The MUSE M60 is the newest vinyl cutter from SIGNWarehouse. It’s a 60-inch vinyl cutter that is the perfect size for lots of large-format applications. Lots of customers have bundled it with a large-format printer. But the MUSE M60 is versatile enough for vehicle graphics too. It’s also a great choice for automotive applications including cutting paint protection film.
Since the films used for these applications present unique challenges, we thought we’d offer up this little article and share some tips for using your MUSE M60 for cutting window tint and paint protection film.
Why Use a Vinyl Cutter for Custom Automotive Film
Tech-savvy installers have been using vinyl cutters for custom automotive work for years. Cutting and installing film by hand has unnecessary risks, including damage to expensive vehicles and inconsistent cutting quality. A vinyl cutter removes the risk of damaging a customer’s Corvette by cutting film on the glass. And a vinyl cutter never has a bad day that results in poor quality.
Why the MUSE M60 Works for Window Tint and PPF
But not all vinyl cutters are up to the challenge of cutting window tint and paint protection film. These films are on opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of demands placed on the equipment. It takes a unique plotter to cover them both. The MUSE M60 is just such a machine. Its feature set includes a wide array of cutting tools, eight, individually actuated pinch rollers, and up to 2,000grams of cutting force.
M60 and paint protection film: Automotive paint protection film is used to harden the grill, hood, and other forward-facing areas against road debris. The clear paint protection film is much more attractive than the old “le Bra” fabrics that debuted in the 80s. These unsightly add-ons protect the paint but mar the vehicle’s aesthetics. Clear PPF products like ORAGUARD 270 StoneGuard film are a much more elegant solution. They’re also used to protect other high-contact surfaces like sport helmet decals, motocross bikes, automotive fenders, mirrors, and rear bumpers.
But a film tough enough to repel rock chips can’t be cut with just any vinyl cutter. The MUSE M60 has up to 2,000 grams of cutting force! You won’t need all of the force, but it’s more than enough to cut your PPF templates efficiently and cleanly.
So the MUSE M60 is tough enough to cut PPF. It’s the perfect vehicle for upgrading your custom auto film business. But there are a few important tips and tricks you’ll need to know to make a smooth transition to plotter cut templates. Here are some suggestions based on our testing with ORAGUARD media.
Cutting Paint Protection Film with a MUSE M60 Vinyl Cutter
As with the window tint film, the suggested settings below are offered as a starting point. These are based on our testing with ORAGUARD StoneGuard paint protection film. Keep in mind that PPF products vary widely in thickness and density; some are as thin as 6mil and others as thick as 15mil. Some are PVC and others are Polyurethane. These differences affect the film’s density and therefore, the amount of cutting force required. Our recommendations are based on testing with a 6mil PVC film. Your mileage may vary.
Film: ORAGUARD StoneGuard 270
Tool: Standard MUSE M60 Blade Holder
Blade: MUSE 60° Plotter Blade
Blade Depth: Before adjusting the force, set the blade in the blade holder so that the tip is barely visible outside the blade holder. Adjust it outward a bit to account for the thickness of the material. PPF face film may be up to 5 times thicker than sign vinyl, so a little more blade exposure is good here. Set the blade on the film on a flat surface and draw a box manually, then weed it. You should be able to weed away the film from the clear release liner, without cutting through the liner. If you can’t weed the film, expose more of the blade tip and try again until you have a good clean cut that’s fairly easy to weed. Now you’re ready to adjust the force.
Blade Force: Start with the force 20 - 24 on the MUSE speed and force window. Perform a test cut and adjust as needed.
Speed: The cutting speed settings on the MUSE control panel are displayed on a scale from 1 to 13. The VS setting is the cutting speed. The US setting is the carriage speed while the blade is raised (also referred to as ‘up’ speed). Set the VS between 6 and 7.
Overcut: In addition to setting the correct, speed, force, and blade depth, there’s one other critical setting when cutting thick media. The thickness of the face film affects the default offset of the plotter blade, resulting in corners that may not be cut all the way through to the bottom of the film. To correct for this, adjust the overcut setting in your software. This will guide the blade past the end of a path so that the film is cut all the way through from top to bottom. The recommended overcut setting for 6-mil PVC film is .3-in to .5-in (.75-cm to 1.25-cm).
Window Tint and Paint Protection Software
Speaking of software, you may be wondering what software supports the MUSE vinyl cutters, and includes vehicle templates for window tint and paint protection film applications. The standard software solutions offered with MUSE vinyl cutters are LXI 19 and Create Space. Both included MUSE drivers and support a wide range of vector and raster applications. However, neither product comes pre-loaded with vehicle templates. You can purchase vehicle template libraries and import these files into LXI or Create Space. But there’s another option that may be more efficient.
TintTek 2020 is designed specifically for these applications and comes pre-loaded with the industry’s most extensive window tint template library. TintTek 2020 also includes windshield, and paint protection Templates. It’s the final ingredient in the complete MUSE M60 custom automotive solution. TintTek doesn’t include a MUSE vinyl cutter driver, but it can be installed using the same driver patch that works for Flexi 19 and LXI 12. You’ll find it here.
MUSE M60 Window Tint Starter Bundles
To make things easier for aspiring custom auto entrepreneurs, we've created some MUSE M60 starter bundles. The MUSE vinyl cutters have proven to be a big hit with lots of customers. The M60 is especially popular because of its size and versatility. Because of its width, force, and unique media handling properties, it’s a great choice for custom automotive applications such as window tint and paint protection film. Cutting and handling these films can be a challenge. Please use the recommended settings above to shorten the learning curve.
