A Guide to using the Silhouette Cameo Cutter

[Buhar]

This is exciting stuff, I'm ordering a Portait in the New Year.

 

A few thoughts for those experimenting with the capabilities.

 

Might the plotter function with a blunt scriber or something emboss rivets on 10thou plasticard?

 

Could the register function be used to scribe texture onto printed card (eg Superquick or Metcalf brickwork)?

 

Could transfers be cut round to avoid carrier film?

 

Cutting out individual letters from plain transfer sheets (eg white) for PO wagons.

 

Cutting letter shapes in good quality masking tape to use use as a stencil for spray paint lettering (HR loco names, Andy?)

 

Obviously individual letters for raised lettering on signs, but also for deliberately rough tampo-style printing, eg wagon tarpaulins or an advert painted onto a building.

Edited December 15, 2013 by Tren

[MikeTrice]

Perhaps I can give you my thoughts:

 

1.) Might the plotter function with a blunt scriber or something emboss rivets on 10thou plasticard?

Possibly. You can get a pen holder for the machine which takes (surprise!) pens and it should be possible to fit a scriber. Alternatively you might be able to turn yourself up a holder. The problem as I see it is the embossing from two angles; what drawing artifact do you use to represent a rivet position and secondly I guess you would need some form of backing sheet to the styrene that would accept the rivet depression. The supplied carrier sheet might be too hard.

 

2) Could the register function be used to scribe texture onto printed card (eg Superquick or Metcalf brickwork)?

If I read the instructions correctly the ability to register the cutter position to an existing printed design depends on the presence of recognisable registration marks on the printed design.

 

3) Could transfers be cut round to avoid carrier film?

Same issue as above, however if they are ones you have printed yourself it might be viable.

 

4) Cutting out individual letters from plain transfer sheets (eg white) for PO wagons.

Should be possible, depends how small they are. If you look at my earlier closeups of the N gauge window you will see certain imperfections. Now in all honesty I struggle to see these with the naked eye, but then my eyesight is perhaps not as good as yours. The imperfection are not due to artwork errors, but in the way the cutter blade tip is offset and is used to align the cutter to the direction of cut. Most crafters that the machines are aimed at will not be aware of this, only us idiots pushing the machines to their limits.

 

5) Cutting letter shapes in good quality masking tape to use use as a stencil for spray paint lettering (HR loco names, Andy?)

Again it depends on the size of the lettering

 

6) Obviously individual letters for raised lettering on signs, but also for deliberately rough tampo-style printing, eg wagon tarpaulins or an advert painted onto a building.

I might try this to produce the "CORONATION" lettering for my cut side as cutting 10th seems to work very well.

Perhaps we can look forward to you reporting back in the New Year when you have got your machine?

[Ron Heggs]

Have the Cameo now - Installed the Studio software - Registered on-line - Downloaded v.2 of Studio

 

Loaded DXF of some window frames for Manchester Central Station Water Tower - Re-scaled to required 4mm scale size - Reset default units to millimetres - this may overcome the need to re-scale - will try again

 

Have to replace the US plug with a EU plug - Will then do a trial cut using 10thou styrene

 

Post result tomorrow

 

Ron

[meil]

Have the Cameo now - Installed the Studio software - Registered on-line - Downloaded v.2 of Studio

 

Loaded DXF of some window frames for Manchester Central Station Water Tower - Re-scaled to required 4mm scale size - Reset default units to millimetres - this may overcome the need to re-scale - will try again

 

Have to replace the US plug with a EU plug - Will then do a trial cut using 10thou styrene

 

Post result tomorrow

 

Ron

And convert from 110v to 230v?

[Ron Heggs]

And convert from 110v to 230v?

Hi,

 

No. The machine comes with an AC/DC adaptor suitable 100-240v AC > 24v DC

 

Have found that my Epson printer mains cable is fits the AC/DC adaptor, so don't need to change the plug for now

 

Ron

[MikeTrice]

Will then do a trial cut using 10thou styrene

You might like to desensitise the carrier sheet as well. Remove the protective paper and keep placing the flat of your hand over it until it become less sticky. I did not do this and the grab between the mat and styrene was almost too much. Following my earlier disaster with the card, my mat is now just right.

[Ron Heggs]

You might like to desensitise the carrier sheet as well. Remove the protective paper and keep placing the flat of your hand over it until it become less sticky. I did not do this and the grab between the mat and styrene was almost too much. Following my earlier disaster with the card, my mat is now just right.

