Would anyone suggest the CraftRobo?

[rowan]

I'd get one if the stupid AUD wasn't so damn low!!!
I cant stand the cutting and scoring... But i love doing everything else.

 

[Kaya Tetsu]

I AM going to get one of these.

 

[HaloFreakX]

The CraftRobo has been discussed before but this is the first (that I remember) of anyone actually using one. Having to go through all that, I'd rather just print and cut the pages myself. I don't feel that the cost of the Robo will offset any time I might save.

It has been, I think by Vrogy, but I can't find the thread.

 

[SideSlide]

A little short on time tonight, but I did a bit more experimentation and a few limitations and features have been
found.
#1: It has limited memory, so if you send it a big print job, it can occasionally just stop in the middle. So
exceptionally detailed pages (like the full page 8 of FS' HD chest) won't fully cut out.
#2: Extremely tight cuts are a bit of a problem, as it tears the points even using multiple passes where the
pressure is increased with each cut.

Now, there are a few things I've found that are kind of nice.
Using a multiple pass option, and choosing which lines to cut, allows me to score the mountain and valley folds,
then perf the valley folds and then finally do the final cut on the outside cut lines. I'm still toying with the
valley type folds to get the proper depth set for the perf cuts, but the mountain fold scoring is SICK clean and the
edges come out perfect. This also helped me get a bit more detailed pieces come out cleaner as I'm not trying to
cram so many deep and close cuts into a single pass.

Good shot of the scoring cut on a mountain fold:
[attachment=7363:scoringdemo.jpg]

Not so good of a shot of a valley fold:
[attachment=7364:valleycut.jpg]

 

[trintlord]

I have a cricut and it can do much of what the craftrobo does. the main thing is that the cricut cannot link to pepakura and registers it only as an image type. I will see if there is anything that can be done to make it work a bit better but for now it just EVERYTHING into pieces.....which doesn't help...

 

[Yodajammies]

This is quite an interesting concept, but it seems a little round-about to me.

You're going from a 3d model to paper, back to a model.

If you're going to drop 300$ on a digital cutter system, why not just go one step further and build an actual CNC machine?

I've seen budget kits built for <500$ which probably get decent enough resolution to make some fairly impressive armor pieces.

I've got the framework for my CNC table cut and hanging out in my kitchen. If I didn't just have to drop 400$ on my car, it might have been nearly done by now.


http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Mak...e-Cheaply-and-/

 

[TurboHeart]

hey i know this is old but did anyone actually get any more information about this machine?

 

[cgspartan]

yes i know this i'm making a necro post as well, but with much information.



I personally wouldn't recommend any of the machines listed in here. The software for them is downright childish, not a lot you can do with it. and the machines themselves are really weak in terms of what they can cut, and how long the blades last.



I personally recommend any of KnK's machines if you are looking for a die cutter. As they have much higher pressure levels that can be attained. meaning you can cut a much broader range of materials (thin balsa wood, plexiglass, fabric, cardstock, chipboard, etc) and I find that the blades last me much much longer, partially because as the blades begin to dull, i can up the cutting pressure, and lower the cutting speed to get the same cut without needing a new blade so soon.



I personally own a KnK Groove http://www.scrapbookdiecutter.com/m...ode=S&Product_Code=ACS-13HF&Category_Code=KNK and it was worth every penny. I work in a .022 inch chipboard, 12x12inch in size. It is about the thickness of 2-3 sheets of 110lb cardstock stacked on top of each other. And is much more sturdy when put together.



this was cut out, and scored by the machine.

The software for the knk machines is amazing. Most of what I do with it is papercraft work, and I feel like I'm only scratching the surface of what this machine is capable of.



It does take some time to get used to, because it is a bit more complicated than cheaper machines. I went through about 15 sheets of chipboard before I got all my settings down to what I wanted and could actually start working with it. settings like, blade drag, overcut, cutting pressure, cutting speed, movement speed when not cutting, etc. So it does become a bit fiddly to get exactly what you are looking for, but with a little bit of trial and error you can get amazing results, that are very easy to reproduce.

 

[Tikigod002]

For all of the complaining about Necro posts, I like the fact that new info bubbles up to the top. Anyhow, the question I have is: Is it likely any sort of local printing and copying company would have something like this? I know that whenever I go into Kinkos they have about 30 machines behind the counter. It seems like a faster method for the majority of pep pieces, but I figure it would be cheaper to get something printed and cut for me than to buy one of these machines outright.

 

[Doubler24]

For all of the complaining about Necro posts, I like the fact that new info bubbles up to the top. Anyhow, the question I have is: Is it likely any sort of local printing and copying company would have something like this? I know that whenever I go into Kinkos they have about 30 machines behind the counter. It seems like a faster method for the majority of pep pieces, but I figure it would be cheaper to get something printed and cut for me than to buy one of these machines outright.

I was thinking the same thing..



