTER 4. Use the UP / DOWN À keys to set the correct BASE OFFSET value. This value is indicated on the box in which the blades are packed. For the blades which are shipped with the unit, this value is 0.50 mm ( 0.02 ). 5. Press ENTER to confirm the BASE OFFSET value. Press EXIT to quit the offset adjustment procedure. 6. The cutter will now cut a series of test patterns with varying offset values. If the base offset was set to 0.50 mm ( 0.02 ), the generated offsets will vary from 0.46 mm ( ) up to 0.55 mm ( ). 7. When the test cuts are completed, the cutter will advance the media for you to check the patterns and to determine which of them gives best quality. Especially look for good quality of the corners and closure of the circles. Using the JOG-keys Õ/Ö you can move the TOOL-HEAD digitally to indicate the square with the best quality. When the head is moved, the media is partially retracted, but in such way that the test squares remain visible for the user. The offset value is shown on the display: Select best cut JOG JOG Õ 0.48 mm Ö Save with ENTER 8. Press ENTER to confirm the new settings. Press EXIT to quit the offset adjustment procedure. Page 21 AP-75021, Rev. 1.0, 18/12/98

30 Preparing for a Job LIMITED OFFSET ADJUSTMENT PROCEDURE (Only if OFFSET MODE is set to Base Tune) To perform the limited offset adjustment procedure follow steps 1 to 5 from the semi-automatic offset procedure. The LIMITED OFFSET ADJUSTMENT PROCEDURE is only possible if the OFFSET MODE is set to Base Tune. Page 22 AP-75021, Rev. 1.0, 18/12/98

31 Preparing for a Job PERFORMING A TEST In your cutting/drawing plotter, two test plots have been integrated. Both of them are available via the TEST button. Following tests are available: Test Square DEMO-Cut : To perform a small test cut to check cutting force and offset. : To perform a test cut. To perform one of the test plots, please proceed as follows : 1. Load the media on which you will work into the plotter. The internal demo-cut is automatically scaled, so the size of the media you load is not important in that case. 2. The plotter will only execute the plots if the correct tool type is selected. In case an incorrect tool-type is selected the plotter will display the type of tool which is required. 3. Switch the plotter to OFF-LINE (ON-LINE LED should be OFF). 4. Press the TEST key 5. The display will change as follows : DISPLAY TEST MENU Ð SQUARE Ï ENTER to start 6. Using the ARROW-UP or ARROW-DOWN key, you can select between SQUARE and DEMOCUT. TEST SQUARE The test square is very useful to check cutting quality, cut force and offset adjustment. CUTTER TEST PLOT Please note that this test is intended for media with backing. It should not be used for tests on paper. Make sure that a knife is loaded into the tool head. 7. Select TEST SQUARE 7. Select DEMO-CUT Page 23 AP-75021, Rev. 1.0, 18/12/98

32 Preparing for a Job 8. Using the JOG-keys place the tool head where you want the test square to be located. In case you do not use the JOG keys to indicate the position, the squares you generate will be automatically positioned, starting from the origin position (Lower Right by default). 8. When ENTER is pressed, cutting will start. The following test plot will be cut. 9. When pressing ENTER, a (new) test square will be cut. After generating a test square, you can readjust FORCE settings and cut another test square until the result is satisfactory. Page 24 AP-75021, Rev. 1.0, 18/12/98

33 Understanding the Control Panel UNDERSTANDING THE KEYBOARD & MENU STRUCTURE GUIDED TOUR AROUND THE KEYBOARD In this section, we shall get acquainted with following items : General description of each key. Available menus. The general concept of the keyboard. The way to proceed when performing any of the necessary keyboard operations. (;,7 (17(5 3$*( 5(3/27 21/,1( '$7$ 5(&(,9( 287 2) 5$1*( 63((' )25&( 3$5$0(7(5 25,*,1 25,*,1 $/,*10(17 7(67 722/ 2))6(7 $/,*10(17 5(6(7 '$7$ 5(&(,9( 287 2) 5$1*( 3$5$0(7(5 25,*,1 $/,*10(17 Page 25 AP-75021, Rev. 1.0, 18/12/98

34 Understanding the Control Panel N Key Description 1. ENTER To confirm actions, requested changes and store new settings. To enter a next menu level when changing settings. 2. EXIT To cancel actions or return to previous menu levels. 3. UP / NEXT To increase values during adjustment procedures or select the next item in a list of available items. 4. DOWN / PREVIOUS To decrease values during adjustment procedures or select the previous item in a list of available items. 5. ONLINE The ON-LINE button is used to switch between the ON- LINE and the OFF-LINE mode of your plotter. Possible actions from the user in ON-LINE mode are: setting a new origin initiating a sheet-off action Furthermore the JOG-keys are activated and the RESET/CLEAR function is available. In OFF-LINE mode the user has the possibility to alter all possible cutter settings. 6. REPLOT In case multiple copies of a specific design are needed, you can use the replot function. This function will replot the last set of data which was sent to the cutting plotter. Page 26 AP-75021, Rev. 1.0, 18/12/98

