FC5100
user manual
Graphtec Part No. 53801-084T Rev. A
4
The specifications, etc., in this manual are subject to change without notice.
Printed in USA
Thank you for choosing an FC5100 Cutting Plotter.
The FC5100 is a high-performance grit-rolling cutting plotter that incorporates a 16-bit CPU and digital
servo drive system for highly precise cutting of color adhesive film at high speed.
For more information about Graphtec and Graphtec products, visit Graphtec’s home pages at:
www.graphtecusa.com
(USA, Canada, South America)
www.graphteccorp.com (Other regions)
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Special Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Handling the Cutting Blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Handling the Cutters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Attaching a Cutter Pen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
After Turning on the Plotter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Machine Caution Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Notes on Working Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Notes on Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Daily Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Storing the Plotter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Chapter 2: Out of the Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Checking the Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Nomenclature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Installing the Accuload System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Connecting the Plotter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Connecting to the Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Connecting to the Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Power to the Plotter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Chapter 3: Cutters and Holders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Blade Application and Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Cutter Pen Nomenclature 28
PHP32-CB09N Cutter Pen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
PHP32-CB15N Cutter Pen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
PHP31-CB15 Cutter Pen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
PHP32-CB09 Cutter Pen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
PHP32-CB15 Cutter Pen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Replacing the Cutter Blade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Cutter Offset Value Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Replacing Supersteel Blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Replacing Ceramic & Sapphire Blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Blade Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Adjusting the Blade Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Obtaining the Correct Blade Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Chapter 4: Preparing to Cut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Control Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Indicator Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Function Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Position Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Menu Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Selecting a Function Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Initial Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Setting the Multilanguage Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Turn on the Plotter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Loading Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Sheet Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Roll Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Select the Media Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
ROLL–1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
ROLL–2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
SHEET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
CONTINUE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Initializing Routine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
ROLL-1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
ROLL-2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
SHEET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
CONTINUE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Setting Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Select the Tool from the Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
TANGENTIAL mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Cutter Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
To Change the Cutter Force . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
To Change the Cutter Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
To Change the Cutter Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
To Change the Cutter Offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Fine Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Running Cutting Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Test 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Test 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Cutting Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Plotter Pen Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Pen Reference Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
To Change the Pen Force . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
To Change the Pen Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
To Change the Pen Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Pounce Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
To Change the Pounce Force . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
To Change the Pounce Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
To Change the Pounce Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
To Change the Pounce Offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Light Pointer Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
How to Point the Target . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Checking the Cutter Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Changing Feed Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Withdrawal of the Pen Carriage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Returning the Pen Carriage to Origin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Chapter 5: Advanced Functions and Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Control Panel Quick Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Menu Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
ORIGIN - Setting the Cutting Origin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Origin Point with ROTATE function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
COPY - Copying the Data in Plotter Buffer Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Copying Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
PEN UP/DOWN - Raising/Lowering the Pen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
BUFFER CLEAR - Clearing the Buffer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
FEED - Advancing the Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
ORIGIN - Setting the Origin in HP-GL Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
AREA - Setting the Cutting Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
EXPAND - Expanding the Cut Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
PAGE LENGTH - Setting the Length of the Page with Roll Media . . . . 78
ROTATE - Rotating the Coordinate Axes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
MIRROR – Reversing the Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
SCALE - Enlarging/Reducing an Image Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
DATA SORTING - Sorting the Cut Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
AXIS ALIGNMENT - Axis Alignment Parameter Setting . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Selecting the Axis Alignment Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Selecting the Axis Alignment Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Two-Point Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Three-Point Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Axis Alignment Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
AUTO PRE-FEED - Advancing the Media Automatically . . . . . . . . . . . 91
TANGENTIAL EMULATION - Cutting Thick & Thin Material . . . . . . 93
Selecting Tangential Emulation Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Enabling Tangential Emulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Setting Overcut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
SPEED - Setting the Pen-Up Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
OFFSET ANGLE - Adjusting the Blade Offset Angle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
OFFSET FORCE - Setting the Offset Cut Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
STEP PASS - Setting the Step Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
INITIAL DOWN FORCE- Adjusting the Initial Media Cut Force . . . . 100
DISTANCE ADJUST - Adjusting the Length of Line Segments . . . . . 101
Setting Distance Adjust Parameter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
