Assessing Unsuccessful Cutting Results

There are two categories of cutting issues for unsuccessful cutting results (the job was sent to the machine, but there was a problem):


Nothing Cut


If nothing is cut after sending a job to the machine, this can mean either:

'Job Complete' Without Any Movement

NOTICE: Version 4.5.735 may cause this issue with some machines. If this was not an issue previously but is suddenly happening with all jobs, click here.

If you press Send and Silhouette Studio immediately displays that the job was 'Successful' but there was no machine movement, this typically indicates a concern with an imported design, and your job does not contain any actual cut lines.

 

Checking for Cut Lines


If there is no cut information present in your design, or the lines are not set to be cut, then the software will not have anything to send to the machine, and it will display as having finished.

 

To check for the presence of cut lines:


  1. Go to the Send panel
  2. Click on your design in the preview area
  3. Note which 'Cut Style' is applied to the selected lines

Enabling Cut Lines


If your design was created with the Silhouette Studio, or you have imported a vector file type (i.e. STUDIO, SVG) from another source, you may need to enable the cut lines as follows:


  1. Go to the Send panel
  2. Click on your design in the preview area
  3. Select the 'Cut' option


Creating Cut Lines


If this was an imported raster image (i.e. JPG, PNG, BMP), using the above method will encounter unfavorable results, unless you want to only cut a square around the outside boundary of your imported image.



You can instead use the Trace feature to create cut lines.



NOTE: We discourage tracing copyrighted images that you do not explicitly own or have a commercial license for from the copyright holder.


Blade Not Moving Up and Down

If the blade is not moving up and down (lowering and lifting) during the cutting process, please check the following.

Check Connection (Applicable to Cameo and Portrait 1, 2, and 3)

Ensure that the original USB cord received with the machine is in use. 

Alternate USB cords may potentially cause concerns. For proper troubleshooting, you'll need to ensure you are using the USB cord that came with your machine.

Next, ensure that your USB cord is connected directly from the machine to a USB port on your computer. This issue may be encountered when the connection is being run through a USB hub or router.

Check Blade Movement

Once you have confirmed a direct USB connection, please do the following to ensure the blade holder moves freely.

⚠ IMPORTANT: Do not use these steps on chamber 2 of the Cameo 4 series machines. Chamber 2 on Cameo 4 series machines will not move up and down freely.

  1. Power off the Silhouette
  2. Remove the blade from the Silhouette
  3. Push down on the blade holder and release. It should move freely.
  4. Repeat this 2-3 times
  5. Grip the blade holder and wiggle it gently from side to side. Occasionally, the holder can get slightly jammed into the side of the carriage, preventing it from moving freely.


Carriage and blade moves but does not cut

The blade is missing, improperly seated or Broken

For information on seating and replacing a blade click here
The Blade and/or Force settings are too low

For information on adjusting cut settings click here

The material type is not compatible with the cutting machine's capabilities

For material information click here

Something Cut


If some cuts were performed, but it’s not a clean cut or as expected, this can be presented as follows:


All lines cut, but didn't go through material (for all or part of the design)

The Blade and/or Force settings are too low

For information on adjusting cut settings click here

The material type is not compatible with the cutting machine's capabilities

For material information click here

The blade is missing, improperly seated or Broken

For information on seating and replacing a blade click here

Machine Issue

Please email support@silhouetteamerica.com with details of your issue and the steps you have taken so that one of our specialist can assist you in determining if there is a machine issue.


All lines cut, but are torn or misaligned (for all or part of the design)

The cutting settings need adjustment

For information on adjusting cut settings click here

Note: If the blade is too exposed or the force or speed settings are to high the blade can get "caught" resulting in misalignment or poor cutting quality.

The blade is dull or chipped and needs to be replaced

For information on replacing a blade click here

The material type is not compatible with the cutting machine's capabilities

For material information click here

The material is drifting/slipping

Vinyl Lifting Off Backing During Cut Job

When cutting vinyl, issues with parts of the design being lifted during the cutting process can occur for a few different reasons.

