Heat Transfer Reflective Film Cutting Guidelines

What is Electronic Cutting?

Electronic cutting is used to describe the cutting of a film by computer-driven knives. While we are able to give guidelines, we are not able to provide specific conditions as they will vary with machines, graphics, and substrates being used. It is important that you experiment with your equipment to determine its optimal settings.

V-REFLEX^TM Reflective Material -  Cuttable Heat Transfer Reflective Film was specifically designed for use in electronic cutting. The reflective film consists of exposed high performance glass lenses bonded to a durable polymer layer, which is coated with a heat-activated adhesive.

Graphic Software

In addition to the design software that comes with the cutter, Adobe Illustrator and Corel DRAW are programs that can be used to design complex graphics or logos, such as the examples below.

Design Factors

A well designed graphic will reduce the time required to weed a logo. Since this is a transfer film, all graphics must be cut as a reverse (mirror) image. Before designing a graphic for electronic cutting, consider these factors:

• Cutting capabilities of equipment
• Font characteristics
• Substrates and fabrics to which the graphic is applied
• Rounded edges are preferred over sharp corners
• Minimize large areas where weeding is needed
• Although small letters can be cut, weeding requires more care when the letter height becomes less than 5.1mm (0.2 inch) and Helvetica medium font is used.
• Although fine lines can be cut, weeding requires more care if the line width is thinner than 3mm (0.12 inch)
• The numbers and size of letters and lines affect weeding efficiency
• The converter is responsible for testing and determining acceptable minimum dimensions

Types of Cutters

1. Friction Fed Cutters: This is the most commonly used electronic cutter for our films. A two wheel drive system is used to move film in a variety of widths. The film is driven by being pinched between two wheels. The film in these cutters may slip, requiring more care to make accurate cuts or long runs.
2. Flatbed Cutters: Flatbed cutters evolved from garment and box cutters and are common in the graphic sign industry. Typically vacuum is used to hold the film during the cutting. Some smaller cutters may require double coated tape to hold the film down. They cut very accurately since the film does not move. They are more expensive as compared to other cutters and do require a larger work area.
3. Sprocket Fed/Pin Fed Cutter: Both edges of the film are punched with a hole pattern that match pins on the drive wheels of the cutter. These wheels traverse the film through the cutter. Our film is not supplied with punched edges.

Types of Knife Blades

There are several types of knife blades used in cutting standard electronically cuttable films. refer to the instruction manual for each cutter to determine the type of blade to be used. A single knife blade with an angle of 45°degrees is typically used on our material. It is important to keep the blade/knife sharp. Dull blades can create a serrated look on the edge of the cut film.

Cutting Depth

Proper cutting depth should result in the liner being lightly scored. Most cutters have a "test plot" feature to help determine this depth. Cutting too deep causes the liner to split increasing knife wear and potentially jamming the cutter. Cutting too lightly causes incomplete cutting of the film leading to difficulty in weeding. Changing cutting conditions (i.e. increasing knife pressure) may be required as the blade dulls.

Stacking of Graphics

The PET liner used in V-REFLEX^TM - Cuttable Heat Transfer Reflective Transfer Film allows the weeded graphic to be stacked on top of each other for storage or shipping.

Applying Graphics to ANSI 107 or ANSI 207 High Visibility Apparel

When applying graphics to ANSI/ISEA 107 or ANSI/ISEA 207 high visibility safety apparel, please check to ensure that the amount of remaining background material still meets the area requirements of the apparel's classification. Customers should also consider the area of remaining background material when applying graphics to apparel covered by other standards.

Weeding

Weeding is the removal of unwanted film from the graphic. Before weeding, inspect each element (letters, numerals, etc.) to determine which side has the most open cuts and start from that side. For example, on mirrored graphics, most letters have open area on the left side, so weed from left to right. Conversely, most numerals have open area on the right side so weed from right to left. Plan to weed based on these recommendations to reduce unnecessary waste:

• Inspect each element to determine that the film is cut completely before starting
• Place the graphic on a flat surface with the adhesive side up and remove the weed by lifting one corner and pulling back at about 135°angle in a continuous motion
• Start weeding from the side where the graphic elements have the most open cuts
• Weeding graphics in a diagonal motion, avoid blunt sides. For example, if weeding from the left to right, start at the upper left corner and weed toward the lower right corner. In many cases it is helpful to alternate this direction from lower right corner to upper right corner in repeating motions during the weeding process
• During the weeding process, if the clear adhesive film starts to separate from the colored polymer layer, reduce your weeding angle. The clear adhesive film will bond to the colored polymer layer during the heat lamination step and will not affect the product's overall performance

Caution

When using any equipment, always follow the manufacturers' instructions for safety operation.

Manufacturers of Electronic Cutters

This information is provided for customer convenience only. V-CAN does not recommend any specific equipment manufacturer. Customers are solely responsible for choosing equipment suitable for their needs and for ensuring that all equipment meets all applicable workplace safety requirements.

Roland DGA Corporation www.rolanddga.com  

Gerber Scientific Company www.gspinc.com

Graphtec www.graphteccorp.com   

Ioline Corporation www.ioline.com