RS-232C Serial Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Pin Assignment of the Serial Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Cable Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Chapter 6: Background Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Background Settings for GP-GL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
LANGUAGE SELECTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
“:” “;” Command Control (“:” “;” COMMAND) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Pen UP/DOWN for the “W” Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Condition Priority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Pen Select . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Initial Blade Control Position (INITIAL BLADE CONTROL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Length Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
UP Movement Control (PEN UP MOVE) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Media Sensor Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Pinch Roller Sensor Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Check Pen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Background Settings for HP-GL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
LANGUAGE SELECTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Model No. Response (MODEL EMULATED) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Condition Priority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Pen Select . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Initial Blade Control Position (INITIAL BLADE CONTROL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Length Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
UP Movement Control (PEN UP MOVE) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Media Sensor Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Pinch Roller Sensor Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Circle Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Check Pen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Chapter 7: Test Modes and Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
CONDITION LIST - Listing the Cutting Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Sample printout of the CONDITION function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
DATA DUMP - Using the Character Dump Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
SELF TEST - Running the Self Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Error Messages in HP-GL Command Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Chapter 8: Setting the Interface Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Setting the Parallel Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Setting the USB Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Setting the Serial Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Factory Preset Interface Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
INTERFACE - Setting the Interface Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
How to access the INTERFACE menu before loading the media . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
How to access the INTERFACE menu after loading the media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
STEP SIZE - Setting the Programmable Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
RS-232C – Setting the Data Transmitting Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
COMMAND - Selecting the Command Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Centronics-Compatible Parallel Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Electrical Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Input/Output Circuitry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Input/Output Timing Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Pin Assignment of the Parallel Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
RS-232C Serial Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Pin Assignment of the Serial Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Cable Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Chapter 9: Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Main Specifications: FC5100-75 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Main Specifications: FC5100-100 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Main Specifications: FC5100-130 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
External Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
FC5100-75 without Stand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
FC5100-100 without Stand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
FC5100-130 without Stand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
FC5100-75 with Stand and Basket Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
FC5100-100 with Standard Stand and Basket Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
FC5100-130 with Standard Stand and Basket Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Chapter 10: Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
FC5100 Pounce Tool Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Inserting the Pounce Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Select Pounce Tool from the Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Pounce Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
To Change the Pounce Force . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
To Change the Pounce Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
To Change the Pounce Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
To Change the Pounce Offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
FC5100 Stand Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Stand Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Assembly Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
FC5100 Basket Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Basket Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Assembly Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
FC5100 Media Roll Holder Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Media Roll Holder Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Assembly Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
FC5100 Auto Registration Mark Sensor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
AUTO REG. MARK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
The Registration Mark Pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
The Registration Mark Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
The Registration Mark Reading Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
The Position of the Origin Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Media For Which Registration Marks Cannot Be Detected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
If Registration Mark Can Not Be Automatically Recognized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Specifying the Registration Mark Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Axis alignment method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Scanning Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Selecting the Axis Alignment Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
2-POINTS Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
3 POINTS Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
AUTO REG. MARK Setting Menu Shortcut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Setting the Registration Mark Reading Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Selecting the Registration MARK TYPE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Specifying the Registration MARK SIZE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Setting the DISTANCE ADJUSTMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Setting of AXIS ORIGIN OFFSET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Setting of PAPER-WEIGHT Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Setting the SENSOR OFFSET ADJustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Selecting METHOD 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Selecting METHOD 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Using the AUTO REG. MARK Sensing Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
2 Pen Manual. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Attaching a Cutter Pen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Attaching a Writing Pen to the Pen Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Setting of the Pen Assignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Setting of the Pen Offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Chapter 11: Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Compliance Information Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
EC Declaration of Conformity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
10
Sharp
Chapter 1: Special Precautions
This section covers special precautions you should take when operating or storing your plotter.
NOTE: Information to simplify or correctly complete a task.
CAUTION: Will cause damage to the unit.
ACHTUNG: Lesen Sie den mit diesem Symbol markierten Absatz besonders aufmerksam.
Es besteht die Gefahr eines irreparablen Schadens, sofern nicht genau nach
den Anweisungen vorgegangen wird und diese korrekt durchgefürhrt werden.
