Working with adhesive and heat transfer vinyl day after day can be a sticky mess.
The #1 thing you can do to keep your vinyl cutter and heat press workflow running smoothly is clean up the adhesive residue that can gum up pinch and grit rollers and cutting strips on a vinyl cutter, causing tracking errors; and which can cause sticking and staining on fabrics, on a heat press.
What else can you do to ensure you’re always getting clean cuts for designs that weed up easily?
2. Replace your vinyl cutter blades every six months (at least, more frequently for 60 degree blades as they wear out quicker). Dull blades cause dog-eared cuts that won’t lift properly off the vinyl backer with your weeding tool.
Products: Shop Roland-compatible and Graphtec 30, 60, and 90 degree blades.
3. Replace your vinyl cutter cutting strip every six months. Over time your cutter blade will cause nicks and gouges in the cutting strip, and will gunk up with adhesive, causing tracking and feeding errors. Click here for video instructions on how to replace your cutting strip.
Products: Shop the right cutting strip for your vinyl cutter.
4. Keep your heat press platens pristine. Ink from heat transfer papers and glue from heat transfer vinyl can transfer to platens if you’re not careful and end up as stains and discolorations on your fabric.
Products: EZ Off Platen Cleaner
5. Consider a media catch basket. As your vinyl is feeding back and forth on a big cut job, it may touch against the floor, causing static build-up and dirt and dust to enter your machine, causing processing errors.
Products: SC2
6. If you’ve replaced your cutting strip and are still experiencing tracking issues, you might want to take a look at your pinch rollers, which could be cracked or sticking.
Products: Shop pinch rollers
7. Lastly, how does one keep your work surfaces, substrates, and equipment adhesive-free? Check out our selection of adhesive removing chemicals and handtools.
Products: Albachem for heat transfer vinyl goofs on apparel, Graphix Gone chemical for removing graphics from window and autobodies, Yelloblade plastic edge vinyl remover scraper for worry-free peeling up of stubborn aged graphics.
Shop these products and a hundred more in our annual Maintenance May Sale!
