Excalibur 3S user guide – Making your first cut

A unique feature of the Excalibur is the ‘ratchet latch’, this enables thick dense materials such as PVC foam board to be cut easily in stages. Count the number of ‘clicks’ to position the blade just below the surface of the material to make your first cut then add an extra ‘click’ for the second and subsequent cuts.

As a rough guide when cutting PVC foam board:
3MM (1/8”) Initial surface cut + 1 additional cut
5MM (1/4”) Initial surface cut + 1 or 2 additional cuts
10MM (3/8”) Initial surface cut + 3 or 4 additional cuts

Should you engage the cutter by mistake or for any reason want to disengage the cutter without moving it to the bottom of the machine pull down the cutter release lever.

For some operations (such as scoring acrylic) the ratchet latch needs to be disengaged, so that finger pressure is used to make the score/cut. This is done by pulling the black knob on the edge of the spring spool down to face towards the user. To re-engage the ratchet latch push the small black knob away so it points upwards.

CAUTION ALWAYS USE HAND AND EYE PROTECTION WHEN SNAPPING PLASTIC

NOTE : The scoring blade is designed to score acrylics, Plexiglas and other similar rigid plastics. Trials should be carried out on scrap materials first to ensure you obtain the required standard of cut.

Select the scoring blade position on the turret and clamp the material in the machine.

Turn the ratchet hold-off knob to disengage the ratchet.

Clamp the plastic to be scored in the machine, position and depress the cutting head so the blade touches the plastic at the top. Apply thumb pressure to the cutter and draw the blade down the material in one continuous motion

Remove the plastic from the machine and snap it by hand.

The twin wheel cutter must be parked above the top level of the clamp when not in use otherwise the cutter will interfere with the sightline strip if the clamp is operated.

The twin wheel cutter is mounted on the upper cutting head and is used for cutting rigid materials such as aluminium composite panel and MDF up to 3mm (1/8”). Many other softer boards and card can also be cut, trials should be carried out to ensure the desired quality of cut is obtained.

Position the material in the machine and apply the clamp.

Bring the twin wheel cutter down until it makes contact with the sheet edge and stop. Take a firm grip and then push the cutter down through the material without stopping.

The cutting wheels generally last more than a year with average use but this is dependant upon daily use and the material being cut.

The signs the wheels are wearing out are:

1) A rough finish predominantly on the right hand side of the cut, with flaking on material such as MDF.

2) The bottom of the cut bursting out rather than being cut neatly.

3) The board trying to turn under the clamp when being cut (also check the clamp pressure).