Hello everyone,
Could anyone please guide me which is the best machine at DMS to cut magnetic sheet through a computer program?
I assume you mean the flexible vinyl-faced sheet used for making, say, stick on numbers & other decals for cars?
Yes , I wanted to create alphabets out of wood and have magnetic sheet attached to it.
yes, I would like to make the alphabets of different language and stick it to my fridge.
Ordinarily I’d say laser cut, but you can’t do that with vinyl. The cutting fumes are toxic.
The only options I can think of are the vinyl cutter and Shapeokos. I suspect the Shapeokos are the best answer as I’ll bet the magnetic vinyl sheets are abrasive and will dull the cutters quickly.
One alternative might be to shear the magnetic material into rectangles and apply cut vinyl letters. I’m assuming the magnetic material has a white or other consistent color face. The vinyl cutters will make finer detail than is practical with the Shapeokos.
Vinyl cutter of some type, but opinions differ. According to what I’m reading (having never tried it) …
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People unanimously say that if you try to cut it on a vinyl cutter you’ll need a dedicated blade for deep cutting - it’s going to trash the regular blade.
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I was reading the US Cutter forum where your exact question was asked. US Cutter makes one of the larger cutters that we have (i.e., not the Cameo). One person pointed out that on some machines all the mechanism is steel so they couldn’t feed through the magnet.
The two differing opinions:
Yes, I have cut magnet material with my Graphtec. You’ll want to use a dedicated blade and experiment with the cutting pressure, blade exposure, and speed. It should cut about 90% of the way through the material, then you press it out with your fingers the rest of the way. If needed, you could double up the shape in the cutting software so it makes two passes.
I’ve witness (sic) a few attempts to put that stuff into a cutter. It never could cut all the way through. In the end, a person with some skills and a blade in hand is what was used.
You can also search for “can you cut magnetic sheet on a cameo 3” which gives specific settings and some videos on how to do it. At the very least you’re going to need your own dedicated blade, possibly a “deep cut blade”.
How crazy is the idea to demagnetize the substrate prior to cutting and then reverse. Those vinyl cutters will only exert so many ounces of force. It might take a hand written g-code file that repeats each letter outline multiple times.
It might be easier to purchase die cut magnet bases and then apply the vinyl to them.
I will look into all of it. Thank you for prompt response.
Could one affix the magnet to plywood with double sided tape then route out the outlines on the CNC router?
Or, more permanently affix it and cut both the magnetic vinyl material AND the wooden letters out at the same time?
Clicker die may work well depending on how many you want to make.
I want to make a lot.
Some magnetic sheets claim to be “laser safe.” They can be laser printed, not cut.
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Do our vinyl cutters have steel parts contacting the media?
Cricut claims to be able to cut magnets. I do not know much about them or the Silhouette. If a cutting bed moves instead of feeding the media using rollers, it should work.
How are you planning on making the wooden letters? If cut by hand you could glue the magnet sheet on then use a ball bearing trim router bit. If cut on the CNC router just glue the magnet on first and the router bit will cut it.
I’m planning on using Laser to engrave on the wood and have the magnetic sheet attached to it. Here’s my old project from Epilogue. I would like to repeat same but needs to attach magnet to it.
So you need square magnet blanks? This should open up the options for production.
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Yes! That is true
You can buy self-stick sheet magnets in various sizes. If you cannot find a size which works, they are very easy to cut with an X-Acto knife or box cutter and a steel ruler for a guide.
The foot shear, or the small metal shear may be a good option as well.
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I guess everyone’s mind raced through intresting solutions, instead of first refining the project requirements.
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