KEENCUT Evolution E2 User Instructions

Evolution E2

Inspired Design – Precision Engineering

USER INSTRUCTIONS

Thank you for choosing the Keencut Evolution E2. Every effort
has been made to bring you a precision engineered product
with the promise of many years of valuable service. In order to
obtain maximum benefit from your machine please read these
instructions carefully. For advice and assistance or replacement
parts please contact your distributor or Keencut.

Keencut Limited, Baird Road, Willowbr

ook Industrial Estate, Corby

, Northants, ENGLAND NN17 5ZA.

Telephone: [phone] Fax: [phone] E-mail: [email protected]

www.keencut.co.uk

KC-EDITION 7168-01/12

1 Contents
2 Before Set Up

2.1 Installation Recommendations

2.2 Check and Adjust Worktop Flatness
The Fixing Bracket Jacking Screws

2.3 Position the Fixing Brackets

3 Set Up

3.1 Fit the Lift Handles (remove strapping)

3.2 Adjust for Alignment

3.3 Position the Base Fixing Brackets

3.4 Check and Adjust the Clamping

3.5 Adjust for Flatness and Grip - paper test

3.6 Build up Bench Surface

4 Operation

4.1 About the Blades - inserting and setting the blade - blade
depth adjustment

4.2 Blades and Blade Holders

4.3 Changing the Blade Holder

4.4 Inserting the Graphik Blade

4.5 Changing the Depth

4.6 The Rotary Cutter (Textile cutting Attachment)

4.7 Using The Rotary Cutter

4.8 Changing The Rotary Blade

4.9 Medium Duty Blade Holder

5 Maintenance

5.1 Cleaning and Lubrication - (warning note)
Adjusting the Cutting Head Sliding Bearings.

1

Contents

1

2.1 Before Set Up 2.1

Overall length of cutter

Worktop

9.5cm

Overall length of cutter

Worktop

15cm

24.5cm

9.5cm

Evolution E2 160cm (64”) overall length 193cm (74”) 4 base fixing brackets
Evolution E2 210cm (84”) overall length 243cm (94”) 5 base fixing brackets
Evolution E2 260cm (104”) overall length 293cm (114”) 6 base fixing brackets
Evolution E2 310cm (124”) overall length 343cm (133”) 7 base fixing brackets
Evolution E2 360cm (144”) overall length 393cm (153”) 8 base fixing brackets

CHECKING THE BENCH FOR INSTALLATION

Please note! As part of the installation there are a number of checks and

adjustments to be made and it is important to perform them correctly to ensure
consistent top quality performance for the life of the machine.

The Evolution E2 Cutter Bar can be fixed to a KEENCUT Proteus bench or to an existing
work bench. The bench should be rigid with a flat worktop (within 3mm (1/8") overall)
and made from MDF or similar material to accept fixing screws.

To enable the flip-over storage function to operate the Evolution E2 must be fitted close
to the edge of the bench but if it is required nearer the centre of the bench do remember
that cutting tough materials will be more difficult if the operator needs to stretch too far
to reach the cutter head.

If the cutter is to be mounted along the edge of the bench draw a line 9.5cm in from the
edge of the worktop and the length of the cutter as listed below.

Should you want to use the cutter, for example 15cm in from the edge, draw the line
15 + 9.5 = 24.5cm from the edge of the worktop.

2.2 Before Set Up 2.2

CHECK & ADJUST THE WORKTOP FLATNESS

Check the flatness of the worktop by stretching a thin piece of strong thread between
two blocks (of the same height) approximately over the line. Measure the highest and
lowest part of the worktop under the thread, the difference between the two measure­ments should be no more than 3mm (1/8"). If it is greater it will be necessary to adjust
the surface flatness with a new top or by using spacing pieces under each bracket.

?mm

?±3mm

¸

worktop

§

§

Adjust the surface flatness by adding packing pieces made from 1.5mm - 3mm (1/16" ­1/8") thick rigid material such as PVC Foamboard, under the Base Mounting Brackets as
they are installed (next section).