WARNING: Will cause injury to the Operator!
WARNUNG:Es besteht Verletzungsgefahr.
Handling the Cutting Blades
WARNING: Sharp cutter blades are used with this plotter. Handle the cutter blades
and holders with care to prevent bodily injury.
WARNUNG:Benutzen Sie diese Messer vorsichtig, um Verletzungen zu vermeiden.
• Cutter blades are very sharp. While
handling a cutter blade or cutter pen,
be careful to avoid cutting your fingers
or other parts of your body.
• Die Messereinsätze sind sehr scharf!
Um Verletzungen vorzubengen, müssen die Messereinsätze mit vorsicht
gehandhabt werden.
• Promptly return used blades to the cutter case provided. When the case is
completely filled, discard the used
blades together with the case.
Special Precautions: Handling the Cutting Blades
Handling the Cutters
• The tip consists of a sharp blade. Be
sure not to extend it too far.
• Instructions on replacing the blade
or adjusting the blade length are
provided in Cutters and Holders.
Attaching a Cutter Pen
WARNING: To avoid bodily injury, do not touch the pen tip after the plotter is turned
on.
WARNUNG:Um das Risiko einer Verletzung herabzusetzen, sollten Sie niemals das
messer berühren während der Schneidplotter arbeitet.
11
Sharp Blade
Follow the procedure below to attach a cutter pen to the pen carriage.
1 Make sure that the pen holder
screw is loose.
2 While positioning the pen
holder upward, push the cutter
pen all the way into the holder
until its rim contacts the pen
stopper.
Flange
Pen Holder
Special Precautions: Handling the Cutters
12
Upper groove
Flange
Bracket to hold pen
Flange
Bracket to hold pen
3 Once the pen has been prop-
erly mounted, tighten the
screw.
CAUTION: The pen has two flanges
and must be fully seated
(the pen holder is engaged
on the second flange)
before tighten the screw.
Flange
Bracket to hold pen
CAUTION: The cutter must be prop-
erly seated (the pen holder
is engaged on the flange)
before tighten the screw.
Special Precautions: Attaching a Cutter Pen
After Turning on the Plotter
During the course of turning on the plotter, be sure to observe the following pre-
cautions:
• The pen carriage and loaded media may suddenly move during the cutting operation, immediately afterward and when setting the plotter’s functions.
• Keep hands, hair, clothing and other objects out of the vicinity of the pen carriage, grit rollers and loaded media.
• To prevent operator injury and poor cutting results, be careful not to allow hands,
hair, clothing or other foreign objects to become entangled with the pen carriage
or loaded media while the plotter is operating.
• Um das Risiko einer Verletzung herabzusetzen, Halten Sie Hände, Haare und
Kleidung fern von bewegten Teilen! Legen Sie nicht die Hände oder Gegenstände auf oder neben die bewegten Teilen!
13
Special Precautions: After Turning on the Plotter
14
Machine Caution Label
The machine’s Caution Label is located on the top cover.
Achtung, Fur weitere informationen leses, Sie bille diese
handbuch. bevor Sie mil
Arbeil beginnen!
Sharle Kante!
Halten Sie Handem Haare,
und Kleidung fere bewigien
leiten!
Notes on Working Environment
Be sure to observe the following regarding the working environment of your plot-
ter:
• Avoid use or storage of the plotter in locations
subject to direct sunlight or the direct draft
from air-conditioning.
• Avoid locations which are extremely dusty.
Special Precautions: Machine Caution Label
15
• Prior to cutting, ensure that no obstacles are
placed in the vicinity of the pen carriage or
loaded media.
CAUTION: Impeded movement of the pen carriage or loaded media may prevent accurate
cutting, or may trigger the position alarm to reset the system or system overload. An overloaded system triggers the product’s circuit protection. Should the
system overload, causing the power to shut down, turn off the power switch
and unplug the power cord. Wait 5 to 10 minutes then reconnect the power
cord and turn on the system. For more information, see Test Modes and Trou-
bleshooting.
To prevent malfunctions of the plotter’s sensors, position the plotter at
least one meter (3 feet) away from fluorescent lamps, electric lamps and
any other source of indoor illumination.
