Owners of CMC: CMC is On/Off?

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ahohen1

BFL
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Nov 26, 2006
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Hi. I purchased a CMC (Wizard) mat cutter a few months ago. Being an "owner" and not "renting" one, some days i don't turn it on at all... i use my regular Bainbridge 40" mat cutter. Why? If, for example i needed to cut out single openings in 12 mats (no designs, except maybe a v-groove in a few), it only takes a few minutes to cut all of these mats. If i use the CMC instead, i don't save all that much time... maybe a minute or two. But, if all these mats had multiple openings, that is a different story...
I believe many of you might be doing the same... or am i wrong?:confused:


(If i rented one and NOT owned one... that "might" be a different story...)
 
I pretty much have not cut a mat manually since I installed my Wiz 8000 in October.

I find it very quick to set up the mat and punch "cut" and also have less handling of the board and therefore less potential for damage.
 
ditto, I won't get rid of my manual , but its rare I use it. Its very fast to set up a mat for cutting. Personal preference I guess.
 
I hardly ever cut a mat by hand anymore either. If the Wizard/computer is off, it takes more time to warm up than it does to enter the info and cut the mat. (in that case I turn it on while I am getting the mat board)



ahohen1 said:
(If i rented one and NOT owned one... that "might" be a different story...)
Click to expand...

I would think that it actually would be the opposite. If you rented one and we're trying to save on corner charges you might opt to cut the simple mats by hand. But if you are cutting enough mats to use up all of your corners each month you are making money anyway.
 
I had two manual matcutters - a 60" and 48". One is now stored in my garage, the other behind the CMC. Two reasons:

1) I didn't have room to keep the manuals out. It just wasn't an efficient use of space - and I desperatel needed the space. If I need the manual, I plop it on the fitting table to make my cuts. If you have space to keep your manual set up, then it might be worth using for a quickie job. I would not think of 12 mats as a quickie job.

2) I decided to make the change and not look back. The CMC will cut 99.9% of my work. Sure, I have to boot up the computer if it's not already on, but that's worth the little bit of electricity to get all the benefits I bought the CMC for in the first place. The only time I use the manual now is when my mat is bigger than 40" on both dimensions (once in 2 years), or to cut an art design that I don't have on the CMC.
 
The other thing you can do is batch-process. Cut all your mats for the next upcoming five or six jobs at the same time (cutting session). That way you maximize the usefulness of your CMC's on-time but don't have to drag out the old cutter. I have my old 40" C+H stored so that it just pulls out from under the CMC, but I only use it for cutting spacer strips etc. I'm in the process of adding a mat-guide type measuring system to the straight-cut side specifically for this purpose so I can quickly cut consistent width spacers without marking them.
:cool: Rick

P.S. One thing I do is click the Reset button when I'm not ready to cut another mat right away. Sure it means I'll have to align the head before the next mat is cut ("NBD"), but at least it doesn't sound like a jet plane on the tarmac in between.
 
Yeah, I hate that sound. Reminds me of 1000 women filing their nails with emery boards. -shivers-

I must confess, I don't turn off the computer when not in use. I know, I'm bad, global warming and the rape of the planet are all my fault.
 
CMC for me.

Since I recieved my Wizard 8500e I have not cut a single mat manually. I have had a few of my better customers over to watch it work (it's fun to watch their faces). I bought some flaw mat from my distributer so I can try new shapes and designs. I find time each day to try some thing new. Sorry, I degress. I stll have my manual cutter in case of emergencies, but I rarely use it.
 
Rick Granick said:
P.S. One thing I do is click the Reset button when I'm not ready to cut another mat right away. Sure it means I'll have to align the head before the next mat is cut ("NBD"), but at least it doesn't sound like a jet plane on the tarmac in between.
Click to expand...


wow!...exactly what cmc do you have that sounds like that? Mine is quiet I have an 8000. I remember hating the sound that the 5000 made when it cut.
 
I have an 8000. When there is power to the motors it makes a pretty loud whirring or hissing sound (which the hollow gantry tends to amplify). This is any time it is in "ready to cut" mode, such as when you are designing a new mat and have not clicked Reset or turned off the Wizard since your last cutting. Unless I am going to set up and cut another mat right away, I click Reset on the edit screen, which stops the motor sound and lets the head loose. (That's why it asks you to align the head next time you click Cut.)
The people at the help desk told me this is the normal power sound. If Steve or Dani or anyone else says different, please let me know. As it is, I figure having to align the head is a small price to pay for not having to hear the constant whirring. (It's about 10-15 times as loud as the fan in the driver unit.)
:kaffeetrinker_2: Rick
 
I am really surprised Rick. The only sound I hear from mine aside from when it is cutting, which is significantly quieter than the 5000, is if it has sat unused for more than 2 hours and it takes itself out of ready to cut mode and releases the head. Which has scared the carp out of me a few times in a quiet shop.
 
I have an 8500 and it, too is quite noisy - sort of a whirr and a hiss, a bit like the jet on the runway but my concrete floors probably make it worse. it doesn't worry me when I am using it but I turn off as soon as I have finished with it. I also make sure it is switched off and covered when I am using the mitre saw so it doesn't inhale any dust.
 
So, Steph, you are saying you do NOT have the rushing sound when in "standby" mode (head not released)? Obviously some of us do.
Dani? Steve? What gives?
:kaffeetrinker_2: Rick
 
No not at all Rick...in fact I never turn my Wiz off :shrug:
 
I have no such sound on my wiz 8000 either.
 