THE FIXING BRACKET JACKING SCREWS

The Base Fixing Brackets are designed to hold the Base of the cutter firmly in position
and provide a means to adjust the cutter Base for both flatness and alignment of the
cutting groove. Check that the Jacking Screws "

A " are inserted finger tight as shown

before fitting the Brackets to the worktop.

A

A

➤

➤

18cm (7")

43.5cm (17

1

/

8

")

2.3 Before Set Up 2.3

SET OUT THE FIXING BRACKETS

Place a Bracket 18cm (7") from the end of the pencil line as shown, ensuring that the
groove in the centre of the Bracket is aligned with the pencil line and fix to the worktop
using two short screws "

D" provided. Fix the remaining brackets accurately along the

line leaving a 43.5cm (17

1

/8") gap between each one. Check that the brackets are all
aligned correctly and if not remove the incorrectly positioned bracket and replace slightly
to one side of the original position to create new screw holes.

43.5cm (17

1

/8") 43.5cm (171/8")43.5cm (171/8")

18cm

(7")

● Example:

Evolution 160, 4 base fixing brackets

1234

Evolution E2 160cm (64”)

D x 2

2.4 Before Set Up 2.4

Lift the Evolution E2 cutter bar from its crate but do not remove the clear plastic
stretch-wrap bands holding the base to the cutter bar. Place the Evolution E2 centrally

on the Brackets and manoeuvre it until the base is located properly down on each of
the Brackets.

Tighten the grub screws "

B" at the back of each of the Brackets by 4 full turns and then

tighten the front grub screws "

A" fully (approx 4- 6 turns). Remove the clear plastic

stretch-wrap bands.

➤

➤

➤

B

A

3.1 Set Up 3.1

FIT THE LIFTING HANDLES

Fit the Lift & Hold Handles at each end of the cutter bar. Position the machined section
of the handle towards the centre of the Evolution E2 and insert it into place at the angle
shown (Fig 1). Once in position straighten so that the rectangular feature on the handle
fits into its mating hole in the adjacent black steel component attached to the machine.
Fully tighten the fixing screw (Fig 2) using the 5mm Allen key provided.

1

2

CHECK & ADJUST THE CUTTING GROOVE ALIGNMENT

The Evolution E2 cutter bar has been adjusted to a straightness of 1:15000 along its full
length using a laser beam controlled instrument. It is desirable to adjust the cutting
groove in the aluminium base to match the straightness of the cutter bar and the base
brackets provide the means to do so.

The back of the cutting groove in the Evolution E2 Base should be in line with the edge
of the cutter bar to allow the blade in the cutting head to run the full length of the

machine without touching either side of the groove, if it does not....

B

A

B

A

B

A

B

A

3.2 Set Up 3.2

Adjust the straightness of the Base by adjusting the front "A" and rear "B" grub
screws in the Base Fixing Brackets:

To move the cutting groove towards "

Y" loosen the rear grub screw "B" in the nearest

Brackets and tighten the front grub screw "

A" until the groove is aligned with the cutter

bar. Tighten the rear grub screw "

B" until it meets resistance and the Base is held firmly.

Using a Lift handle raise the cutter bar and lower it again to the Base surface and check
the alignment. Adjust the cutting groove finally if required.

To move the cutting groove towards "

X" loosen screw "B" first and

reverse the sequence above.

If there is insufficient Base adjustment using the "

A" and

"

B" screws it is likely that one or more of the Brackets

will need to be removed and realigned on
the bench top.

BACK

FRONT

? = ?

? < ?

✓

✗

Y

Y

Y

X

X

3.3 Set Up 3.3

Place two of the long wood screws "A" in the front holes of the Fixed Arms and partially
insert them into the bench surface but do not tighten. Loosen, by one full turn anti-

clockwise, the four hexagon socket screws "

B" joining the Fixed Arms to the Base.

Fully insert the two wood screws "

A".

To enable the table surface to be cleared of the cutter bar when it is required for other
work the whole cutter bar can be lifted and rotated on its hinges towards you so that it
hangs down along the edge of the work bench (this also helps with cleaning).