Hi, Mike

 

That was the first thing I did - following earlier comments - it is much better - for 20 thou styrene it's OK - for 10 thou it is still a bit OTT

 

Have cut a few window frames in both 10 thou & 20 thou - the 20thou double cuts come out much better, even though you have to snap them out

 

In the process of cutting the Water Tank Plates decoration in 20 thou

 

Will post pictures later

 

Cheers

 

Ron

[JCL]

Hi Ron, it'll be interesting to see how you get on with your new machine, and to see the photos of the window frames to see the difference between the 10 thou and the 20 thou.

[MikeTrice]

Out of interest, did you use Silhouette Studio to control the cutting?

[Ron Heggs]

Out of interest, did you use Silhouette Studio to control the cutting?

Hi, Mike

 

I imported a DXF file from AutoCAD to Silhouette Studio

 

In Studio set the Cut to Speed 1, Thickness 33, and Double Cut, with the Blade depth set to 10 for 20thou. For 10 thou set Thickness to 17 and Single Cut, with Blade depth set at 8

 

Ron

[JCL]

Looking back, there's been compatibility problems between Inkscape and Silhouette Studio, and I'm convinced it's an Inkscape issue. How did you get on with importing from AutoCAD?

 

Did you manage to get around the rounded corner problem Mike?

[Ron Heggs]

Hi, Jason

 

Have set the units in Studio to millimetres, as all the drawing work in AutoCAD is in millimetres. Then saved a copy of the drawing as a DXF file. In Studio just opened the DXF, and it was OK

 

I found all the usual functions worked on the drawing just fine. The cutting operation worked without any real problems

 

The cutter does take a mil or so after each right-angle corner to get back on the straight line again, but it's not much of a problem. The arcs on the windows are spot-on. Haven't got any windows with rounded corners

 

Cheers

 

Ron

[Ron Heggs]

The first items cut -

 

The top items were cut from 20 thou styrene, and the bottom ones cut from 10 thou. Window dims 16mm x 30mm (Overall 22mm x 36mm)

 

The three items placed in their normal positions

 

The item on the left - cut from 20 thou - is the raised decoration on each plate of the Station Water Tank - Dims 14mm x 20mm. Was a bit fiddly to extract from sheet

[MikeTrice]

Looking back, there's been compatibility problems between Inkscape and Silhouette Studio, and I'm convinced it's an Inkscape issue. How did you get on with importing from AutoCAD?

 

Did you manage to get around the rounded corner problem Mike?

You are correct in what you say, the issues are all to do with Inkscape export being less than perfect. I have been reluctant to give up layers and accurate measurement setting so have stayed with Inkscape at the cost of having less control of the cutting process. So far I have not really had great success cutting 20thou as I cannot control the pressure (thickness) from Inkscape via the Silhouette driver. 10thou is fine.

 

I have been looking at the capabilities of Make The Cut which not only supports layers, object locking and direct setting of dimensions but direct import of svg files as well. I have downloaded the trial version of the software but have not really had time to get to grips with it. Yes, I am aware that Silhouette Designer supports svg but if I am paying out extra to get this I would rather go the MTC route and get layers at the same time.

 

Rounded corners? I have not had a problem with these.

[JCL]

Sorry, it must have been someone else, they were having problems exporting rounded corners from Inkscape to Silhouette - the rounded corners were importing into Silhouette Studio squared off. And you're right, I wouldn't buy the Silhouette Designer software. Are you using MTC just for the cutting?

[JCL]

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.
2. 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.
3. Making sure that the point is rock solid as the path of the line moves in different directions.

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.

 

Secondly, I pushed a compass point into the ink reservoir of a Papermate Flexigrip pen. The point was exactly the right diameter for the tube, which was a bonus, and the setup would mean that I could retract the point when not using it (although I did have to stop my wife from attempting to use it to write on her wrist, which would have been awkward down at the hospital). This looks promising, but it's going to be trial an error. The problem with it is, as Andy G was saying to me the other night, because the point is in the tube, it will flex as the styrene is moving around. This is exactly what happened. If you have a pen holder already, and/or a need for a scriber for other reasons, then maybe this sort of thing would do the trick as it won't flex: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Priory-127-Engineers-Scriber-/350627693065?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item51a30a0209 . Unfortunately I don't live anywhere close to anywhere, so I'm not able to pick one up any time soon.

 

Thirdly, I used the knife blade to score into the card. This is the method I've used up until now. Using this I know that the the scored lines will be in sync with the cut lines. The lines are thin, but do hold up when painted. Andy G used this method to scribe a coach end that he subsequently painted.

 

The image below shows three attempts in .020" card. I'm sorry about the shocking photo, but hopefully you can see the differences if you click on it.

