Control software to help orientate printed sheets

[don]

Am trying to orientate Printed sheets of DiBond on my table.

I have the Vector file of the artwork and centered on each sheet, (Same Item nested on a 96" x 48" sheet)
The printed sheets vary in length and width.

If I manually jog the carriage (that has an offset lazer pointer) to 3 specific registration points on the sheet, can I get the control software to record those x,y coordinates and calculate what angle I need to skew in the cut file?

If so, could someone help with some direction with this?
Thanks in Advance

Don

[garyc]

Don...
Since the cut file is already generated, you will not be able to skew it. You can proportion in 3 axes, but thats it.

In the past I have helped set customers up to use the bit or a laser pointer to orient the material to known registration points, accomplishing the same thing, but using a different method.

[don]

Gary, Your Correct, I meant to say I was going to re-orient the cad file and recalculate the toolpath.
Again it's the same vector file, just won't always be oriented in the same place to X,y Zero.
This will be repeated several times a month, so I was just wanting to make it easy. What would you suggest?

[srwtlc]

Don,

You could make a master file that first positions the machine at the proper location and then calls up the appropriate file for that location in 2D offset. You could manually go to that location and then run the file in 2D offset. You can make a routine (I made/use one that saves four locations, but could be as many as you want) that once you have positioned the machine at a specific location, you can save that location and then return to it at any time or go to another one. Kind of like a Work Offset system.

As far as rotation/skew, that would have to be done with your design file.

If you can run it and are brave enough, the beta version also now has a sudo work offset system.

[jerry_stanek]

What I do is run the laser offset and then cover with news print and plot it with the widgetworks plotter pens

[supertigre]

Instead of generating a custom cutting path for each sheet you place on the table why don't you;

a, position the laser at the first registration point in the artwork (corrected for laser offset)

b, position the printed sheet so the first registration point is centered to the laser spot / cross

c, loosely clamp / screw the material so it can pivot around the first registration point but will not move (the clamp method works best if the registration point is near an edge, if not use a short screw)

d, move the laser to the position of the second registration point in the artwork

e, rotate the material around the first registration point so that the second registration point falls directly under the laser. If the second point cannot be lined up under the laser you are basically screwed because the printing is not to scale or skewed from the artwork and a bit of work will be required to fix the artwork to fit the printing. The laser can be used to determine the scaling factor to correct the scale difference (distance between the printed registration points vs the distance between the point in the artwork). If the printing is skewed - good luck

f, fix the material to the bed of your ShopBot and cut away

Note, This method works only with ShopBot tools, all others must use a $10K+ iCut system.

[garyc]

Guy...
Good job explaining that method better than I could. A good number of ShopBotters use exactly that to cutout preprinted artwork on a variety of substrates. Hopefully this is something that Don can use.

[don]

Guy, Gary,
Thanks for the clear steps, and that will be much easier than trying to skew and creating a new cut file. I tend to over think things at times.
The art work won't vary much but 0.020" might as well be a mile.

Scott and Jerry, thanks for joining in.

I lurk around here a lot, just should become more active