Roll Cutter Troubleshooting

• Set the cut length to a value greater than zero.
• Make sure O-rings are in contact with the material.
• If one side of the material is slippery, try flipping the roll.
• Test a roll with less material on it or create a small test by curling up a few feet.
• Try reducing the acceleration and speed settings to 1 (to start).
• If the drive/O-ring bar is not turning:
  • Turn off power and verify the feed motor cable is connected.
  • Try to advance material manually via the Jog menu and the arrow buttons.
  • Remove the drive/O-ring bar and check if the insert at the left end is slipping (if so, affix it with CA).
  • If you connected or disconnected the feed motor cable with power on, the motor driver may be damaged – contact support.

• Set Width to 0 to avoid wasting material while testing feed settings.
• Decrease YSpeed and YAccel settings to 1 as a test.
• Turn off power and unthread the material. Make sure the rotating bars are not pressing against the side panels, causing friction.
• Reducing the number of O-rings will slightly reduce the resistance to the feed motor.
• You can turn up the power on the motor drivers slightly. You will need a small flathead screwdriver. Caution: Making adjustments with power on can blow the drivers.
  1. Disconnect power.
  2. Open the controller carefully.
  3. Flex the box sides out a bit to remove the cover.
  4. Locate the small potentiometer on the red driver PCB closer to the black piezo buzzer.
  5. Notice the flat area of the pot pointing to R2.
  6. Gently turn it clockwise 45° from there.
  7. Reassemble the controller.
  8. Attach power.
• If your model has the 2-inch-long feed motor connected to the drive/O-ring bar, consider upgrading to the larger feed motor.
• Sending a photo and preferably a video to support can help diagnose.

• Remove any non-smooth section of material.

• Check that you followed Changing Material Rolls.

• Push the carriage to the far left. Turn the drive/O-ring bar slowly so the material edge is under the rear hold-down strip. Then slowly turn the drive/O-ring bar to advance the material while watching what the material is catching on. If the material is catching on the front square bar, try swapping it with the rear square bar or shimming the rear square bar at the underside of each end, using a layer or two of tape. If material is catching on the front hold-down strip, verify that:

  • The front hold-down strip has an upwards bend 2.25 inches from the left end.

  • The front hold-down strip bows up slightly with the carriage far left, creating a small gap for the material to pass through. If not, carefully increase the bend 2.25 inches from the left end. 

  • Remove the strip and lay it on a table. Check that the height of the top of the left end of the front hold-down strip is ~5/16″ (8mm) above the table.

• See Adjusting the Carriage Clamp.

• For very thin or flimsy material, the weight of the rear hold-down strip may be too much. 

  • Try shimming the rear hold-down strip ~2″ to the left and right of the material edge with a few layers of 1/2″ transparent tape. 

  • Try adding a slight bend to the rear hold-down strip, similar to but less than the front hold-down strip - by bending the strip over a table edge.

• Try lowering Y acceleration and/or speed.
• Try removing the washer between the roll support bar and one of the bearings to increase friction. 
• Consider using the brake accessory 

• Position the O-rings to divide the material 2/5 – 1/5 – 2/5 instead of the normal thirds.

• Clean the O-rings and the drive/O-ring bar to remove oil that can transfer from skin when handling. Use mild dish soap and water. Dry thoroughly.
• Wrap some 1/2″ tape around the drive/O-ring bar on the appropriate side of the O-ring(s) to block movement.
• Put double-stick tape on the drive/O-ring bar and place the O-ring on the tape.

• If Length is far off, check these menu values:
  • Settings | Unit: select the desired unit of measure for the Length value.
  • Settings | Adjust: start at 5000.
  • Hardware | Gear: 5 for the 5-inch-long feed motor, or 1 (not 2) for the 2-inch-long motor.
  • Hardware | X Micro: 4.
  • Hardware | Y Micro: 4.
  • Hardware | Pulley: 16.
• In the User Guide, see the section on adjusting the length. 
• Set YSpeed and YAccel to 1 initially – you can raise them after adjusting. Changing the setting can slightly affect the length so you may need to recalibrate. 
• If material is sagging between the roll and the hold-down strips, lower YSpeed and/or YAccel or try the Brake accessory.
• O-rings:
  • Check if the O-rings are slipping on the material or the drive/O-ring bar by placing a small mark on an O-ring, the drive/O-ring bar, and the material. Monitor what happens after advancing the material. Set Width to 0 during the test to avoid using material. If slipping, place a narrow strip of double-sided tape on the drive/O-ring bar under each O-ring.
  • Adding an extra O-ring can improve grip and accuracy. 
  • Clean the O-rings and the drive/O-ring bar with dish soap and water to remove any oil. Dry thoroughly.
  • Consider using double-stick tape between the drive/O-ring bar and the O-rings.
• Make sure the roll support bar is not rubbing against the frame and can turn freely.