Notes on Use
Be sure to observe the following on the use of your plotter:
CAUTION: Make sure your computer and power sources are adequately grounded (the
RS-232 interface cable should meet the CCITT V24, EIA RS-232 standards.
Graphtec’s RS-232 serial interface cable conforms to the EIA standard). Inadequate grounding may result in severe damage to your plotter or computer and
constitute misuse of the plotter.
• Never lubricate the plotter mechanisms, this
will result in plotter malfunction.
Special Precautions: Notes on Use
16
• To avoid scratching the cutting mat, ensure
that the cutter pen blade is not excessively
extended.
• Do not touch the moving parts of the plotter
while it is operating.
• When manually moving the pen carriage to
load the media, be sure to move the carriage
slowly.
CAUTION: Do not unplug or plug in the USB connector when the plotter is working or you
Daily Maintenance
During the course of daily plotter operation, be sure to observe the following
precautions:
• Never lubricate the mechanisms of the plotter.
• Clean the plotter’s casing using a dry cloth that has been moistened in a neutral
detergent diluted with water. Never use thinner, benzene, alcohol, or similar
solvents to clean the casings; they will damage the casing’s finish.
• Clean the cutting mat using a dry cloth. In case of stubborn stains, use a cloth
that has been moistened in alcohol or in a neutral detergent diluted with water.
• Clean the plotter’s paper sensors using a cloth moistened in a neutral detergent
diluted with water. Never use thinner, benzene, alcohol, or similar solvents to
clean the sensors; they will damage the sensors.
will loose data when the computer restores the USB directory.
Special Precautions: Daily Maintenance
Storing the Plotter
When your plotter is not in use, be sure to observe the following points:
• Remove the pen attached to the penholder.
• Cover the plotter with a cloth to protect it from dust and dirt.
• Do not store the plotter in direct sunlight or in high temperatures
17
Special Precautions: Storing the Plotter
18
Special Precautions: Storing the Plotter
Chapter 2: Out of the Box
This chapter describes plotter nomenclature and how to install your plotter.
Checking the Contents
After unpacking your plotter, check that each of the standard accessories shown
below are present. If any accessory is missing, contact your sales representative
or the nearest Graphtec dealer.
Accessories The Stand Kit is an option for the FC5100-75 and is standard for both the
FC5100-100 and FC5100-130 cutters.
Power cord. The configuration pictured
may differ from the actual cord supplied.
19
Cutter Pen Set. Cutter holder PHP32CB09N with two CB09UA cutter
blades.
RS-232 cable with adapter (US market only).
Black water-based fiber-tip pen
(KF552-BK-P).
Out of the Box: Checking the Contents
20
User’s manual
Accuload™ System components.
Nomenclature
1 AC Line Inlet: Inlet where the power cord is connected.
2 Control Panel: Used to access various plotter functions.
3 Cutting Channel: A channel running along the cutting mat area. Used to
reduce pouncing tool wear.
4 Cutting Mat: A black strip placed under the cutting area. Used to reduce cut-
ting blade wear.
5 Grit Rollers: Metallic rollers which have a file-like surface.
6 Media Set Lever: Used to raise or lower the push rollers during loading or
unloading media.
7 Accuload™: Used to carry rolled media and ensure its proper rotation.
8 Paper Sensors: The front sensor is used to sense the leading edge of the
media. The rear sensor is used to sense the trailing edge of the media.
9 Parallel Interface Connector: Used to connect the plotter to the computer
with a Centronics-compatible parallel interface cable.
10 Pen Carriage: Moves the pen across the media during cutting or plotting.
11 Pen Holder: Holds the pen onto the pen carriage.
12 Power Switch: Used to turn the plotter on and off.
13 Pinch Rollers: Black rubber rollers that push the media against the grit roll-
ers.
Out of the Box: Nomenclature
21
14 Roller Location Guide: Yellow markings on the rail and rear side of the top
cover that show the position of each grit roller. Use these guides as an aid in
locating the push rollers and in locating the media roll on the stock roller.
