Home Forums Explore Media Airbrush Can anyone recommend a good plottercutter?

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  • #993463

    Hello everyone! I am a newbie on the site – hoping you might have some advice for me…

    I am looking to add a plotter/cutter to my studio to be used for creating airbrush stencils and masking. I am relatively new to airbrushing, but have used various types of media (auto air, wicked, createx, watercolor, acrylic).

    I am not a pro, so I am looking for something in the $500-$1000 price range. I have browsed a few of the plotter/cutter websites (ie/ USCutter), but can’t figure out which models might be the best fit for me; alot of the provided info appears geared towards using the equipment to cut signage or t-shirt vinyl. Hoping some fellow airbrush artists might be able to offer some advice on plotter/cutter equipment specifically geared towards airbrushing.

    Thanks for your help!
    Greg

    #1239960
    Mike L
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        Most plotter cutters will cut stencil materials. With some a blade with different geometry (blade angle, etc) must be used, but not always. Roll vinyl used for creating wall murals can be used as stencil material, but the vinyl designed for stencils is usually best because it is somewhat thicker and and has a lighter duty adhesive.

        Cricut hobby cutter has an excellent reputation as do several other hobby cutters. Most limit size of sheet being cut and use carriers to hold the sheet as it is fed throught the cutter. Prices run in the $ 200-400 price range.

        Next step up is “professional” cutters that accept material on rolls and they start in the 12″ – 15″ wide range. Some are considered desktop models and anything more than 15 inch is considered a floor model.

        I like Graphtec, but Roland is another respected brand. The US Cutter brand is OK, but cutters made in the same factories can be found for less. As always, similar products of lesser or questionable quality can be found for less on eBay and even some sign supply websites.

        R/Mike

        Practice religion freely and freedom religiously.

        #1239959
        tonymcgrath
        Default

            hi i have a plotter we could talk what part of the world du you live tony

            #1239961

            Thanks for the info, guys!

            I am located in Vancouver, BC (Canada). However, I am planning a trip to the US so I am hoping to pick up a plotter while I am there to take advantage of the duty-free import allowances when I return to Canada (I can bring back $800 worth duty-free).

            I am not too concerned over width of the cutting surface – I will likely cut smaller adjacent panels of adhesive masking material for anything really big. Even a 12″-15″ width should be fine for the types of artwork I will be working on. I anticipate cutting adhesive masking material most of the time, but wouldn’t mind having the option of cutting some thicker stencil material if possible.

            I have looked at the CriCut models available here in Canada (Expression, Explore Air) but they seem expensive at $300 CDN. I figured I’d rather take that $300 and invest a little additional cash if it meant getting a better, more versatile cutter that would last me a bit longer.

            Again, thanks for the input guys!

            #1239962
            NewAgent45
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                ThisOldManAB,

                I’m new to airbrush too. I do a lot of carving with a CNC Machine and plan on adding laser capability to my machine soon. I spend a lot of time on a couple different CNC forums. Your post reminded me of a nifty machine that uses a diode laser for cutting irregular shapes on thin materials like masking materials and stencils. I also know some people are using a “drag knife” on a CNC machine.

                The machine mentioned on the CNC forum is the Emblaser available on darklylabs. I also know there are a lot of other options. I’m just suggesting you look at the low power laser cutting type of machine. You will find numerous video demonstrations on YouTube.

                Have a great day!

                … Rod

                Custom Graphic Transformations LLC

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