A

C

A

B
B

B
B

C

A

B

x4

x2

NOTE: Be particularly careful with the longer versions of cutter as they are very heavy.

Carefully swing the cutter bar down and place the remaining two long wood screws "C"
into the back two holes of the Fixed Arms and tighten. Return the cutter bar to its

working position. Tighten all four Allen screws "

B".

C

x2

3.4 Set Up 3.4

THIN

THICK

➤

➤

It is essential that the material being cut, whether a thin paper/film or a thick board, is
held securely in the machine during cutting. There is a silicon cord set into the Evolution
E2 Base to grip the underside of the material and two similar grip cords set into the
underside of the Cutter Bar. These should be periodically checked for good condition
and replacements obtained from your Keencut distributor.

There is an integral Levelling Adjustment that enables the full width of the cutter bar to
lay flat on any thickness of material. Place the chosen material under the cutter bar and
release both thumbscrews "

S" the cutter bar will settle to the surface of the new

material. Raise the cutter bar using the lift handle and lower again to ensure correct
alignment and tighten both thumbscrews "

S".

Set the Levelling adjustment knobs to suit paper.

S

S

3.5 Set Up 3.5

CHECK AND ADJUST FOR FLATNESS AND GRIP

Check the grip of the cutter bar using a sheet of office copy paper. Starting at one end,
lift the cutter bar and place the paper under it, when lowered, the weight of the cutter
bar should grip the paper. Try to pull the paper free, if it is not clamped sufficiently note
its position and work your way down the cutter repeating the test with the paper and
noting where it is not clamped sufficiently.

EEEE

DDDD

➠

➠

➠

✓✓

Adjust the clamping by turning the Jacking Screws "D" & "E" in the Base Fixing
Brackets that are adjacent to the areas that are not clamping the paper. Turn the
Jacking Screws clockwise (as you look down on them) using the wrench supplied, turn
both the front and rear Jacking Screw by the same amount (to keep the Bracket level)
until the paper is gripped. You may find that two or three adjacent Brackets need
adjusting if you have a wide area that does not clamp.

➤

✗

D

➤

E

3.6 Set Up 3.6

➤

BUILD UP BENCH SURFACE

Once the Evolution E2 has been installed all that remains is to raise the level of the
remaining surface of the bench by 15 - 16 mm (5/8") The best way is to add a new top
made of MDF or similar solid material. To fix the new top use a thick sealant type

adhesive in preference to screws, as screws may distort the bench top and disturb the
Evolution E2 Base installation adjustments.

4.1 Operation 4.1

INSERT AND ALIGN THE MATERIAL

Use one of the two Lift Handles to raise the Cutter Bar. With the cutter bar raised place
the material to be cut on the Base. Lower the Cutter Bar by pushing the Lift Handle
towards the cutting edge of the machine. To align the edge of the cutter bar with your
cutting marks slightly raising the Cutter Bar, using the Lift Handle, and adjust the posi­tion of the board at each end. The blade will cut within 0.5 to 1mm [0.02" to 0.04"] of
the sight edge; this small gap allows easier alignment when cutting to the edge of an
image.

Check that the width of the Cutter Bar is laying flat on the surface of the material, if not
loosen both Tilt Adjustment Knobs "

G" & "F" then lift the Cutter Bar and lower it down

again to settle it in position and tighten both "

G" & "F". The cutter is now set for cut-

ting all types of material of that thickness.

The flip over Material Stop "

H" is provided to prevent tough materials such as PVC

Foamboard from moving during cutting.

➤

➤

NOTE: If you are cutting a small piece of

board place it at right hand end of the Cutter Bar
against the Material Stop and place scraps of the

same thickness material under the remaining

bar to support it and prevent sagging.

G

➤

F

H

G

4.2 Operation 4.2

BLADES AND BLADE HOLDERS

The Evolution E2 is fitted with an all-new vertical action cutting head which reliably
controls the blade depth and eliminates the need for heavy downward hand pressure
when cutting tough materials such as PVC foamboard. Providing a smooth consistent
cutting action on just about every flexible material used in the Graphics and Sign
making Industries.

