Black Cat Cougar Digital Cutter

[pnolan48]

Just bought a 13" Black Cat Cougar cutter and picked it up on my way from Decatur AL to Oxford OH. This is a $750 cutter that I hope will cut completely through styrene, making kits possible. Will try to set it up tomorrow and cut a superstructure or two. I know it will cut completely through, but will have to learn (carefully) how to do that best. It has about three times the cutting force of the Silhouette SD, and much a much deeper cutting depth (up to 3mm or so in some materials, compared to 0.3mm with the Silhouette).

[Dave Schneider]

If nothing else it has a cooler name. However, this probably means that cougar ads will be here to stay!

Best wishes, Dave

[pnolan48]

If nothing else it has a cooler name. However, this probably means that cougar ads will be here to stay!

Best wishes, Dave

Well, the last time I posted a public Google photo of my n-scale model 142' Santa Fe tug, I got personalized ads for zillion dollar yachts for sale in Monaco.

I will try to post the "official" announcement, with all the specs and new lower price, of the Santa Fe tugs and barges, tomorrow afternoon. But these 450 miles runs between Alabama and Ohio, through 300 miles of pretty heavy traffic, are wearing me out, as I am now the sole driver. As is transporting gear and tools back and forth between the houses.

[sirenwerks]

They probably threw the "cougar" in to attract the female clientele.

[Scottl]

Bumping this to see how it is working.  Anything to report?

[pnolan48]

Yes. It requires a bit of fiddling to make the correct depth of cut, and the interface with Sure Cuts A Lot software (SCAL) probably isn't as sophisticated as some. SCAL on a Mac cuts only svg files, which is not a big deal for me, as Illustrator can produce svg (Scalable Vector Graphics)Otherwise great. Easily cuts .020 styrene. Unfortunately I could not bring it down to Alabama with me, so I won't get back to it until February. It is a LOT bigger and heavier than the Silhouette, which I did bring with me to cut prototypes. Just a completely different class of cutter.

[Scottl]

OK, thanks for the update.  That sounds promising- I suppose a larger unit is consistent with greater cutting force.

[Dave Schneider]

Pete,

Question about the cutting blade. I looked at their web site and they have blades that cut at an angle (like for producing mats for photos). Does yours make a vertical cut? Also, does it swivel like the Silhouette blade?

Best wishes, Dave

[pnolan48]

Dave,

I haven't noticed any blades that cut anything but vertical. They do offer blades with different angles from the point (i.e., 30 degrees, 45, 60) for different materials, and also different lengths.

I haven't had that much experience with the cutter, as I had it only a week or so before coming down to Alabama. Unlike the Silhouette, blade depth is set manually, as is the height the blade holder rides about the material, and the starting point for the cut. Much different software and different philosophy.

I'm not sure how the blade swivels. It's held in place by a magnet, and there seems not to be a mechanism to swivel it as in the Silhouette. I haven't really looked yet.

[pnolan48]

Having a few teething problems with the BlackCat. I had a few with the Silhouette SD at first. Hope to resolve them in a day or two.

[pnolan48]

Still having a problem with the cutting mat slipping, making cuts askew. I think I'm having the same infeed-outfeed problem I had with the Silhouette because I'm cutting such long pieces (minimum 24"). I've cut up a new batch of styrene, and will be cutting all weekend, trying different depths, speeds and pressures. Until I get this right, I won't be able to make kits for the bigger ships. Getting frustrated with software glitches and still unexplained skewing of cuts. Documentation is--well--minimal.

[pnolan48]

Got it sorted out--an undocumented requirement for longer blade (for deep cuts) was causing some major drift. Am cutting like crazy today. Because it cuts all the way through, prices will drop quite a bit.

[pnolan48]

If you want to cut a 2 x 3 mm rectangle in the middle of a 4 x 6 mm rectangle, in 0.5 mm styrene, this is the cutter to have. Mounting round masts isn't much of a problem--drill a hole. Mounting a modern rectangular mast? Cut a rectangular hole in the deck, then cut a mounting plate as above. I'm getting impressed.

[Dave Schneider]

Thanks for the update Pete. I am still pleased with the Silhouette, but it is good to hear what a bigger machine can do.

Best wishes, Dave

[pnolan48]

Dave,

I still use the Silhouette--a lot! I'm on a Mac, with older Adobe software (Creative Suite 2) which the Silhouette supports directly. The BlackCat software does not, so I am going through the .svg conversion of files, then through Sure Cuts A Lot (SCAL) software. When I just want to scribe stuff, like ribs on a surface, or have outlines that I can scribe and then snap, the Silhouette is better. But when I have to cut clear through 0.5 mm (.020") styrene, then it's the BlackCat. I'm told the BlackCat will cut through .040 styrene, and might try that with Plastruct ribbed stock soon.

The BlackCat is a BIG machine compared to the Silhouette. But styrene is not the easiest stuff to cut clear through, as it tends to spring up and foul the cutter. I'll be using bigger doses of sticky (repositional adhesive?) in the future.

The BlackCat is not for the faint of heart when cutting heavy stuff. But then, what else will cut it, esecially at $750?