1. Scoring with the compass point - the compass point was fairly high, and the thickness setting set to 1 The compass point followed the lines really well, and the material wasn't pushed up at the sides. Inconsistent pressure was applied to different parts of each line because of the plastic tube the point was in. If you have the holder already, and a scribe, then this could work well with a bit more persistence.
2. Scoring with the compass point deeper into the card and using the pen setting. Although this is in the middle, it was my first attempt at scoring. The compass point was far too deep and flexed in all directions. The pen setting meant that the point wasn't lifted off the card when the line came to an end, hence the ragged bottom. Nobody likes a ragged bottom.
3. Scoring with the knife blade - thickness set to 5 and the blade to 3. Steady lines that registered exactly with the cut lines, some material was pushed up either side of the line, but that's more to do with the setting I used.

 

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

Edited December 17, 2013 by JCL

[uax6]

My end scribing is post 192 on page 8!

 

Humm thinking about your centre-punch, what is the angle of the tip? Amy says hers is 45* (I'm talking about her engraver here, nothing else!) and I'm guessing that the centre-punch is closer to 70*.

 

Do you have a bench grinder? (I think it's compulsory for all in the US to have one, but I'm not sure that it's the same in Canada?) If you do you could try grinding it down to 45* (or shallower). A lathe would be better for this, but I doubt you will have one!

 

Would you be able to shove a nail up your mate? (Paper-mate that is!) that might work better as the tip will be less pointy.

 

Andy G

[JCL]

Hi Andy, yes, I think a panel pin or a nail would be a much better bet. I could do that with the centre punch, but I'm not sure that it's worth my while. Unfortunately, it's a no on the lathe and bench grinder, though the snow blower in the garage does have a cup holder, of course.

 

I'll link to your post.

 

cheers

 

Jason

[uax6]

So I'll get the mrs to order Amys engraver then...

 

Are you sure it's not a cup-holder that happens to have a snow-blower attached?

 

Andy G

[JCL]

I know the dog's brandy barrel doesn't fit in there.

[JCL]

A quick note about file attachments.

 

Following Al's suggestion a couple of pages ago, I asked Andy Y if it would be possible to upload vector files of the type created by AutoCAD, Corel Draw and Inkscape so that they can be shared easily between us.The great news is that Andy has very kindly agreed to this and has made the change, so we can now upload .dxf, .svg and .dwg files.

 

Here's a test drawing of a circle and a square to test that the links work.

 

test drawing.dxf

 

test drawing.svg

 

Andy's also pinned the thread to the top of this forum so you'll be able to find it easily.

 

Cheers Andy.

 

Jason

 

[MikeTrice]

Sorry, it must have been someone else, they were having problems exporting rounded corners from Inkscape to Silhouette - the rounded corners were importing into Silhouette Studio squared off. And you're right, I wouldn't buy the Silhouette Designer software. Are you using MTC just for the cutting?

I understand where you are coming from now. I have found that your technique of converting Inkscape objects to paths before saving as dxf works reasonable well, however not all artifacts get exported. Opening the dxf in a CAD package confirms this is an Inkscape issue.

 

At the moment I am only using Inkscape for cutting via the Silhouette driver however if I want closer control over the cutting, or print and cut, then I would shell out for MTC.

[Ron Heggs]

A couple of pictures of the result of cutting 10 thou styrene from a DXF file produced in AutoCAD -

 

The decoration laminations for the GNR Deansgate Bridge - North Face

 

The bottom three laminations are for the decoration of the below railbed plating portion of the parapet. The top five laminations are for the above rail section of the parapet

 

Just visible are the small trefoils (formed from 3 x 0.75 dia circles) in the second and third laminations from the bottom

 

These laminations which are all in two halves (overall length 457mm) will be fixed to a base of 40 thou styrene

 

The South Face is similar, but of a slightly smaller overall length and arch diameter 

 

The finished items really are the dog's b******s. I am more than pleased with the results

 

-

 

The overall cost comparison is less than 1/40th of etched brass, and produced immediately

 

If necessary errors can also be corrected immediately

 

One of the benefits is that cuts can be made whilst other jobs are being undertaken - this should speed up builds

 

Ron

[JCL]

Hi Ron, they look great! And those really fine strips on the second row from the bottom came out perfectly too. I bet it was interesting getting them off the mat.

[Ron Heggs]

Hi Ron, they look great! And those really fine strips on the second row from the bottom came out perfectly too. I bet it was interesting getting them off the mat.

Hi, Jason

 

Those 0.3mm strips came out great with no problems

 

Getting them off the mat required a little delicacy, but no accidents

 

The waste took more time to lift off the mat than the cutting

 

Cheers

 

Ron