Fed up with Accuris Laser

[Gene Hobbs]

Hello Everyone
I need to vent. Anyone who is considering buying a Accuris laser. Don't.
I have had nothing but trouble out of mine and its only a couple months old. It will be engraving a job and all of a sudden jump about six inches to the left and continue with job. It has messed up about $1000.00 worth of Crystal and other items. It also will not laser at the same depth. I have ran some alumamark and part will be black and other part is gray. I have called Signwarehouse and all they tell me is to slow the job down by half. Guess what ,that didn't work either. I feel I should not have to slow it down if I am using per there recommendations. Right now I have a $18000,00 piece of junk in my shop. Has anyone else had this type problem?

Thanks Gene

[Dan Hintz]

If it jumps in the middle of a job, are you sure of the quality of your output file? Check it for erroneous lines way off in left field. Make sure your comm cable is nice and tight, same with any ground wires.

[Mitchell Andrus]

Gene, my sympathy - balky equipment is no fun.

I'd uninstall and then re-install EVERYTHING. Corel, drivers, firmware.... Then, start in again with all of the basic functions adding complexities in small stages until you get an error.

Also - could you post a few of the files that you're having the most trouble with. A few of us here (with Accuris and other models) could run them and see if your corel setup is hiding a problem in the file itself.

We've all been in this boat. We can likely help stop the leaks.

[Richard Rumancik]

Gene, I understand your frustration but don't give up yet.

You may have to spend some time and money solving this but better than scrapping parts. And you won't be able to sell a laser if you think it is not working.

Check your power source, that it is properly grounded etc. You should consider a line conditioner and/or backup power supply. Your local utility rep may help with this or you may need to get some advise from an electrician. You might have a bad power source. The utility might be able to lend you a power monitor for a week to detect glitches.

Make sure you have the laser on a dedicated circuit. (No compressors etc on same line.)

Consider changing your I/O cable. A high quality shielded cable would be a start.

Open the laser, ground yourself so you don't zap anything, and unplug and reseat all the connectors you can find. I would also unplug and reseat any memory chips. Lots of things can jiggle loose during shipping. Unplug and replug any motor connections, encoder connections, op panel connectors etc.

If you have a choice of interface, you might want to try an alternate interface eg USB instead of parallel port.

Don't use any switchboxes or hubs or adapters etc between the computer and laser.

Since your laser is new the manufacturer should be supporting it. You may have an intermittent in one of the cables - especially one that flexes during operation. This would be hard to find and you may be forced to replace and test. But I would think the manufacturer/reseller needs to support this effort by supplying parts.

Come up with a plan and try to attack it in a systematic manner. If you do things on your side eg power conditioning then Sign Warehouse should be able to help if the problem prevails.

Any money you put into power conditioning is money well spent even if it does not solve the immediate problem.

[Doug Fennell]

Richard and the other's have given some good advice, and it's where I'd start. I've worked on large format printers and copy machines for around 18 years now, and there's one thing I have come to know for sure - just because it's new dosen't mean there will be no issues. Loose connections in shipping DO HAPPEN. Faulty cables right out of the box are not unheard of.

Start at the top and work your way down on this machine. I would suspect signwarehouse should support your efforts with parts and tech support. It is a well designed machine, and there are many out there working trouble free. Start at the top and work your way down, checking every connection and cable. If you find something suspect, write down the board location so you can refrence it with tech support and request a replacement. At the end of the day it's going to be something simple. The machine is working "most" of the way, so there is no huge catastrophic part failure. Troubleshooting, for the most part, is finding out what it's not :-)

If after you've gone through the machine and you find you still have an issue, identify the issue as precisely as you are able and call tech support. Have them walk you through the sub system in question from start to finish as you are sitting at the machine identifying the components along the way. This is where seroius parts replacement starts. You start with a list of all components in play and begin to replace them in the order of most likely to fail. Signwarehouse will have a service manual available for this machine, and it will have such a list, complete with part numbers and recomended replacement order. Be diligent and make your cause their cause.

[Roy Brewer]

It will be engraving a job and all of a sudden jump about six inches to the left and continue with job. It has messed up about $1000.00 worth of Crystal and other items. It also will not laser at the same depth. I have ran some alumamark and part will be black and other part is gray. Gene,
The Accuris has stepper motors, right? If so, no sense discussing encoders.

While we can't blame the material for jumping 6", the two products you list (Alumamark & Crystal), just happen to be the toughest to get "just right."