35 Understanding the Control Panel 7. PAGE The PAGE key is used to initiate the media feed and the manual or automatic sheet-off function. 8. SPEED Gives direct access to speed functions. 9. FORCE Gives direct access to force functions. 10. TOOL The TOOL key has a double function: It allows the user to specify which tool the cutting plotter has to use. During adjustment procedures, the tool key is used to select the tool type for which you want to make the adjustment. 11. TEST Gives direct access to test cut/plot functions. 12. OFFSET The OFFSET key gives direct access to knife offset adjustment. To perform offset adjustment you can select between BASE TUNE & FINE TUNE. Base tune allows a limited adjustment, only setting the typical blade offset. Fine tune is a semi-automatic fine-tuning. In this mode, the plotter automatically creates test patterns with different offsets allowing the user to choose the best result. Page 27 AP-75021, Rev. 1.0, 18/12/98

36 Understanding the Control Panel 13. RESET Resets all parameters and clears the buffer. 14. SETTINGS The settings key allows the user to view or change a number of special settings, most of which are only used when setting up the cutting plotter for the first time or when reconfiguring the plotter for a special application. The settings are divided in 4 groups: Communication: To view and/or modify the serial communication settings. (Default 1, Default 2, Default 3, Default 4, Default 5, User Defined). Language: Miscellaneous: To view and/or modify the plotter graphics language emulation settings. (MH-GL : Plot Unit, VS-AS-FS, Bézier Error or MC-GL) To view and/or plot all the cutting plotter s system settings and internal information. (Settings Plot, Initialisation, Firmware) General Settings: To view and/or fine-tune specific settings which influence the plotter s reactions to commands or tasks sent by the computer or initiated via the control panel. (Page Mode, Sheeting Off, Default Origin, Smoothing, Front Clip, Offset Adjust, Alignment, Plot Mode, Dot Space, Dash Space, Dash line, Speed Control, PG, FR, EC, AF/AH, NR, Axis Mode, IP convert, Roll Limit, Buzzer setting) 15. ORIGIN The ORIGIN determines the position where the plotter can start cutting on the media. By default, the origin is located at the lower right. The ORIGIN key allows the user to register a new origin point, if media has been loaded. A new ORIGIN point can be set in OFF-LINE as well as in ON-LINE mode. Page 28 AP-75021, Rev. 1.0, 18/12/98

37 Understanding the Control Panel 16. JOG-keys The JOG-keys are always active (ON-LINE / OFF-LINE / protective cover open / closed). The JOG-keys enable the user to manually move the tool head and the media. This can be necessary in order to examine specific details of the sign or to set a new origin. Please note that in case no media is loaded, only the Õ (Left) and Ö (Right) Jog keys will be active. 17. SHUFFLE Gives direct access to the cutter s media pre-feed / page length and media pull-off speed settings. 18. ALIGNMENT The alignment feature allows the user to (retro)fit media into the plotter, either to finish a design which was started before or to continue working on media that was pre-printed on another unit, possibly an inkjet machine. There are 2 possible alignment routines which can be used on your plotter. They are called 3-point alignment and 2-point alignment. By factory default, 3-point alignment is enabled. 19. ON-LINE LED Lights up when the cutter is ON-LINE. Blinks when going OFF-LINE. 20. DATA RECEIVE LED Lights up when data is coming in. 21. OUT OF RANGE LED Lights up when the tool head is being moved beyond the media with the JOG-keys or when data is sent beyond the plotting / cutting area. 22. PARAMETER LED Reserved for future use. 23. ORIGIN LED Lights up when the origin is set manually. 24. ALIGNMENT LED Lights up when internal alignment is activated. Page 29 AP-75021, Rev. 1.0, 18/12/98

38 Understanding the Control Panel KEYBOARD CONCEPT In order to limit the amount of keystrokes to perform plotter adjustments directly from the keyboard, your plotter control panel has been equipped with a number of keys, each one of them giving direct access to a specific function or parameter. To change parameter values, proceed as follows : 1. Press the key which corresponds to the function or parameter you wish to alter. 2. A menu will appear which is built up as indicated in the examples below : MENU TITLE Item / Parameter À Value À Exit Message a) b) c) d) MENU TITLE Item / Parameter À Value Exit Message a) The menu title shows the menu currently activated. The available menus are shown in the diagrams on the following pages. b) The second line of the display will show the selected item or parameter. In case more than one item or parameter is available, you can select the next item with the UP-key. c) The current value or setting is shown in the third line. It can be altered using the DOWN-key. In case only one item or parameter is available for the selected menu, you will be able to alter the current setting/value by using both the UP & DOWN keys. d) Always press ENTER to confirm the requested changes or EXIT to quit the menu without changing any values. Page 30 AP-75021, Rev. 1.0, 18/12/98

