A Guide to using the Silhouette Cameo Cutter

[Ron Heggs]

Redrawn and cut ready to be snapped out -

 

Lines are much better. Circles need a slight improvement - may use two semicircular arcs butted together

Outer Circle 4mm diameter, Inner Circle 3.5mm diameter with 4 diameteric lines at 45deg rotations

 

Material : 20 Thou Styrene

 

Jason here are the DXF files as requested -

 

Inner Rosette Circle & Cross Lines (for Scoring) DXF file - Rosette#2.dxf

Speed 1, Thickness 17, Single Cut, Blade depth 5

 

Outer Rosette Circle DXF file (for Cutting)- Rosette#1.dxf

Speed 1, Thickness 33, Double Cut, Blade depth 10

 

Cheers

 

Ron

Edited December 21, 2013 by Ron Heggs

[MikeTrice]

Interesting, slightly different approach than I would take. I would produce the whole thing including external circles as the scribing cut, then just the outers for the depth cut. Whether it would make any difference is another thing.

[MikeTrice]

Ron, I have been giving this some further thought. Examination of the outer circle cut in your earlier image suggests that the cutter blade is starting on the right hand side of the circle and having to align itself to the cutting path. I wonder if producing a single continuous line might force the blade to stay on track. The following image should give the idea. In practice the circles should be that, I have only distorted them to exaggerate the path:

 

An alternative allowing duplication of a single item is:

 

Hopefully, blade alignment will now occur off of the circle, however this theory is unproven. It all depends how the design is translated into the cutting strokes by the software.

 

[pointstaken]

The dimensions in Ron's post are a great help. The styrene thickness, cutter speed and setting are a very useful guide. Thanks, Ron.

 

Dennis

[JCL]

Hi Ron

 

I'm not sure it's the cutter not being able to cut tiny circles. To test the cutter using actual circles, I redrew the design in Inkscape so that the outer circle was 4mm and the inner circle was 3.5mm. I drew the outer circle as a red line and the other lines, which will be scored, are black. As with your rosettes, I then drew four lines across the centre.

 

I then:

• Saved the file in Inkscape as a DXF
• Opened in it Silhouette Studio
• Scored the whole thing into .010" card
• Deleted the black lines (Studio groups lines of the same colour together)
• Cut out the disk along the outer ring to give the disk below.

I used .010" card as I wanted the cutter to cut the disk out instead of me going around it. This means I didn't get as much relief on the score lines as you.

 

 

I'm afraid I can't install a copy of AutoCAD, the laptop loses contact with the AutoDesk server when I try, so I can't try to work out why circles can't be imported. Anyway, below is the file that I created in Inkscape.

 

rosettes.dxf

 

Do you want to try opening it in your Silhouette Studio and see if it works? This worked in mine, so if it doesn't in yours, then it might be your installation on Silhouette Studio in particular. If it does work, then it looks like Studio specifically isn't reading the AutoCAD file properly and it might be that we need to open a support ticket with Silhouette America.

 

Sorry to bother you Ron, as another test, can you upload a circle, rather than an arc or bezier curve created in AutoCAD in DXF format to see if I can open it in my Silhouette Studio? I'll try opening it in Inkscape as well. Better yet, a file containing the actual rosette done in AutoCAD with circles instead of arcs so I can see if I can get it to work somehow?

 

I'm waiting for my license code from Graphtec for the CutWizard. The signup process for their website was pretty unintuitive, so I'm assuming that, as I don't have it in my inbox yet, they send the licenses out manually. If that's the case then it'll be a few days. :-/

 

cheers

 

Jason

 

Edited to make it clearer - I must have been on something earlier - too much sugar from too many Christmas biscuits.

Edited December 22, 2013 by JCL

[flubrush]

Do you want to try opening it in your Silhouette Studio and see if it works? This worked in mine, so if it doesn't in yours, then it might be your installation on Silhouette Studio in particular. If it does work, then it looks like Studio specifically isn't reading the AutoCAD file properly and it might be that we need to open a support ticket with Silhouette America.

 

Jason,

 

Just a comment in passing,  but there can be quite significant differences in DXF file features depending on the version.   I note from the header of the DXF file which you attached that it is a 2014 version file - probably the latest version.    AutoDesk are quite good at making significant changes with every new version of AutoCAD and it is difficult for other applications to keep up with the changes.  So you can get some applications not importing DXF files properly if they expect an earlier version of the file.   A lot of applications which export DXF - including AutoCAD itself - give the option of outputing several earlier versions of the file and it is generally accepted that the R12 version of DXF seems to be accepted by every application. (This is the pre-year 2000 version!!!)   So it might be worth exporting DXF files in an earlier version if possible to see if the problems are solved.  

 

Jim.

[Ron Heggs]

Hi, Jason

 

Loaded your rosette.dxf file into Studio, and it cuts reasonably perfect circles. Much better than my attempts

 

Opened in AutoCAD 2000, and listed the circles and lines. It would appear that the circles comprise six SPLINEs, and the lines are POLYLINEs

 

Test 1.