Other materials engraving OK?

[Rodne Gold]

I would not waste my time and money trouble shooting and doing what's essentially your suppliers job, if your supplier cant get a major problem right within the first few months of ownership , take legal action aggresively.
The product is obviously not fit for the purpose it was sold to you for. If they fob you off with trite comments like slow it down , hurt them till they squeal and respond decently. If you have financed th machine , go to the finance institution and make them pressurise as well.
$18k is a lot of money , what would you do if your new car was giving you the same problems?

[Ron Hamilton]

Hi Gene,
I have the same machine and from new some 18 mts now it was doing exactly the same thing. I have now got it working properly. I had to change the stepper motor on the x rail (under the lift up control panel) also belt and pulleys. I was told that the new belt has a different tooth pattern than the previous one, this meant pullys had to be changed aswell.

I also was ready to push it into the garden and dance as I set fire to it but the help of Kevin Huffman was the fix in the end. the latest driver fixed the problem + slowing to a max of 90% on large jobs.

My laser only jumped on the top left to the middle of the table. Place the material on the right side and I bet it will not jump. It sucks that we can not run at 100 speed but better slowing down 10% and have a good result.

Are you close to Texas? I am in Canada so I was up the creek as the saying goes.

I also hear thar the machine is in the process of a major overhaul, we should pettition for a break on any upgrade in the works (class action)

I hope you get it fixed as I feel your pain.........

Ron Hamilton.

[Shannon Burkitt]

Hey guys....I had an Accuris....I stopped making lease payments and had the leasing company come and get it. I had similar problems along with the fact that the power of my laser diminished halfway down and across my table. Signwarehouse sent a tech out to my shop who ran a bunch of tests and finally determined it wasn't inexperience, it was a bad laser tube - they never determined what caused the skipping....gave me a lame excuse of the air assist hose getting hooked (I stood and watched repeatedly, it never happened!). I made a stupid mistake and signed paperwork stating the machine was operating properly (I only signed it because on that first day of repair, it was working) - within 3 days the laser was losing power again. I ended up losing over $6,000.00 - I was unable to produce 1 job. I will never deal with Signwarehouse again!!! I now tell everyone I know in the business to make sure you only deal with vendors/suppliers in your state when buying equipment....your state's attorney general has their hands tied when your problem involves an out of state company.

[R. A. Mitchell]

I agree with Rodne. Cut your losses with this machine and focus on recouping your money. You don't pay $18,000 for the privilege of frustration and waste of your time and materials. My rule of thumb is that if they can't get it working perfectly after 3 service calls, go on the warpath. The more time you let lapse, the less likely you will prevail in small claims court or any other venue that might have jurisdiction over this transaction.

Also, make sure you start taking notes about specific problems, when you reported them, who you reported them to, and what they did in response. Follow up phone calls with brief letters summarizing the calls. Be direct, but don't be nasty. Copying the finance company on all of your correspondence is also an excellent idea. Your goal is to show that you are giving them a reasonable opportunity to fix the problems, and if they fail, you are entitled to your money back.

Good luck, and keep the board informed of your progress. Good companies sometimes put out lemons, but bad companies fail to take responsibility for them. It would be very helpful to the people on this board to find out whether Accuris and Signwarehouse are reputable or worthy of scorn. Who knows - if you keep up the pressure and inform this board of your efforts, then you might be able to get some of us to send a few blasts to these people to show that the laser community is paying attention.

Rob

[Sandra Force]

What R. A. is telling you is the absolute way to go. Document, document everything and use certified mail for corresponding with Signwarehouse. Keep one copy of everything that you send them, document time, date, person spoken with and their response. It sounds like to me that maybe the people who are having trouble with these need to get together and let the general public know just how bad they are. Nothing hurts a company more than lossing it in the pocket book. Do not mess around and get to the end of your warranty before fighting back, do so now.

[Scott Shepherd]

I'll probably take some heat for this comment, but I went to a trade show last year with the intent of picking out a vinyl plotter. Signwarehouse had a booth there. I know I'm in the south and we're a bit slow sometimes, but from the moment I stepped into their "area", I felt like I was being played. It was as if I were talking to used car salesmen and they were trying to fast play me.

I left their area deciding never to buy a machine from them just because of the "feel" I got from watching them hustle me around and watching them try and do the same thing to everyone who walked by and showed interest.