I mean dont get me wrong I have already pepped my own helmet and I know it is very time demanding. But if Kinkos could print and cut these for me in say a certain deadline that would be great. Especially if Halloween right around the corner

 

[Doubler24]

Also while I think about it, I noticed they have a CraftRobo 2 now! Does anybody have any experience with this? In the earlier posts it looks as they are using an older version of the CraftRobo or maybe its the same one. I would like the idea of using this for doing cutouts for small armor pieces. I dont mind scoring the finer detail stuff. Its just sorta hard to justify 250 bucks, but I am sure this would help provide much cleaner cuts and help with armor building time

 

[extrabread]

Thats an awsome cutter, shame for the price though

 

[Doubler24]

Im gonna search around here locally and see if possibly a local store such as kinkos has something like this and how much it would possibly cost just out of curiosity

 

[Dancin Fool]

My 2 cents, I recently got a cricut as a gift, the bigger one that supports the 12" by 12" and I love it. I've got it hooked up via Sure Cuts a Lot and have been using it to cut all my pepakura pieces. It provides adjustments for speed and blade pressure as well, you can also manually adjust the blade depth. I'm still learning to use it but it's been great, definitely loving it. A side note for cgspartan, it looks like you might have gotten your tabs backwards, they should be on the inside. The KnK looks like a great cutter as well, I can't speak for the craftrobo, but I didn't like the fact that everything had to be ordered online for it. With the Cricut I can get replacement mats and blades quite easily from a number of local stores.

 

[cgspartan]

A side note for cgspartan, it looks like you might have gotten your tabs backwards, they should be on the inside.

nope, do that on purpose, for the way that I work the outside doesn't matter, the smoother the inside is the better.

 

[Dancin Fool]

nope, do that on purpose, for the way that I work the outside doesn't matter, the smoother the inside is the better.

Ahhh gotcha, I'm guessing you slosh the inside then remove the pepakura shell via water or something?

 

[mc halo3]

People this topic is 1 year old,dont necro post.Make a new thread,after all,we have unlimited bandwidth.

 

[cgspartan]

i'm sorry, are you a mod.. didn't think so. Take the backseat modding elsewhere. This thread was brought back with relevant information to the topic of the thread. If mods were displeased by this thread getting brought back, it would have been closed. It's not your responsibility to police these forums. Find something else to do.

 

[Kaya Tetsu]

Well CG, if modding were left only to the staff, we'd have chaos on our hands. However it was brought back with relevant info, so I'm not going to complain about it. Its not your usual 'this is awesome' necro. I would like to hear more about your method though. Also, anyone else got any experience with the Craftrobo 2? I'm looking at these, craftrobo and the others mentioned,but won't be getting one until I get a J-O-B which is looking like it will be a while.

 

[cgspartan]

Well CG, if modding were left only to the staff, we'd have chaos on our hands. However it was brought back with relevant info, so I'm not going to complain about it. Its not your usual 'this is awesome' necro. I would like to hear more about your method though. Also, anyone else got any experience with the Craftrobo 2? I'm looking at these, craftrobo and the others mentioned,but won't be getting one until I get a J-O-B which is looking like it will be a while.

basically to get the pep files to work with my plotter, I export the entire pep file, all pages, as a single EPS file, open that up and resave it in illustrator, still as an EPS (the software for the plotter won't read the EPS files directly from pep for some reason)



Then in the software for the cutter itself I have to define what lines are cut and what lines are "pounce", ie dashed lines for the folds. This is actually pretty easy since when pep exports as a vector format, it groups fold lines and cut lines together anyways. So it's a simple matter of selecting each group, breaking the paths, and changing the color of each group of lines to either be solid or pounced.



I wish I could give you guys advice on what speed/pressure settings to use on something like this but there are so many variables with a die cutting machine that it's not something that you can just ask someone how. You have to do a lot of fiddling around with it to get your method down right. It really depends on what kind of blade you are using, and the material.







After everything is cut out on the plotter and built. I coat the inside of my pep piece with a few coats of plain old elmers glue (this is why i use chipboard not cardstock, cardstock would warp at this phase very easily)



once the 3-4 coats of elmers glue have completely dried, and all the little holes n whatnot in the pep piece are sealed up good, I slushcast Smooth-Cast 300 into it. Build that up anywhere between 1/8th and 1/4th inch thick.



When the plastic is as thick as necessary. I take the whole piece, and soak it in cold water for about half an hour (bathtubs for larger pieces). Cold water is very very important. Hot water WILL cause the smoothcast to warp, as it becomes flexible at higher temperatures.



This is where the elmer's glue comes into play. The water will reactivate the glue, allowing you to just peel all of the chipboard away. and wash away the leftover residue from the glue with a damp, soapy cloth. This leaves you with a solid smooth-cast piece.



You are basically using the pep piece as a throw away, 1-use mold.



The helmet that I posted earlier was a 2 day project start to finish. I'll take some pictures later of the finished helmet.



This method though decreases the amount of time to create a finished piece immensely. Especially when working with higher detail patterns. at that point you have only a little bit of sanding to do, and a bit of detailing. it pretty much eliminates any "bondo" stage to working with pep for costume armor.