Turning A Desktop CNC into A Graphics/Vinyl Cutter - STEPCRAFT Drag Knife

In this video, we introduce you to the STEPCRAFT Drag Knife… and we will show you how this little attachment can add so much flexibility to your STEPCRAFT CNC machine.
When you think of owning a CNC machine most people think mainly of cutting woods, plastics and metals… But rarely does anyone think about cutting paper, vinyls, films and foils. That is up until now.
The STEPCRAFT Drag Knife lets you turn your CNC into a fully functional graphics, vinyl, paper and foil cutter.
Thanks to its 43mm casing, it can be quickly and effortlessly installed or removed from the STEPCRAFT - - and if you are using a Quick Release Lever, you can do this without tools.
The Drag Knife features a Roland-compatible blade that is commonly found in commercial-grade vinyl cutting machines. These Blades are available with 30, 45 and 60 degree angles.
The 45 degree blade comes standard with the Drag knife and is good for a wide variety of materials up to .5mm thick, like sign vinyl, construction paper and the like.
The 30 degree blade is good for very thin material like foils, vellum, and thin papers.
And the 60 degree blade is good for thicker materials from .5mm to .8mm thick, like heavy card stocks, thicker vinyls and fancy paper commonly used in scrapbooking.
The blade is held in place magnetic holder and it rides on a ball bearing which allows it to easily and quickly rotate and pivot as the machine moves.
The movement is so smooth… that very precise angles can be achieved, such as this T-shirt. You can notice the very small, highly detailed cut pieces - cuts like this are rarely even possible on a dedicated vinyl cutter unless you get into the higher-end commercial-grade machines.
Many people ask us, “How does the blade know when to turn?” -
if you look closely at the tip of the blade you will notice that the point is slightly offset from the center line. This allows it to trail the cutter as it moves. So when the STEPCRAFT changes direction, the blade will automatically pivot in the direction of the movement.
Another unique feature of the STEPCRAFT Drag knife is the fully adjustable blade depth. By turning the knob at the top of the unit, you can adjust the amount of blade that is exposed from the bottom of the unit, thus controlling how deep the blade cuts into the material.
This is especially important with material like Vinyl, where you might only want to cut through the vinyl itself and not through the backing paper.
The entire blade unit is spring-loaded so that constant pressure can be applied to the blade at all times.
From Signs, to T-shirts - Crafts, to school projects… the Drag knife can expand the capabilities of the STEPCRAFT CNC systems, giving you the functionality, accuracy and flexibility that you could only realize by having separate, dedicated machines.
This $139.00 Add-on is a fraction of the price of both hobby and commercial vinyl cutting machines. This is another reason why STEPCRAFT machines are known around the world for their flexibility, accuracy and most of all quality.
For More Information on the Drag knife or any other STEPCRAFT products, please call us at 203-556-1856 or visit www.stepcraft.us or you can email us at [e-mail]

[@bentebrunsvelt319]

Nice video
Thanks from holland

[@SPS625]

Drag knife can be used with 3rd gen D series machines?

[@bemccune7671]

Really wonder if if could cut
leather with this 🤔

[@amazoncanvas]

Does the toolpath need to be modified for the knife to swivel and cut sharp corner like the Donek drag knife? For Vectric software, do you need to use the drag knife gadget?

[@nozirohsystems2204]

I want to know this as well... I use Sheetcam with Mach 3 post processor on my router. Would love to try this.

[@StepcraftInc]

No, the knife is not as large as on the Donek, so it does not require swivel tool paths to pivot. It works with a standard profile (on the line) tool path

[@TheRainHarvester]

@@StepcraftInc are you saying any gcode for cutting will work? Like a freecad/inkscape generated tool path?

[@luigigalasso176]

Salve. Puo tagliare fogli guarnizione abestofree. Da 1 mm di spessore ?

[@isaacfardig371]

What software are you using? And what parameters have to be changed for the knife?

[@StepcraftInc]

we are using Vectric software - VCarve or Cut 2D - just create an end mill tool with a .004" cut diameter and setup your cut on the lines.

[@nacefsofiene4828]

helo thank you for the video...can this work with any CNC router and how to configure it?

[@StepcraftInc]

Yes it could. You would need to make a tool holder for your CNC that has a 43mm diameter hole to attach the drag knife. Then you simply use your CAM software to cut on the line of the vectors.

[@nacefsofiene4828]

@@StepcraftInc thank you ... please, where to find the knifes replacement and what is the price of this drag Knife?

[@StepcraftInc]

The blades are here: www.stepcraft.us/shop?search=replacement+blade
The knife is here: www.stepcraft.us/shop/product/10021-drag-knife-110?search=drag

[@Tate1R]

Where can we get 30 and 60 degree as well as replacement 45 degree blades? I want to experiment with other materials.

[@StepcraftInc]

www.stepcraft.us/shop?search=blade

[@giostourista]

if the material i want to cut is 2mm thick?

[@baiatour2227]

How to remove a remplacement knife from Drag knife ?

[@berlisecoleman7558]

what software do you use?

[@StepcraftInc]

This was done with Vectric V Carve (desktop or pro - does not matter)

[@nozirohsystems2204]

We use Sheetcam with Mach 3 post process on our router. Will that work with this device?