15 Serial Interface Connector: Used to connect the plotter to the computer with
a RS-232 serial interface cable.
16 Stock Rollers: Area of the media stocker where the media is mounted.
17 USB Connector: Used to connect the plotter to the computer with a USB inter-
face cable.
18 Pen Station: Part of Two-Pen Option.
19 Stand: Used to make the plotter more portable and free-up counter space.
12
13
10
11
13
14
4
3
2
5
8
16
19
1
7
7
18
14
6
9
17
15
Out of the Box: Nomenclature
22
Installing the Accuload System
The Accuload™ system consists of two media brackets, two stock rollers and
one media alignment bar.
Installation procedure:
1 Place the right media bracket against the inside surface of the plotter’s side
box (right).
Front
M4 Screw
Media Bracket Right
2 Insert an M4 screw in the second hole from the front side of the plotter.
NOTE: Do not over tighten. The bracket should rotate easily.
NOTE: When attaching the bracket onto the cutter, use the foam shipping cover to pro-
tect the cutter.
CAUTION: Do not lay the cutter on it’s back side, this may damage the Media Set Lever.
3 Insert an M4 screw in the third hole from the front side of the plotter.
4 Secure the first screw.
5 Secure the second screw.
6 Repeat steps 1-5 with the left Media Bracket.
7 Place the media alignment bar in between the tabs of the media brackets that
protrude from the front side of the plotter.
Media Bracket Left
Out of the Box: Installing the Accuload System
8 Secure the media alignment bar to the tabs at both ends with M4 screws.
Rear
M4 Screw
Media Alignment Bar
23
Groove
M4 Screw
9 Install the stock rollers into the holes on the rear side of the media brackets.
Front
Stock Rooler
NOTE: Be sure to tighten all the screws to ensure accurate media loading. The Accu-
load™ system may not function properly if even one of the screws is loose.
NOTE: Be sure to place the plotter on an acceptable work surface. Refer to dimen-
sions below:
FC5100-75: 45 inches (114cm) wide by 19 inches (48cm) deep.
FC5100-100: 57 inches (144cm) wide by 19 inches (48cm) deep.
FC5100-130: 67 inches (170cm) wide by 19 inches (48cm) deep.
Out of the Box: Installing the Accuload System
24
Connecting the Plotter
Connecting to
the Computer
The FC5100 Plotter is equipped with an RS-232 Serial Interface Cable in the
accessory kit.
1 Connect the 25-pin connector to the
RS232-C connector on the plotter and
tighten the screws. If you are using a
Centronics-compatible parallel interface
cable, connect the 36-pin connector to
the Parallel connector on the plotter and
lock the levers.If you are using a USB
connentor, connect the connector to the
USB connector on the plotter.
2 Connect the 9-pin connector to the
RS-232C
connector on the computer COM port
and tighten the screws. If your computer
has a 25-pin connector port, use the 9pin to 25-pin adapter that is supplied in
the accessory kit.
Parallel
USB
Out of the Box: Connecting the Plotter
25
Connecting to
the Power
Power to the
Plotter
The FC5100 Plotter is equipped with a Power Cord in the accessory kit.
1 Connect the provided power cord to the AC
inlet of the plotter.
2 Connect the other end of the power cord to
an electrical socket of the rated supply voltage.
To turn on the plotter, perform the following steps:
1 Make sure that the plotter is turned off (the “O” side of the
POWER switch is depressed).
2 Connect the plotter to a computer and then configure your
software application to the desired interface conditions, (if the
RS-232-C serial interface is used), command mode and programmable resolution.
3 Connect one end of the provided power cord to the plotter’s AC line inlet then
connect the other end of the power cord to an electrical socket of the rated
supply voltage. The plotter’s power supply accepts multi-voltage (100VAC to
240VAC) without changing switches.
4 Turn on the computer.
5 Turn on the plotter by depressing the “l” side of the POWER
switch.
Out of the Box: Connecting the Plotter
26
Out of the Box: Connecting the Plotter
Chapter 3: Cutters and Holders
This chapter describes the different cutters and their uses.