 

Saved it as a AutoCAD 2000 DXF file, and re-loaded it into Studio. Cut was same as above test cut

 

Test 2.

 

a. Kept one rosette as above original

 

b. Redrew one rosette with single SPLINEs for the two circles

 

c. Redrew second rosette with CIRCLEs for the two circles

 

d. Redrew third rosette with a continuous POLYLINE ARC for each of the two circles

 

Deleted all remaining rosettes

 

Saved these for four rosettes in three different DXF versions - AC2000, AC Rel.14, AC Rel.12

 

Merged all three DXF files into Studio

 

Scored on 20thou

 

Results -

 

AC2000 DXF - a slight bulge at 8 o'clock - b, c identical OK - d individual arcs looking like petals

 

ACR14 DXF - a slight bulge at 8 o'clock - b, c identical OK - d individual arcs looking like petals

 

ACR12 DXF - a slight bulge at 8 o'clock - b, c, d identical OK

 

Summary -

 

CIRCLEs and single SPLINEs as circles work OK in all DXF versions

 

POLYLINEs work OK as LINEs in all DXF versions, and as ARCs in AC Rel. 12 DXF

 

Multiple SPLINEs as segments of a circle work reasonably well in all DXF versions

 

Conclusion -

 

Save all work in AC Rel.12 DXF

 

Comment -

 

Don't know why CIRCLEs didn't work for me the other day

 

Hope some of the above helps

 

Cheers

 

Ron 

[MikeTrice]

I'm waiting for my license code from Graphtec for the CutWizard. The signup process for their website was pretty unintuitive, so I'm assuming that, as I don't have it in my inbox yet, they send the licenses out manually. If that's the case then it'll be a few days. :-/

I seem to recall something on their website that says that is the case. Just hope they have not shut down for Christmas ;-) Presumably the trial version can be used until then?

[JCL]

Hi Jim and Ron, I'm definitely coming to the edge of my knowledge. I used to be involved in IT testing in a previous life, but I've not had much to do with DXF files, so this has been very interesting.

 

Hi Mike, unfortunately my 15 day trial expired, so I'll have to wait until it arrives I'm afraid. Their home page says they are open until the 24th, so hopefully they will be able to slip it in (imagine a fingers crossed smiley around and about here). http://www.graphtecgb.co.uk

 

Just thinking again, Ron's rosette might make a coal hole cover, or cut a little larger might make a pretty good manhole cover!

[MikeTrice]

Jason, I must admit I am getting confused. Cutting Master, Cut Wizard and Silhouette Connect all seem to be variants of the same thing. Arghhhh!

[JCL]

Hi Mike

 

Do you mean this? http://www.graphteccorp.com/support/software/cuttingplotters.html#drivers ? Some big cutters there!

 

CutWizard and Silhouette Connect do very similar things, that is, allow you to cut materials with the Portrait or Cameo from software such as Adobe Illustrator and CorelDRAW without having to save the file and open it in Silhouette Studio. Effectively they both do the cutting bit of the workflow. The main difference between them is that Silhouette Connect is developed by Silhouette America, and CutWizard is a competing piece of software and is sold through Graphtec. Some of the CutWizard functionality can also be used from within Inkscape.

 

Cutting Master does a similar thing, but for a completely different cutting machine. I've not read anything that says it's compatible with the Cameo or Portrait.

 

I think if you're using Inkscape, then the choice is import into Silhouette Studio for cutting, the driver that you have, or the CutWizard software, which certainly makes things easier!

[flubrush]

Hi Jim and Ron, I'm definitely coming to the edge of my knowledge. I used to be involved in IT testing in a previous life, but I've not had much to do with DXF files, so this has been very interesting.

 

Here's a sample of the DXF output list from my slightly ancient copy of CorelDraw.

 

 

Plenty to choose from. :-)

 

Jim.

Edited December 22, 2013 by flubrush

[Shadow]

Google's Sketch is similar, various Export formats for DXF files

 

[MikeTrice]

I think if you're using Inkscape, then the choice is import into Silhouette Studio for cutting, the driver that you have, or the CutWizard software, which certainly makes things easier!

Thanks for that. Looking forward to hearing how you get on with CutWizard.

[Ron Heggs]

After all the trials and tests - the rosettes have all been cut and fixed -

 

Small detail showing a few of the rosettes in place

 

Ron

 

 

[JCL]

Well that's lovely Ron.

[Shadow]

Well that's lovely Ron.

 

Sorry JCL, have to disagree with you on that comment. "Well that's amazing Ron." is what you should have said. 

[Enterprisingwestern]

There is hope for the rest of us, Ron has "copped out" and resorted to a machine

 

Mike.

[Ron Heggs]

There is hope for the rest of us, Ron has "copped out" and resorted to a machine

 

Mike.

 

Hi, Mike

 

Don't you believe it  

 

It's only another tool (a bigger and fancier Stanley knife) to be added to the armoury 

 

Cheers

 

Ron

[allan downes]

I'm sure my son could have done with a Cameo Cutter when he sat down and cut this lot out with a stanley knife !!