• See above “Length is not accurate or changes over time”.
• Consider the optical sensor accessory. 

The configuration and condition of the thin hold-down strips is essential for proper operation of the cutter. The cutter will not work properly if the strips are modified or installed incorrectly according to the assembly instructions. Do not bend or change the bend of the 1/2 x 1/16" metal hold-down strips. 

The front strip nearest you has an angled notch and a slight bend 2.75" from the notched end (models 36 inch and larger also have a very slight curve in the opposite direction). The bend at 2.75" must be positioned at the left end and ramp up, not down. The bend at 2.75" raises the front strip to let material feed thru when the carriage returns to the far left. 

The rear strip has no notch and usually no bend (though very thin material configurations may have a very slight bend at 2.75"). 

If you intentionally or accidentally changed the location, orientation or bend configuration you will need to restore the original shape and orientation or replace the strips.

• Disconnect power and then verify that the carriage motor cable is connected.

• If the carriage motor is turning but not the pulley, tighten the pulley set screw (one screw should be tightened against the shaft flat). Consider using a thread lock on the set screw threads.

• If you connected or disconnected the carriage motor cable with power on, the motor driver may be damaged – contact support.

• If stalling began after many cuts, see Rotate or Replace the Blade.
• If stalling occurs during return to the far left, the bend on the hold-down strip may be too steep.
• Try reducing XAccel and/or XSpeed.
• If material is not staying flat during the cut, see Material Jam when Cutting.
• See Belt Tension.
• See Changing Material Rolls about the clamp position on the roll support bar.
• Gently pull up ~1/10″ on each carriage arm to verify that there is down pressure from the springs.
• Ensure the rear and front hold-down strips are not deformed (except for the factory bend).
• Verify that the material is not above the max thickness – see Specifications on the product page.
• Remove any creases or wrinkles in the roll material. 
• After trying all other troubleshooting options, you can turn up the power on the motor drivers a bit. Disconnect power. Open the controller carefully – you will need to flex the box sides out a bit to remove the cover. Locate the small potentiometer on the driver closer to the piezo buzzer. Notice the flat area of the pot pointing to R2. Turn it clockwise 45° from there. Reassemble. Attach power. Caution: Making adjustments with power on can blow the drivers.

• While troubleshooting this section, it is recommended to set material length and width to one inch so you can focus on the start of the cut.
• If the carriage is not returning to touch the left panel, see Adjust Carriage Clamp.
• See Changing Material Rolls about the roll support bar clamp positions.
• Gently pull up ~1/10″ on each carriage arm to verify that there is down pressure from the springs.
• Ensure the rear and front hold-down strips are not deformed (except for the factory bend).
• Try shifting the material roll to the right by a half inch.
• See Belt Tension.
• Verify that your material is not above the max thickness – see “Specifications” on the product page.
• Remove any creases or wrinkles in the roll material.
• Replace a dull blade with a sharp one – see Replace Blade.
• Try changing the O-ring positions or quantity.
• Use the included O-ring alignment tool to straighten the O-rings.
• Try switching from the rotating blade to the fixed blade by moving the bolt, nut and blade to the fixed blade holder. 

• Check the Width setting and the unit of measure (Inch, mm, etc).

• See Adjusting the Carriage Clamp to ensure the carriage returns far left after a cut.

• Make sure the roll support bar is not reversed – see Changing Material Rolls

• For models shipped after 8/16/25, increase the Eject setting. 

• For models shipped after 8/16/25, use the Eject menu to set a value typically 2 mm. This will help push the cut sheet away from the cut path to prevent contact with the blade on return of the carriage.
• For models shipped after 8/1/25, the provided fixed blade assembly can create a cleaner cut on some types of material, but may have a slightly shorter blade life. See How to install the optional provided fixed blade assembly. Contact support for earlier models.

• Make sure the roll clamps are tight enough to constrain the roll position (but don’t strip the threads).

