3500 mic board Valiani blue head

[JamesC]

Started this topic so it may be here for future reference (I already e-mailed the support group a few minutes ago) for others in my boat (maybe me if I forget again!).

Had the 3500 mic board for ages, had the training months ago, customer now asks for it and we have forgotten the drill (other than blue head cut face down).

What have people found the right settings for cutting the thick board on the Valiani (mine Supreme but sure they all similar)?

Obviously we "had a crack" first off. We were not quite managing to cut through the board, at pressures of 0,3 to 0,5. Thickness set higher to 40+ and knob turned to 50 at one point.

I think there will be some hooks to correct too by the looks of it - joy.

Sadly I don't use the CMC every day the guys do and the main one left last week due to semi-retirement. He had a half-hearted go at training the new guy and he got the basics real well but none of us had tried this despite best intentions.

[Merlin]

James
Your email to the Support Group has been received. Mal will be in touch with you at some point.

If your CMC has been installed by a Valiani engineer, then the BLUE head would have been fully calibrated to the correct settings.

Difficult to do any diagnosis or fault finding without knowing what the BLUE head setting are at present.

You are correct that the head pressure (on the SMC dial) should be set to 0.4 or for more dense board 0.5

Having just done a test run on my PLUS CMC. 3500 micron board. Blue Head. Face Down Cut. 0.4 pressure. The blade depth setting is 25.

[JamesC]

Thanks for the superquick response Merlin.

You know some of the history I believe, the Simons engineer has been to check things, and even before that I think the blue head was with the initial machine setup as I got a very rare chance to acquire a nearly new machine.

So it should have been set at some point, and after I think I once over possibly made a mistake of slightly adjusting a screw on the blue head but think it was after that the engineer came.

Maybe we overlooked it though - so very hard to remember when 100 things happen every day - was 18 months ago at least.

It did appear that the shoe on the blue head was lifting slightly from the board, so it doesn't seem right, but I think it has worked on thinner board.

Having admitted all my gaps in knowledge I still find it a tad funny that the 3.5mm works with you on a 2.5mm setting by rights, but I'm sure that will be explained to me by the learned Mal.

I since learnt the customer is meant to be collecting the mounts tomorrow!!! Which was a surprise as the order came this afternoon. I'm up early it seems. When my sales person asked if we had the board I said yes but usually we have a week or so... d'oh

Anybody know if a logan hand cutter cuts thick board if I manage to find it?

[JamesC]

Having again received very good support I can add that it seems you definitely need the L100B blades (longer thinner) - unless anyone has proven otherwise of course.

Luckily we rang the customer and they are able to wait.

So this £12 mount is going to cost me at least £60 I imagine in blades, but I can also use them in the yellow head and thick mats are going to be a possible good seller if we crack it.

The logan hand cutter would not cut through this board.

[JamesC]

Deep joy - success first go with new blades and using Mal's settings.

The "B" type blades are a little deeper due to a steeper angle on the sharp edge - about the only difference.

Some of this extra disappears into the holder anyway but it does give an extra mm or too.

I had some mdf and mountboard on the CMC as cutting mats, but took the MDF out this time too which I think helped (was easier to get board into clamps anyway).

I have a suspicion it could be cut with normal blades, but not since tried or likely too.

Cut really easily. My only thing was one I did the 90 degree outside cut the blade did not lift out of the board, which it needs to for a nicer cut. Sure I can sort that tomorrow/next time.