Donek vs Widgetworks??

[myxpykalix]

I seem to recall a thread titled this in the past but couldn't find it with a search.
I'm going to buy a vinyl cutting knife and wondered what advantages one may have over the other? Or if it would allow you to cut more varied materials or depths, ect over the other?
Will they both cut sharp corners? looking for your experiences...:confused:

[khaos]

I have both.

I think if you intend to cut thin vinyl the widgetworks cutter is great. I have both angle blades as well.

If you plan on cutting anything thicker than .017" you need the Donek cutter. I pissed and moaned about the price of the cutter. I still feel its high. However, the quality is top shelf. Its heavy, solid and smooth. And you can use off the shelf blades.

They both cut great sharp corners. Thicker material is harder to get a nice smooth curve 1/8 and less. This is a product of the blade being in its own way and not the cutter.

Hope this helps.

[Kyle Stapleton]

Joe for what it is worth with the D2 you are paying for the R & D. I had my guy try to make a drag knife (he made it like the D2 because he said it looked the simplest one he saw) and even with a cnc lathe and something to work from it did not even come close to working like the D2.
I'm guessing there are many prototypes that are being payed for from the price of that knife.
Also with off the shelf blade it is very cheap keep it sharp.

[khaos]

Ultimately I did buy the D2 it and I have found it to be a tool and not a toy. I hope that was the message I conveyed.

[donek]

I seem to recall a thread titled this in the past but couldn't find it with a search.
I'm going to buy a vinyl cutting knife and wondered what advantages one may have over the other? Or if it would allow you to cut more varied materials or depths, ect over the other?
Will they both cut sharp corners? looking for your experiences...:confused:

Jack,

I have not used the widgetworks knife because I typically use a vinyl plotter when I cut vinyl, not my CNC router. I think the primary benefit to the widgetworks tool is the spring. If you intend to apply your vinyl to your substrate and then cut it, the widgetworks tool should have the ability to follow the surface more effectively. Many materials, such as cast plastic, can very in thickness dramatically. A spring loaded tool will help keep the blade in contact with the material in these circumstances. Our tool (Donek) is not spring load, so will only cut a consistent depth if the material is on a surface that has been milled flat by the CNC.

If you plan to cut thicker or more exotic materials, the Donek tool is going to be your choice. I am constantly being amazed at the materials and applications it is being used for. I recently spoke with a composites producer who cut the number for the door of a Nascar vehicle out of dry kevlar fabric with our tool. I am now using it to cut 6 layers of 22oz fiberglass cloth in a single pass. I will produce a video on this and other techniques in the upcoming months.

As for square corners, you can cut them with either tool. Square corners are dependent on the software you use for generating your tool path. The Vectric Gadget is extremely effective at generating corner actions. SheetCAM, however, takes things even further with offset compensation. While the Vectric gadget assumes the tip of the blade is centered in the tool, SheetCAM calculates where it actually is. As a result, SheetCAM makes it possible for a D2 to generate the same result that a widegetworks knife can create with the Vectric gadget. In other words, you get greater precision and detail in your finished part. SheetCAM also incorporates some other great features that make marquetry faster and easier to assemble. You can ofset your fill materials tool path a few thousandths of an inch such that it drops into your background without any effort. The result is so precise that you don't see a difference in the fit, yet your assembly time is reduced by at least a factor of 4.

Good luck with your upcoming investment. Either way, I'm sure you'll see the benefit of knife cutting and likely find a use for both in the end.