Nessan Cleary investigates how this cutting plotter handles a range of materials at high speeds.
Earlier this year Mutoh launched a new series of cutting plotters, known as ValueCut, which are essentially improved versions of the Kona series.
These sort of cutters are ideal for contour cutting of pre-printed stickers but they can also handle a broad range of sign making materials ranging from self-adhesive PVC to flock, reflective film and sandblast masking film, up to a maximum thickness of 0.8 mm. They are also equipped with a cut-through feature, for the creation of individual stickers.
There are three models in all: the VC600 offers a cutting width of 610mm; the VC1300 is 1320mm wide; and the largest is the VC18000 which is 1830mm wide, though it takes media up to 1900mm wide. The maximum cutting length for all three is 50m. All come with a roll support system but the two largest also have a floor stand and media catch basket, which are both optional on the VC600.
All feature a maximum cutting force of 600g, with cutting speeds up to 153cm/s and acceleration up to 4.2G. They use high quality knives with a range of different angle offsets from 25° for thin and delicate media up to 60° for tougher materials such as reflective vinyl and for stencilling sharp edges. They come supplied with a spare cutter blade and an oil ballpoint pen for plotting.
In addition, they feature matched sets of grit rolls for accurate media tracking of up to 10m. There is a tangential simulation mode for cutting sharp angles into thicker media types where the blade holder is lifted, which allows the cutting blade to be set to the desired angle before the cutter continues its cutting path. This is extremely useful when making miniature letterings and intricate graphic shapes particularly when working with relatively thick materials.
Another feature is that the pressure rolls can be individually disabled to reduce the risk of pressure roll marks that might damage delicate media and pre-printed signs that are being contour cut.
Mutoh has long favoured having separate devices for printing and cutting, as marketing manager Nick Decock explains: “A printer and a cutter have a different economic life-cycle. Whereas the average economic life cycle of a printer is three to five years, a cutter can be used up to ten years. Combining both units in one integrated machine will drastically reduce the functionality of the cutter.” And he points out that it’s often necessary to let prints dry out and stabilise to avoid shrink behaviour which can tie up a single device.
The ValueCut machines come with a Mutoh proprietary version of SAI’s FlexiStarter 10, which lets users do cutting and designing simultaneously. Decock says: “The export functionality will allow you to prepare designs for output with any printer-Rip combination and still yield perfect contour cutting.”
The ValueCut plotters start at £1,895 for the smallest model, rising to £4,495 for the ValueCut 1800. They come with two years warranty as standard.
In terms of alternatives it’s worth mentioning that Mimaki launched its new CG-SR III series of cutting plotters earlier this year. These are available in three sizes: 606mm, 1070mm and 1370mm. They can run at up to 70cm/s and apply a cutting pressure of 500G. They are suitable for a range of media from vinyl to rubber as well as textiles. They come with Mimaki’s own SimpleCut software as well as FineCut 8, which is a plug-in for Adobe Illustrator and CorelDraw.
Roland too supplies a number of vinyl cutters, including the Camm 1 Pro GX series, which includes the 640, with a cutting width of 1575mm, the 500, with a cutting width of 1195mm and the 300, which cuts up to 737mm wide. These can all cut at up to 85cm/sec and come with CutStudio software.