 

[ozzyo]

Scoring

 

This morning I've been having a look at different ways of making score marks in styrene. I have an old sheet of styrene from Beatties onto which I've been attempting to score the end of a matchbox Barnum coach with mixed results, and a cliff hanger. The problems are:

1. Getting the point exactly in the centre of the holder so that the score lines will register properly with the cut lines.
3. Knowing how close to allow the point to get to the styrene when in rest so that it will score without creating a lot of burrs or a ragged line.
5. Making sure that the point is rock solid as the path of the line moves in different directions.

IMG_0226.JPG

First up, a centre punch in a pen holder. I tried moving the punch up ad down within the holder, but no matter what I did I couldn't get the thing to score. Unfortunately, although the tip of the punch looked quite sharp, it wasn't able to break the styrene at all and ended up just polishing its surface.

 

scoring.jpg

 

A final option, other than the Ebay link above, or turning your own, is to look at Amy Chomas's website. She produces an engraving tool with a carbide point especially for the Silhouette cutters, and for others too that she claims can scribe into anything. It would also have the advantage of having a point in the exact centre of the pen holder, which would hopefully then line up with any cuts you might make. As long as it works, it's less faff than attempting to create one.

 

http://www.amychomas.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=9&products_id=78

 

Hello all,

 

I'm still reading all of the posts about this M/C when I came across this mess. about scoring lines. This may have been answered later, it looks to have got a mention /method in the mess. above. But for those that like making tools you could try something like this, 

 

The down side is that it will only cut in one direction, with the flat face doing the cutting.

 

OzzyO.

Edited December 23, 2013 by ozzyo

[uax6]

I think i might have stumbled on the ideal scorer. Rush to your closest coach (Hornby or Bachmann) and ping out a wheelset. The end of the axle is a 45* cone, and trying it out on a bit of scrap 20thou which had cut marks on it, I found that but running it over the lines it opened them out perfectly. As for drawing a score it wasn't quite as good, but going over twice seemed to make it better. If you can score with the blade, and then swap to the axle I think it would be spot on.

 

Andy g

[MikeTrice]

With Christmas out of the way I have finally been able to get my Silhouette out and put it to use. I decided I needed to go a stage further than my earlier experiment to see how a proper coach side could be cut and constructed. Rather than go for something large I decided to start with a humble NER Full Third 6 wheeler. I also made the decision to cut everything out of 10thou and laminate the various layers together following David Jenkinson's approach..

 

The various parts laid out:

 

From the bottom up (also representing from to back of the laminations) these are:

1. Panelling with scribed door lines
2. Side layer with scribed door lines
3. Strengthening side without the scribing
4. Droplight layer with cut outs for quarterlights
5. Second cut outs including cutouts for droplight glazing
6. First inner side with second cutouts for droplight glazing
7. Second full inner side

For strength the layers 4 and 5 are produced over height to be trimmed back later. Since cutting out I discovered I needed to modify parts 5 and 6 as the droplight cutouts were too small.

 

Layers 2 and 3 were laminated together and allowed to cure under a weighted ruler. Layers 4 and 5 were then treated and also set aside to cure, followed by layers 6 and 7.

 

The tumblehome was formed by placing the side face down over a ruler and rubbing the back withg a knife handle.

 

Layers 4/5 were then laminated to layers 6/7 and once again placed under a weighted ruler. Finally Layers 2/3 were fixed in place and the lower edge solvented.

 

Effectively after laminating together I end up with a 20thou outer side, a 20thou window spacing layer and a 20thou inner side.

 

Finally the panelling layer is applied.

 

 The various layers laminated together:

 

The resulting end section after all the laminations are fixed.

 

The view from the back of the inner side. The window cut outs are slightly larger on the inner face so the side thickness will be less visible:

 

The view from the top showing the slots for the glazing:

 

Finally the window bolections and door vents are added. The door vents are double layer with the top layer scribed:

 

Once again Plastic Magic was used to laminate the layers together with no issues of over melting of the layers.

 

I also discovered that not all styrene is created equal! A batch of 10thou I bought had one side glossy which on removing from the carrier sheet started to delaminate. The cure was to fix it gloss side upwards on the carrier sheet so that side was cut first. Problem solved.

 

All artwork was produced in Inkscape being cut using the standard Silhouette driver with its limited settings. To perform multiple cuts I simply duplicated the objects 3 times and sent the whole lot to the cutter as one job.

 

[MikeTrice]

Thought I would try and cut some grab handles. The jury is still out:

[uax6]

Mike

 

I'm glad that I am thinking about the side much the same way as you, which proves that we are both looking the same way at this (or we are both bonkers!).

 

Now I made my sides in a similar way but not with 7 layers. I will have another attempt with a few more layers.

 

Did you layer them all up in one go?

How did you apply the solvent? Was it sparingly or sloshed about?

 

I wonder if my issue was that I left mine to dry off overnight, without a weight on, which allowed distorsion to form.

 

Andy G