Surface Area Issue

Most commonly, this occurs when the design or part of the design being cut out is smaller, thinner, or more intricate and does not have a large enough surface area for the adhesive on the back of the vinyl to hold on to the material's original backing. The image part is thus lifted as the blade is turning corners and completing the cut.

In order to resolve this concern as best as possible, slow down the cutting Speed to the lowest setting. This will ensure that the blade is not turning as quickly and may prevent the concern with the design being pulled up. You can also try lowering the cutting Force setting down to the lowest possible setting where the vinyl is still being successfully cut.

Blade Issue

If the concern is experienced even with larger parts of the design, then this would indicate that either your blade is dulled and may have minor chips that are pulling up at material during cutting process 

Click here to purchase a new blade replacement now, if needed.

Vinyl Adhesive Issue


The vinyl adhesive in use may not be strong enough to hold onto the backing as it is being cut. This can be due to: 

  • The quality of the adhesive is low
  • The vinyl aged so that the adhesive is no longer as strong as it needs to be
  • The vinyl material was stored in conditions with high heat and/or high humidity that negatively impacted the adhesive quality


Only a portion of the image is cut, and one side is not cut or not cut through fully


If the machine goes through and completes the entire cutting process where some parts of the design are not cut (not ragged or torn, but simply not cut at all) while other parts of the design are cut properly, this can be displayed in two ways:

  1. A specific side of every design regardless of placement is uncut
  2. A specific side of the mat or area of the mat is uncut

Issue on Side of Every Image

If one specific side of every image is not cut well or at all, the issue would likely be with the blade itself.

For information on checking and cleaning a blade click here

Issue on Side of Mat

If one specific side of the mat or an area of the mat is not cut well or at all, the issue is likely with the Cutting Mat or Cutting Strip. 

Cutting Mat

This type of issue may occur if the cutting mat is worn down or cut through the mat in or around the problem area. 

To resolve this:

  • Ensure your mat is clean
  • Ensure your mat has a strong enough adhesive to hold your material in place
  • Ensure there are no deep cuts that have gone all the way through the mat
  • Replace your cutting mat, if needed by clicking here to purchase a replacement cutting mat

Cutting Strip

The issue could alternately be caused by a problem with the cutting strip. This is the white or black strip adhered to the based of the machine behind the roller, along the path where the blade runs during operation.


If materials have been used without a cutting mat and the Blade or Force settings are too high, the cutting strip may have been damaged. This can impair cutting results in the area of the damage. 

Indentations on the strip are normal and will be experienced. The cutting strip will be naturally indented with the cutting process. Frayed or deep cuts, however, may indicate that the strip is damaged. The cutting strip typically doesn't need to be replaced unless it is affecting cutting results. 

Click here to purchase a replacement cutting strip, if needed.

Job Starts Cutting Above Material on the Mat

If your job starts to cut at the top of the mat instead of on the material where you were expecting, this typically indicates a concern with the document setup in Silhouette Studio or the loading method selected on your Silhouette cutting machine.

Checking the Document Setup


To check your document setup:


  1. Open Silhouette Studio (make sure you are running the latest version)
  2. Click on the 'Page Setup' (the icon on the top right-hand side)
  3. Select your cutting mat type in the 'Cutting Mat' field
    NOTE: If you select 'None' but actually do use a mat, you will continue to experience this issue
Blade Carriage Stuck or Grinding During Operation

If the blade carriage gets stuck during the cutting process, it can cause loud grinding or tapping noises. It can also throw off the cutting alignment. 

Getting Blade Carriage Unstuck


  1. Turn off the Silhouette machine. 
    IMPORTANT: It is critical that the power is off in order to safely move the blade carriage manually. The blade carriage should never be moved by hand when the power is on.
  2. Once the power is off, grip the blade carriage and manually push it to the right side of the machine
  3. Push the blade carriage all the way back to the left
  4. Repeat this back and forth action a couple more times to ensure the carriage is moving smoothly

If you feel resistance while moving the carriage, you can put a small bit of oil (such as WD40) or a graphite lubricant on the metal bar that holds the carriage. 


⚠ WARNING: Do not apply lubricants directly to the material roller bar (the bar with the white rollers attached) or spray directly into the machine itself. Instead, we recommend spraying some onto a paper towel and wiping it onto the bar.