39 Understanding the Control Panel MENU STRUCTURE - OVERVIEW On the next pages you will find a menu organisation chart for each of the 3 available operating modes. The three modes which we distinguish are : REMOTE MODE : Media loaded and cutter On-Line. OFF - LINE with no media loaded. OFF - LINE with media loaded. Primary menus are directly accessible by pressing one of the function keys on the control panel. In the menu organisation chart, they are indicated by the drop-shadowed boxes. Secondary menus, items and / or settings, if any, are available using the (next) / À(previous) keys. In the menu organisation chart, they are indicated by the regular boxes. Primary menu, directly accessible by pressing the corresponding key. Secondary menu, available menu items, submenus or functions. Rem ote Mode ( Media Loaded / Cutter On-Line ) * ON - LINE * PAGE O RIG IN JOG Jog - Left Jog - Up Jog - Right Jog - Down RESET ON - LINE Page 31 AP-75021, Rev. 1.0, 18/12/98

40 Understanding the Control Panel OFF-LINE WITH NO MEDIA LOADED * OFF - LINE * No Media Loaded SETTINGS PAGE SHUFFLE Communication Default User Defined Length Speed Languag e SPEED MH - GL ( HPGL / 2 ) Speed Force FORCE TOOL SETTINGS Tool Tool Plot Unit VS-AS-FS Bézier Error PG FR EC MC - GL Miscellaneous AF/AH NR AXIS Mode IP Convert Slow Down Mode Roll Limit Mode Communication Miscellaneous Language General Settings Settings Plot Initialisation Version General Setting s RESET JOG - KEYS Jog - Left Jog - Right Page Mode Sheeting Off Default Origin Smoothing Front Clip Offset Adjust Alignment Plot Mode Dot Space Dash Space Dash Line Speed Control Beeper Initial Mod e Knife Alig n Pos Rollup Device Frame Length Page 32 AP-75021, Rev. 1.0, 18/12/98

41 Understanding the Control Panel OFF-LINE WITH MEDIA LOADED * OFF - LINE * Media Loaded SETTINGS PAGE Communication SHUFFLE Length Speed Default User Defined SPEED Languag e Speed FORCE Tool MH - GL ( HPGL / 2 ) Force Tool TOOL SETTINGS Communication Language Miscellaneous General Settings RESET JOG - KEYS Jog - Left Jog - Right Jog - Up Jog - Down O RIG IN Plot Unit VS-AS-FS Bézier Error PG FR EC MC - GL Miscellaneous Settings Plot Initialisation Version General Setting s AF/AH NR AXIS Mode IP Convert Slow Down Mode Roll Limit Mode ALIGNMENT TEST Democut OFFSET REPLOT ON - LINE Square Page Mode Sheeting Off Default Origin Smoothing Front Clip Offset Adjust Alignment Plot Mode Dot Space Dash Space Dash Line Speed Control Beeper Initial Mod e Knife Alig n Pos Rollup Device Frame Length Page 33 AP-75021, Rev. 1.0, 18/12/98

42 Understanding the Control Panel OVERVIEW GENERAL SETTINGS In the following table you will find an overview of the General Settings. Table : General Settings Parameter Available settings & defaults Page Mode Mode 0 Mode 1 Mode 2 Sheeting Off Enabled Disabled Default Origin LR LL UR UL Centre Smoothing OFF ON Front Clip 10 mm 50 mm 100 mm Offset Adjust Base-Tune Fine-Tune Alignment 2-Point Method 3-Point Method Plot Mode Solid Dashed Dot Space 1 mm 2 mm 3 mm 4 mm 5 mm 6 mm 7 mm 8 mm 9 mm 10 mm Dash Space Dash line 1mm 100 mm adjustable per mm. Default is 10 mm Speed Control HIGH MEDIUM LOW PG OFF ON FR OFF ON EC OFF ON AF / AH OFF ON NR OFF HPGL2 MUTOH AXIS Mode PLOTTER CUTTER IP convert ON OFF Roll Limit UNLIMITED SHUFFLE LENGTH Buzzer setting ON OFF (Bold values = factory defaults) Page 34 AP-75021, Rev. 1.0, 18/12/98