The Sabre Cutter bar has been designed to cut a variety of boards to a
thickness of 10mm (3/8") using standard Medium Duty utility blade. Materials to 13mm
(1/2”) can be cut using the GRAPHIK D 017 blade holder.

Consideration should be given to the toughness of the board being cut and the
maximum depth of cut. It is recommended that heavy materials such as PVC foamboard
should ideally be cut using the Graphik blade holder and to a maximum of 6mm (0.25")
whereas, lighter materials like foam centred board can be cut up to the maximum cutting
depth of the blade being used.

4.3 Operation 4.3

CHANGING THE BLADE HOLDER

Before removing a blade holder make sure the blade has been removed or guarded
(dependent upon type).

Loosen both of the small knurled knobs

A

by about two turns, raise the blade holder to
align the knobs with holes in the blade holder then pull towards you to release. Reverse
the procedure to attach a blade holder to the cutting head.

The Rotary blade holder has a special safety device to ensure the blade is guarded
before the holder can be removed, this is covered in the Rotary Cutter section.

A

A

4.4 Operation 4.4

Remove the blade clamping plate B by
undoing the large black clamping screw

C

, if there is a blade already in the

holder it will come away with the
magnetic clamping plate

B

. You will
notice the blade depth adjuster with the
small black knob is free to slide along its
slot and the raised pip on its underside
locates in the small hole in the
GRAPHIK blade.

Ensure there is no debris on the under­side of the clamping plate particularly
around the magnet before fitting the new
blade. The blade can be positioned on
the clamping plate either way round
enabling the blade to cut either left to
right or right to left .

Hold the clamping plate in place on the
blade holder and tighten the clamping
knob ensuring the blade is properly
located in its groove.

Before tightening the clamping screw the
blade depth can be adjusted by sliding
the adjustment knob up or down to
retract or extend the blade. It is good
practice to set the depth so that the min­imum amount of blade is exposed to just
cut through the material, it takes much
less effort and produces a better cut.

B

C

B

INSERTING THE GRAPHIK BLADE AND SETTING THE DEPTH

4.5 Operation 4.5

The VA (vertical action) cutting head holds two cutters which can be changed and used
independently of each other. Each of the standard GRAPHIK blade holders can be set
to cut at different depths and in either direction by simply adjusting or flipping the blade
over in the holder. You can also push or pull the cutting head to suit your own comfort.

Once your blade is set move the cutting head near to the start of the cut, press down
the blade holder and push or pull to take the cut. Only light finger pressure is usually
required to depress the blade holder so most of your effort can be directed into pushing
the blade through the material.

SHALLOW CUT DEEP CUT

SCORING HARD PLASTICS

Many hard plastics such as Acrylic can be scored and snapped by hand or over the
edge of a bench (use hand and eye protection). The back edge of the GRAPHIK blade
can be used as a scoring blade, position the plastic sheet in the cutter and draw the
blade backwards across the surface applying downward pressure to the blade holder,
some plastics will benefit from being scored a number of times before snapping.

CUTTING PVC FOAMBOARDS

PVC is a very tough and durable material, to obtain a straight and smooth edge cut the
material slowly, if you cut too fast the board will rip and give a jagged uneven edge.
Considerably higher cutting performance is obtained from warm room temperature
boards, if you store your boards in an unheated room in winter you will find them much
more difficult to cut and the colder the board the slower they will need to be cut.

4.6 Operation 4.6

THE ROTARY CUTTER

The Rotary Blade Holder supplied with the machine is used to cut textiles, thin papers
and other flimsy materials, it uses a circular blade to press down onto the surface of the
textile which is held over a plastic strip embedded in the base of the machine.

The red plastic blade guard protects the blade and makes it safe to handle, however, be
very careful as the blade is very sharp. The guard has to be closed to allow the blade
holder to be fitted or removed, align the scallop

D

in the red plastic guard with the left

hand release hole and fit/remove the blade holder in the normal way.