My gut told me that something wasn't right. They might be the greatest company in the world, but my gut told me otherwise. I trusted my gut.

[keith culm]

Any Recomindation for a Laser Engraver around the same Price.

[Scott Shepherd]

Keith, that would all depend on what your plans are. Have a read of this thread.... http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=77577&highlight=laser

[Helen Cast]

Since I also have an Accuris laser investment I would like to request that a represenative of SignWarehouse respond to the initial post of Gene Hobbs. It is certainly more important to resolve his issue that may soon be an issue for other Accuris owners.

Any intuitive or applied mudslinging is a step backwards here. As a relative newcomer to this forum I have learned many, many new things from you all and that includes prior posts from SignWarehouse reps. I would not like to see a company discontinue participating in this incredible forum due to a -nothing to gain here- attitude.

Rather, I would like to see a company stand by products they believe in and feel confident that a resolution is obtainable between them and their equipment owners. If anyone at SignWarehouse is available to comment to the initial post of this thread it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you-Cliff

[Gene Hobbs]

Well I hope it is. They are sending a stepper motor and belt. That may fix the skipping but it still will not fix the uneven lasering. They told me it was most likely the material that was causing it to be uneven. The awards show will be in my town in a couple weeks, boy I hope Signwarehouse is there. I have a few things to tell them.


Thanks Everyone for your help on here, at least I can depend on you guys.


Thanks again
Gene

[Mike Hood]

Well... for what it's worth, I've had absolutely wonderful experiences with Sign Warehouse. I've bought a vinyl cutter, laser, dye sub printer, two heat presses and tons of vinyl and other supplies.

I've spent an easy $35,000 with them over the last several years and never felt "hustled".

I've done warranty work through them... and they were quick to ship the parts I needed.

- mike

[Ken Liversidge]

Hi Gene:
I own an accuris, and had the same problem. I found that the coiled air assist line was catching on the y-axis servo motor while rastering, and shifting the engraving. To solve the problem, I turned the hose assembly around so that the hose doesnt hit the servo. Not a problem since!

[Dave Fifield]

(snip)
We've all been in this boat. (snip)

Um, no we haven't..... I have NEVER had any issues like this with ANY of my Epilog lasers - and I've had three different models over a period of over 4 years.

Caveat emtpor.

[Helen Cast]

Gene- I was wondering if the new stepper & belt resolved the skipping issue? If not, what was the outcome with SignWarehouse? Thank you.

Cliff

[Kevin Huffman]

Hello Helen,

No the motor/gear/belt did not resolve the issue. The laser is in route to use for warranty repair.

As soon as we have a definite resolution to his issue, I will post the outcome.

[Gene Hobbs]

Well this is the first I have heard of this. If the laser is in route to you, someone has stolen it out of my shop. I haven't heard a word from signwarehouse since the end of May or first of June when they sent another motor and it still didn't work. I have since hired a lawyer to handle this for me. She should be in contact this week. You know its sad. I bought this thing in Oct of 2007, here it is Aug of 2008 and it is still not fixed. I had to spend another $22,000 on another laser to keep my business going. So that is around $35,000 total on laser engravers in the past year with the Accuris being used for a door stop.

So Kevin thanks for your help, but let the higher ups know to be expecting a phone call.

Thanks

[Nancy Laird]

....We've all been in this boat. We can likely help stop the leaks.


Um, no we haven't..... I have NEVER had any issues like this with ANY of my Epilog lasers - and I've had three different models over a period of over 4 years.

Caveat emptor.

I have also NEVER had any issues like this with either of my ULS lasers - and I've had a 1996 model M-20 for over three years and my M-360 for nearly two years, without any problems such as this.

I agree with caveat emptor.

[Albert Nix]

I have an MII that I purchased from signwarehouse back March 08. I have not had any problems with the laser. Kevin and the other techs have always been their for me through all of the learning curve issues. The sales staff has also been very helpfull. This is all new to me and I would have had a hard time without them.

[Jim Good]

With so many people having the same problem, can we say this is a design problem? I don't think it is a random issue with a specific machine. Sounds like to me a redesign is needed and existing machines need to be retro-fitted.

[Daniel Hamilton]

we had the exact same problem, and signwarehouse could not fix it, i contacted the tiawanees company that actually designs the laser and did some reserch and found a 30.00 bearing on the left hand side under the mirror was jamming occasionally, causing all the problems, replaced this bering and all has been well for a few months now