Homebrew_PCBs

Anyone in the group ever "transformed" an old HP Plotter into
something like a vinyl cutter?

What blades?
Performance?

Etc.

On or off list.

Thanks.

Gordon

--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "SRY" <southernry_N@h...> wrote:

> Anyone in the group ever "transformed" an old HP Plotter into
> something like a vinyl cutter?
>
> What blades?
> Performance?
>
> Etc.
>
> On or off list.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/signmaker

Check the links there. A company makes blade holders for a variety of
plotters. I'm a moderator there.

The rough part is that all your corners are rounded. Think of a TV
cart with castered wheels. Pull it across the carpet, stop, and pull
it exactly 90 degrees from previous direction of travel. You'll find
the line left by the wheels has a rounded corner.

Unfortunately, software that can compensate for this is ridiculously
expensive, like $500 to $2500. If you find it cheaper, let me know! I
have a Graphtec plotter that takes 3 foot wide paper, I'd love to
convert it to a sign cutter.

Steve

Is it a flatbed, or does the paper hang from the plotter?



If the latter, how will you keep it all together as you make cuts. I don't
think you can control the cut order, unless there is a provision for
different pen colors or something, and it does everything from one pen color
at once. If that's the case, maybe you could do your first cuts in one
color, second in a second color, third in the third color etc.



Pete



_____________________________________________________
Pete Brown - Gambrills, MD (Near Annapolis)
Visit my personal site : http://www.irritatedVowel.com
(wallpaper, western maryland ry, .net, photography, model rr)



_____

From: SRY [mailto:southernry_N@...]
Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2004 1:11 PM
To: Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Homebrew_PCBs] HP Plotter--- into cutter???



Anyone in the group ever "transformed" an old HP Plotter into
something like a vinyl cutter?

What blades?
Performance?

Etc.

On or off list.

Thanks.

Gordon






[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Since I did post about making PCBs using sign vinyl as etch resist, I
can't complain, can I? ;')

The blade is held so that it barely sticks out of the holder. It is
set just deep enough to cut through the sticky-back vinyl, while
barely touching the backing paper. So the backing paper holds it together.

Then you "weed"- that means you peel off all vinyl that you aren't
keeping and toss it. Then something called "transfer tape" is laid
down. It's kind of like very wide masking tape. It holds on to the
vinyl more than the vinyl holds onto the backing sheet, but less than
the vinyl holds onto anything else.

So then the backing sheet is peeled away, and the transfer tape with
vinyl is rollered or squeegeed down onto plastic, banner, vehicle, or
whatever and the transfer tape is peeled off, leaving the vinyl behind.

That's how I made those PCBs I uploaded to the Files area. It's a bit
crude and is barely fine enough for standard DIP parts and no traces
between DIP pins, but it is quick and it works very well. You cannot
etch holes.

<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Homebrew_PCBs/files/Sign_Cutter_to_make_PCBs/>

You control the cut order by the order of the cut lines in the program
you are using. If you watch a plotter, it draws the lines according to
how they are "stacked" in the program. A vinyl sign cutter works the
same way.

Steve

--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "Pete Brown" <YahooLists@i...>
wrote:

> Is it a flatbed, or does the paper hang from the plotter?
>
> If the latter, how will you keep it all together as you make cuts. I

don't

> think you can control the cut order, unless there is a provision for
> different pen colors or something, and it does everything from one

pen color