First raise the Cutter Bar using either Lift & Hold Lever, then loosen both of the Hinge
location screws until the underside of the screw clears its location recess. Push the
Cutter Bar until the underside of the location screw is positioned over the middle recess
and tighten Hinge location screws. Repeat at the other end. The Cutter Bar is now
positioned over the plastic Cutting Strip.

The third (furthest) position is also for cutting textile but uses a different part of the
Cutting Strip should it become worn. The Cutting Strip can also be removed, turned
around or flipped over to allow eight tracks to be used before the strip requires
replacement. Replacement Cutting Strips are available from your Keencut agent.

➤

➤

D

GUARD FULLY CLOSED

4.7 Operation 4.7

USING THE ROTARY BLADE CUTTER

Position the material to be cut on the machine and lower the cutter bar. Rotate the safe­ty guard grip clockwise to reveal the blade. Apply downward pressure to the blade
holder whilst drawing the cutting blade along the material in one continuous motion.

Some materials will cut better if a harder plastic base is used in place of the plastic strip
embedded in the machine. Acrylic works well for this, use a piece at least 15cm (6")
wide and long enough to support the full cut length of the material, place it under the
cutter bar and the material on top, set the tilt adjustment knobs if necessary and cut in
the normal way. Lighter downward pressure will be required with harder plastic bases.

GUARD FULLY OPEN

4.8 Operation 4.8

■ The circular blades are extremely sharp - wear protective gloves

and handle with care.

F

E

G

H

CHANGING THE ROTARY BLADE

Unscrew the clamping knob H to release the clamp plate then carefully remove the
blade with the red guard and the blade centre boss.

Separate the blade

E

from the red guard F and push out the magnetic centre boss G,
be extremely careful, the point of a pencil can be used to help push the boss free of the
blade. Ensure there is no debris attached to the magnetic boss or any of the other
components, reverse the procedure to install the new blade.

Upon first use check the blade is revolving, if it is not it is an indication that the clamping
knob

H

is too tight or there is debris inside.

4.9 Operation 4.9

MEDIUM DUTY BLADE HOLDER

Fitting the blade.

Remove the magnetic blade guide by
releasing the blade clamping knob I.

Place blade onto the guide
ensuring the blade notches
are properly located and
the back face of the
blade is lying flat on
the guide.

Lower the blade guide into position
feeding the blade behind the clamping
bar.

Adjust the height of the blade guide to
give the correct blade depth and tighten
the blade clamping screw I.

I

I

Optimum performance is achieved

with a sharp blade set so it is only just

deep enough to cut through

the material.

For cutting tougher materials such as

PVC foamboard and materials up to

13mm (1/2”) thick the ‘Graphik’ blade

holder is recommended.

5.1 Maintenance 5.1

CLEANING AND LUBRICATION

It is good practice to keep a dust sheet over the cutter if it is not to be used for extend­ed periods. In any event regularly clean it with a dry cloth, to remove any stubborn stains
use a cloth dampened with a little water/detergent.

Should the cutting head slideway require lubrication use a silicon spray or impregnated
sponge.

CUTTING HEAD BEARINGS

The bearings that control the sliding motion of the cutting head are manufactured from a
high grade polymer and under normal use will last for an extremely long time. As they
settle into position you may find a slight amount of side play, this can be removed by
tightening the two adjustment screws:

Place the long end of the 2mm Allen key provided into any of the two screws

J

and
very gradually tighten it with one hand whilst moving the cutting head up and down the
cutter bar with the other. Once you feel the sliding motion start to tighten undo the
screw the smallest amount so the cutting head just slides easily.

Repeat this on the other screw, further finer adjustment on each screw may be needed
to achieve an easy sliding movement with zero side play.

■ Please note! Do not use oil or spirits to lubricate or clean the cutter, some of

the plastic components and bearings may be damaged.

J

KEENCUT Limited

E-mail: [email protected]

KEENCUT Limited accepts no liability if the product is not assembled and used in the correct way.

J