Blade Application and Features
27
Blade part
no. and
type
CB09UA
(supersteel)
CB15U
(supersteel)
CB15UA
(supersteel)
CB15UB
(supersteel)
CB15U-K30
(supersteel)
Diameter
and blade
offset value
0.9 mm
0.45
1.5 mm
0.75
1.5 mm
0.75
1.5 mm
0.75
1.5 mm
0.75
Plunger part
no. Applications and features
PHP32-CB09N
or
PHP32-CB09
PHP32-CB15N
or
PHP32-CB15
PHP32-CB15N For cutting high intensity reflective media.
PHP32-CB15N For cutting small characters on mono-vinyl chloride
PHP32-CB15N
or
PHP32-CB15
Standard blade for cutting color adhesive media. Suitable
for cutting media up to 0.25 mm think. Maximum cutting
distance of approximately 4000 m.
For cutting media which is too thick for the CB09UA
blade to handle. Suitable for cutting media from 0.25 mm
to 0.5 mm thick.
media. Suitable for cutting small size characters that are
less than 10mm.
For cutting sandblast rubber. The sharply angled point
provides a longer cutting edge. Suitable for cutting material from 0.05 mm to 1.5 mm thick.
CB15-10C
(ceramic)
CB15-05S
(sapphire)
1.5 mm
0.50
1.5 mm
0.25
PHP31-CB15 This is the hardest blade, but may chip or shatter if
dropped or subjected to impact. Suitable for cutting
material up to 0.05 mm thick.
PHP31-CB15 For cutting masking media. Suitable for cutting material
up to 0.05 mm thick.
Cutters and Holders: Blade Application and Features
28
)
Cutter Pen Nomenclature
WARNING: To avoid bodily injury, handle cutter blades with care.
PHP32-CB09N
Cutter Pen
PHP32-CB15N
Cutter Pen
PHP31-CB15 Cutter Pen
PHP32-CB09 Cutter Pen
(For cutter blades of 0.9 mm diameter)
Plunger
Cap
(For supersteel cutter blades of 1.5 mm diameter)
Plunger
Cap
(For ceramic and sapphire cutter blades of 1.5 mm diameter)
(For cutter blades of 0.9 mm diameter)
Spring Cutter Blade Plunger Blade length adjustment knob (blue)
Cutter Blade Plunger Blade length adjustment knob (red)
Plunger
cap
Protective Plunger Holder Cutter Holder Blade length
Cap A blade B adjustment
knob (red)
Plunger Spring Cutter Plunger Holder Blade length
Cap blade adjustment knob
(blue)
PHP32-CB15 Cut-
(For supersteel cutter blades of 1.5 mm diameter)
ter Pen
Replacing the Cutter Blade
WARNING: Will cause injury to the operator.
Various types of plungers are available which correspond to the diameter and
type of blade used. Check the cutter blade you are going to use and its appropriate cutter offset value against the table below:
Cutters and Holders: Cutter Pen Nomenclature
Plunger Cutter Plunger Holder Blade length
cap blade adjustment knob
(red)
Cutter Offset
Upper groove
Flange
Bracket to hold pen
Value Settings
29
Cutter pen
PHP32-CB09N Blue CB09UA Supersteel 18 + 2
PHP32-CB15N Red CB15U
PHP31-CB15 Red CB15-10C
Replacing Supersteel Blades
Color
classification
For the PHP32CB09(N) & PHP32CB15(N):
1 Turn the plunger cap
counterclockwise.
2 Remove the plunger
cap.
3 Remove the blade
and spring from the
plunger cap.
Compatible
blade types
CB15U-K30
CB15UB
CB15-05S
Blade
Material
Supersteel
Supersteel
Supersteel
Ceramic
Sapphire
Cutter offset
values
2
28 +
2
28 +
5 + 5
18 +
2
9 + 2
4 Stand the cap
upright.
5 Insert the new blade
and spring into the
hole.
6 Reattach cap to the plunger.
CAUTION: The pen has two flanges
and must be fully seated
(the pen holder is engaged
on the second flange)
before tighten the screw.
Cutters and Holders: Replacing the Cutter Blade
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