Steve! Dani! What's up with this? I have a brand new machine, and it has made this sound since the first time I turned it on and cut a mat. Help desk told me it was normal. IS IT? If not, what needs to be done? (I would love it if this noise was eliminated without the need to "reset" in between cutting sessions.
:kaffeetrinker_2: Rick

P.S. Another sound I get sometimes is a "Pop" sound as the head travels downward on the third cut of a mat opening. I think something in the head is "flipping" the inner edge of the bottom plastic gantry boot. This is intermittent.
 
Rick Granick said:
...
P.S. Another sound I get sometimes is a "Pop" sound as the head travels downward on the third cut of a mat opening. I think something in the head is "flipping" the inner edge of the bottom plastic gantry boot. This is intermittent.
Click to expand...


I do get that sound too, Rick.

Doesn't sound right, but doesn't seem to effect the outcome.
 
Dave said:
Doesn't sound right, but doesn't seem to effect the outcome.
Click to expand...

Agreed. I trimmed down some of the plastic from the inner edge of the boot and thought that had taken care of it, but apparently not. I'm not sure why it only happens sometimes- maybe depends on where the opening is relative to the "parked" position? I'm really curious about the jet plane sound though. Again, it doesn't affect the machine's operation (that I know of) but it is annoying. If this is "normal" why do some people with the same machine not have it?
:shrug: Rick
 
Unless you are sitting there making alot of mats, I think you should release the head so you aren't keeping the motors active and trying to hold the head in place. It only takes a second or two to click the window to activate the head. Why put any more strain on the equipment that you have to.

My Eclipse will talk to me unless I release the head. It gives me little chirps and such. If I bump it, it will make a noise as the motors try to keep it aligned.
 
Rick, I always reset after a mat is finished. I realign the head and pull over the gantry when I pull the mat out. Pavlov's thing, if I don't hear the "click" of both, it doesn't feel right. It's just part of the process.

My Wizard 8500, and it's compressor (NOT a Silentair or Junair) is 3 feet away from my work bench, and I'm hypersensitive to "continuos" sounds, even if it's not very loud, but the difference between before/after reset is significant, for where it's located. The compressor is shared with the Wiz and the underpinner, and if I'm not using the underpinner much, the compressor comes on only a couple times a day for only couple minutes. I turn everything off at the end of the day, having read hear about explosions and flying shrapnel, and burst hoses on the Wizard. I was told early on that turning everything off at night will prolong the life of the Wiz.
 
Well Boobie and Val both have good points. I never even considered reset and can't recall any info on the value of turning it off at night. I;m just in the habiot of keeping both my computers on.

For the record i occassionally get that popping sound too. I just check out the plastic surrounding the head and see what the hang up is.
 
Rick Granick said:
Steve! Dani! What's up with this? I have a brand new machine, and it has made this sound since the first time I turned it on and cut a mat. Help desk told me it was normal. IS IT? If not, what needs to be done? (I would love it if this noise was eliminated without the need to "reset" in between cutting sessions
Click to expand...

All the 8500s and the newer 8000s all make the "ocean near an airport" sound when the motors are engaged (power's on). This is from the driver box now being at a higher voltage, and unfortunately there's not much we can do about it. The earlier 8000 boards like Steph has are quieter, but its only because the driver box is an earlier version.

So yes Rick, that's normal..
 
Ok. Glad to know that. I'm ok with it. I was just kind of surprised by it when I first got the machine, as it is not apparent when trying the machine in the noisy atmosphere of a trade show. At least I got a silent compressor.
As Val said, pressing Reset has become a part of my routine, unless I plan to design and/or cut another mat right away. I also put my hand under the head as it is released and soften its short descent. I turn everything off at night. Also, there is a minute air leak at the regulator/filter which causes the air system to depressurize overnight but I haven't bothered to try to completely eliminate it because a) I'm not sure it is actually possible bec. of the design of the fittings; and b) I figure (rightly or wrongly) it might be less of a long-term strain on the pneumatics.
:cool: Rick
P.S. Any suggestions on the "popping" (boot-flicking?) sound, Steve?
 
WizSteve said:
All the 8500s and the newer 8000s all make the "ocean near an airport" sound when the motors are engaged (power's on). This is from the driver box now being at a higher voltage, and unfortunately there's not much we can do about it. The earlier 8000 boards like Steph has are quieter, but its only because the driver box is an earlier version.

So yes Rick, that's normal..
Click to expand...

I've only had my Wizard for 2 months and the only sound it makes when not in use is the sound of the cooling fan in the controller. Does this mean that Europe is getting the older models?
 
Neuadd said:
Does this mean that Europe is getting the older models?
Click to expand...

Not by design... Europe gets machines straight out the same production runs that everywhere else gets. The only difference is that we ship in larger batches overseas to reduce costs, so coupled with the transit time, Europe might have the machines on hand a bit longer before they are sold to a frame shop. This was a recent switch to streamline manufacturing, so I just want to make it clear that we don't dump old hardware to other markets.


And Rick, I haven't heard (literally) about any popping sound, but I'll run it by customer service to see what we can do about it.
 
Rick,

It sounds like the Igus chain may be hitting the Gantry cover as the Head moves down. The Igus chain runs up and down within the Gantry.

There are two Gantry covers; one at the top and one at the bottom, held in place by one screw each. Sometimes these covers get jostled out of place if someone bumps them. Loosen the screw on the cover on the bottom, and rotate the Cover a bit to the left then re-tighten. You can see if this helps by slowly moving the Head up and down on the Gantry.
 
The Igus chain? This doesn't have anything to do with Don Imus does it? I wouldn't want my Wizard cutting any "nappy-headed holes".
:icon11: Rick
 
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