Research

Choosing Appropriate Technologies

1. For the Surface - The "Cutting Edge" of Technology

In 1997 I saw a demonstration of a computer aided machine called a "plotter-cutter". To see a machine which can precisely cut any outline selected on the computer was nothing short of miraculous, especially for someone who had spent the previous 15 years cutting paper stencils with a pair of scissors.

	My "Roland Cam-1 Pro 300" Plotter - cutter
	Leather-hard teapot with stencils made from newspaper stuck down on "Application Tape". These plotter-cut stencils were made by scanning tea leaves into the computer then selecting the tea leaf outlines.
	Two teapots with Darjeeling tea pattern.
	Ginger Jar
	Detail of Ginger Jar
	Plotter-cut stencils of fresh stem ginger scanned into the computer then plotter-cut, made from lining wall paper
	Black commercial rubber and white "Plastazote" rubber stencils

Plotter-Cutters have been used for many years by sign writers, who use sticky backed vinyl advertising for windows and cars. Memorial stone makers have also used plotter-cutters to make rubber stencils for sandblasting stone.

Thanks to having the research post I was able to obtain a second mortgage on my home and in November 1998 I took possession of a Roland Cam-1 Pro Plotter-Cutter, plus a G3 Power Mac, scanner, printer and zip drive. I bought the following software: Illustrator 8, Streamline, Photoshop 4 and the interface between the computer and the plotter-cutter called Cutline.

Although you can pay a local high street sign company to cut stencils by providing a floppy disc with the black and white design on it, this would not be cost effective for prolonged use. Sign companies may also be reluctant to cut anything other than their own vinyl, thereby restricting the variety of stencils that could be made.

What is a Plotter-Cutter
At its most basic, imagine a normal computer printer, but instead of an ink cartridge moving back and forth over the paper you have an ultra sharp small scalpel mounted on a swivelling head. Another feature of the plotter-cutter is that the material to be cut does not simply roll through the machine in one direction, but rolls back and forth as the scalpel moves across its surface, thereby enabling any shape to be cut. Materials to be cut can be up to 1 mm thick but must have a backing sheet attached, as otherwise when the blade sweeps over the same area twice, if the cut material is not stuck down, it can become caught up in the blade. Sign makers use sticky backed plastic vinyls which come with a waxed paper backing sheet.

What materials can be cut?
I began to try cutting many different materials. If they did not already have a backing sheet I would stick them down to one. I firstly used re-stickable spray mount on acetate as a backing sheet, but I did have some problems with the spray mount being too strong to release paper stencils after cutting. I also found the spray mount to be messy. I was therefore delighted to discover that you can buy wide rolls of masking tape with a much lower stick surface than normal masking tape, called 'low tack', which can be used to back materials and releases well after cutting. This 'low tack' masking tape is available through sign writer supplies and is called "Application Tape".All types of papers and thin card cut well. One of the easiest and cheapest to use are wall papers including the lining wall papers which are available in various thicknesses or weights. I have also been successful in cutting thin rubber sheeting provided it is less than 1mm thick. One rubber that is made specifically for the plotter-cutter is sandblasting stencil. There are various types and thicknesses of sandblasting stencils. They are sticky backed and come with an acetate backing. The vinyls used by sign writers also make good stencils for slip resist on clay and can be washed and re-used, which is an advantage over paper stencils. One other drawback of plotter-cutting paper or card is that these materials blunt the scalpel blades more quickly than the plastic vinyls and rubber.

Polythene and other plastic sheeting cut well, and most recently I have found that grease proof paper, normally used in baking, also plotter-cuts into excellent stencils. These have the advantage of peeling away from the backing sheet with ease. The polythene stencils can be washed and re-used, but can buckle when applied to curved surfaces. The grease proof paper stencils are thin enough to fit a curved form as they can be stretched slightly when wet.

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