Kraft Blade 3mm - cutting tests

Smart Cut Technology

The Cameo 4 plotter has a detector for tools placed in the holder. It recognizes the insertion of a Kraft Blade or a rotary blade, among others. For these two accessories, the Smart Cut option is automatically activated, without which cutting would be impossible.

The Kraft Blade 3mm blade rotates under pressure, which means it has to make an extra path to cut a corner. See how the plotter will cut a star:

How to make a cut with the Kraft Blade 3mm blade?

Cutting with the new Silhouette blade is different from the one we know for cutting paper or film. Due to the greater thickness and density of the materials, the cut should be made using several passes with different settings. It is important not to remove the mat when the job is finished, and not to move design elements in the program between passes.

Here are some practical tips for cutting:

1. Start with a small blade advance - about parameter 3-5 and a weak pressure of 5-10. The plotter will only scratch the material, but subsequent passes can be made more easily.

2. Gradually increase the settings until the material is cut all the way through.

3. Never set the blade advance greater than the thickness of the material. This can result in damage to the mat, the blade and even the plotter.

4. If you hear disturbing sounds and there are offsets on the project, it is necessary to stop the job and reduce the settings. Excessive blade extension and pressure can cause the blade to bog down the material.

Example cutting settings

The cutting settings shown are only our suggestion. They should be selected individually for each material, as it may differ in texture or density. The list only presents the answer "in what material can be cut with the Silhouette Kraft Blade 3mm".

Foam

Creative foam - moss - 2mm
Blade extension - 6, pressure - 10, transitions - 2

Creative foam - glitter - 2mm
Transition 1: Blade extension - 10, pressure - 10, transitions - 1
Transition 2: Blade extension - 15, pressure - 10, transitions - 1

Foamiran – 1mm
Blade extension - 4, pressure - 10, transitions - 2

Balsa – 1mm

Transition 1: blade extension - 5, pressure - 10, transitions - 2
Transition 2: blade extension - 10, pressure - 10, transitions - 2

Magnetic foil - 0,8mm

Transition 1: blade advancement - 5, pressure - 5, transitions - 1
Transition 2: blade advancement - 8, pressure - 10, transitions - 1

Acetate

Transition 1: blade extension - 5, pressure - 5, transitions - 1
Transition 2: blade extension - 10, pressure - 12, transitions - 2

Materials such as cardboard, beermat, thick leather proved to be too thick or dense to cut with the plotter. Some of them were able to be cut, but in an unimpressive way, requiring a very large number of passes and adjustments. For this reason, they are not included in our list of recommended materials.