Checking the Crash Stopper (Older Cutting Models Only)


The machine's Crash Stopper makes sure that the blade carriage is aligned properly. When the machine is powered on, the carriage continues to move to the side until the Crash Stopper button is pushed. This is how the machine knows where to start. If the Crash Stopper is damaged, the machine may continue to try and move the carriage when it should not.


On newer models, this part is covered or inaccessible. On older cutting machine models (Cameo 1 - 2, Portrait 1), this part is exposed and visible as highlighted below:



To check the Crash Stopper, turn off the machine power and manually push the carriage all the way to the right-hand side of the machine. Once it is exposed, gently push the tiny white button. 


If the white button appears to be broken, please take a photo and contact support@silhouetteamerica.com.


Once finished checking this, return the carriage to the left side of the machine.

Checking the Blade Carriage Cover


With the carriage back in the "home" or starting position, press down and back on the blade carriage itself. In some cases, you may hear it click back into place if it was misaligned. 


This action will make sure that the blade carriage cover is secured properly.

Checking the Blade Setting


If the blade is extended too far and overexposed beyond the material thickness, the blade tip can catch on the material during the cutting process. Similarly, increased Force settings in the software can cause the blade tip to catch as well.


To check this:


  1. Remove the blade from the machine
  2. Re-send the job to have the Silhouette go through all of the cutting motions without actually cutting

If the issue does not occur during the test, the blade and/or cut settings are confirmed as the cause. In this case, you will need to lower your Blade and/or Force settings.

Blade Carriage Not Moving Side-to-Side

If the machine blade carriage is not moving side to side and is only cutting vertical lines, this can indicate one of the following:


  • The motor is stuck, generally due to unremoved packing tape
  • The machine's original USB cord (8 ft USB cord) supplied with the Silhouette is not in use
  • There is no direct connection between the Silhouette machine and the computer tower/laptop
    (i.e. the USB cord is being run through a hub, USB extension cord, a monitor or keyboard USB port, router, etc.)

Removing Packing Tape


Lift the lid of your machine and check for the presence of any unremoved translucent blade packing tape, especially any pieces connecting the motor to the body of the machine or anywhere on the blade carrier.

Checking the Blade Holder & Carriage


To check the Blade Holder and the Blade Carriage:


  1. Power off your machine
  2. Remove the blade from the machine (if present)
  3. Push down on the blade holder to tap it up and down several times
    NOTE: The blade holder should move up and down freely
  4. Grip the entire blade carriage housing and manually push it to the right side of the machine and then back all the way to the left to confirm the blade carriage moves smoothly
    NOTE: Repeat this action if the carriage is still not moving smoothly
  5. Grip the carriage and press down
    NOTE: This makes sure that the blade carriage housing is snapped into place properly and ensures the blade carriage is on track

Checking the USB Connection


  1. Check the USB cord. Ensure that the original USB cord is in use.
  2. Check the USB connection. Make sure that the USB cord is connected directly from the cutting machine to your computer's USB port.


A connection routed through a USB hub or router may cause this concern.


Blade Taps Up & Down Prior to Sending a Job ("Ghost Job")

If your Silhouette machine taps the blade up and down immediately as you power it on (before you've sent any job), this indicates that there is another USB device (such as a printer) that is trying to communicate with the Silhouette machine.

Resolution

Do the following to resolve this concern:

  1. Power off the Silhouette machine
  2. Close Silhouette Studio
  3. Go to the START menu
  4. Go to the Control Panel
  5. Go to the Printers section
  6. Look for either a) any printer drivers that are grayed out OR b) printers that are no longer owned and are not hooked up to the computer
  7. Right-click on one of the printer drivers in question and go to the Printer Properties option
  8. In the window that comes up, go to the Ports tab
  9. Locate the port type File and check this box
  10. Click on Apply
  11. Repeat this action for all applicable printer drivers (see Step 6 above)

This action will direct the older unit's driver which is no longer present to stop it from trying to "steal" the USB connection and subsequently stop it from confusing the Silhouette machine.