You can check the following if your rollers are not engaging to grip your mat/material during the loading process.

Check Lock Lever (Cameo only)


Make sure the roller bar Lock Lever is in the locked position. 
The Lock Lever is on the inside right-hand side of the machine

This lever locks and unlocks the roller bar so you can adjust for different material width size settings. The lever must be in the locked position (pointing straight up) to properly grip and load your mat or material.

Check for Obstructions

Attempt to clear any potential obstructions from the roller bar as follows:

  1. Power off the machine
  2. Place the lock lever into the 'lock' position
  3. Place your palms on the roller bar
  4. Try to push the roller bar past whatever resistance you encounter while spinning
    NOTE: The roller bars should spin easily back and forth after pushing past the obstruction

This typically should resolve the issue of the roller bar so that the machine will load the mat correctly.

If the roller bar does not move, this means there is an obstruction inside the mechanism. Please repeat the steps above to clear the obstruction. You can apply more force to roll the bar in order to try to bring the obstruction to the surface.

Additionally, you can turn the machine upside-down onto your lap or knee and proceed to roll the bar. If a piece of adhesive material has been lodged between the bars, we recommend using a pair of tweezers to remove it once it can be seen.

Non-Silhouette Cutting Mats


If you are not using a Silhouette brand cutting mat, your mat may not be gripped properly. Please ensure that you are using only Silhouette supported products. We cannot otherwise guarantee proper operation of the Silhouette cutting machine.

Non-Compatible Materials


You may also need to check your material's surface properties. Some materials may be overly slick and may not be able to be properly gripped by a Silhouette cutting machine. This can be tested by attempting to use an alternate material type to see if it is simiarly encountering loading issues.

Additional Assistance


If the issue persists, please contact support@silhouetteamerica.com to provide a video of the roller bar not functioning correctly during the cutting process. 

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