• Make sure the roll clamps are tight enough to stop movement of the roll on the roll support bar.
• You can save material and time while troubleshooting feed issues by setting Width to 0 or using the Jog menu.
• Test with Speed and Accel set to 1 to remove slippage as a factor.
• Use an engineering triangle to verify that the material starts with its edge 90 deg to the square bars.
• If the material is drifting right, try more O-rings to combat cut pressure.
• Try fewer O-rings down to as little as one.
• For firm material, try installing the provided fence which clamps onto the rear fixed bar to block lateral material movement. 
• Use a stack of business or playing cards to verify that the gap between the drive/O-ring bar and feed idler bar is uniform from left to right. If not, loosen the feed motor screws, shift the motor and retighten.
• If the misalignment happens only when cutting, try adding 3/8″ electrical tape to the bottom of the hold-down strips to increase friction.
• If you have the Extension accessory, mounting it backwards will move the roll further from the O-rings which can help with alignment. 
• Send a video to support or set up a webcam and request a call.

See above “material drifts out of alignment with the roll”.

• Place the cutter near the edge of a table or raise the cutter up to leverage gravity.
• Flip the roll upside down on the support bar.

• Set roll width to 0. 
• Set Y speed and acceleration to 1 during troubleshooting. 
• Use the Jog menu.

• Use the Jog menu without cutting to determine whether the problem is caused by feeding or cutting. 
• If the problem is cutting: 
  • Try a new blade.
  • If you are using the fixed, non-rotating blade, try the rotating blade.
• If the problem is feeding:
  • Use the provided O-ring alignment tool to remove any tilt.
  • Try moving the O-rings together, next to each other in the center of the material.
  • If the problem happens after the O-rings move, try adding one layer of double-stick tape on the drive bar under the O-rings to better adhere the O-rings to the bar.

• Remove the roll. Remove the roll bar. Remove the bearing on one end and reassemble without the washer. That will increase friction of the bearing. Then insert a screw into the provided hole in the roll cap so that it presses against the clamp, thereby turning the roll bar. If needed, remove the washer on the other end of the bar as well. If that does not provide enough friction, consider the Brake accessory on the website.

• Remove the bar. 
• Remove the screw from the bar but not from the bearing. 
• Apply a fraction of a drop of CA (superglue – medium viscosity preferred) or thread-lock to the threads but don’t get any on the bearing. 
• Screw back into the bar. (On 2025 models leave about one thread loose so the bearing turns freely.) 
• Let the glue set. 
• Mount the bar back onto the cutter.

• Slide them into place far left so the strips are properly seated in the left panel and blocked from sliding out of the right panel.
• For units shipped after 7/15/25, lift the strip up in the middle about one inch and down at the right end so the strip locks into the recess in the right panel.

• Check that the front strip has a notch or chamfer and a slight bend 3 inches from the end. 
• When placed flat on a table, the gap from the table to the far left tip should be about 6mm for 12 & 24″ models, 7mm for 36″ model, 11mm for larger models. If the bend is off, carefully adjust at the edge of a table. 
• For 36-60" models, if you hold the notch loosely between two fingers and let the strip dangle below, you should see a very gentle curve in the opposite direction of the sharp bend. If the gentle curve is off, contact support as trying to correct this without experience can make it harder to repair.

• Unplug the power cord from the console and then plug it in again.

• Verify the outlet is functional using a known-working device.
• Verify that the power supply is labeled 12VDC, 1A, center-positive.
• If you have a voltmeter, check for 12VDC at the power pack connector. If not 12 VDC, contact support.
• Plugging the power pack in with the toggle switch on can lead to an invalid startup state. Use this startup sequence:
  1. Disconnect the power cord from the controller.
  2. Set the controller toggle switch off (towards the metal frame).
  3. Wait 5 seconds.
  4. Plug the power pack into the wall first.
  5. Plug the 12V connector into the controller.
  6. Set the toggle switch on (away from the metal frame), then press the X reset button.
• You should hear 3 beeps and the display should show "Krexil" and then "Length".
• If you hear any beeps or see anything on the screen, contact support with what you see.
• If the screen remains fully dark and no beeps are heard:
  1. Disconnect the power cord from the controller.
  2. Remove the 4 retaining screws and carefully remove the enclosure. 
  3. For the cable coming from the belt motor, notice there are 4 small windows on the side of the connector - write down which way they are facing. Then remove the connector by pulling on the connector, not the wire. Do the same for the cable coming from the feed motor. 
  4. Return the power pack, main PCB and button panel to the address shown in the website footer to attention Repair Dept and include your return address. Products purchased less than one year ago will be repaired at no cost under warrantee.

• Try connecting a temporary ground wire from any bare metal part of the cutter frame to a known earth ground (e.g. the ground screw on a wall outlet cover plate). A simple alligator clip is fine. After doing this, touch the metal frame once before handling the roll. This gives static charge a safe path to ground. 
• If the room air is very dry, increasing humidity can help.