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Text, photos and video by Tom Hintz
Posted – 2-3-2019
The Cricut Maker™ first caught my attention for making iron-on, vinyl lettering for FlyingRC.net Protector Sets. The fact that it also cuts outdoor, adhesive-backed vinyl did not escape the RC side of my brain. I would find that it can also cut common shrink coverings used on our RC planes and much more.
Now, with nearly a year of use in my shop the decision to buy the multi-purpose Cricut Maker™, EasyPress and Bright Pad is looking smarter all the time. The only drawback is that I keep finding more things the Cricut Maker™ can do and that keeps me experimenting when there are other things that need doing in the shop. Suffice it to say I am thoroughly impressed with the Cricut Maker™ and its related equipment.
The Cricut Maker™ is a CNC-type (computer numerically controlled) machine that uses stepper motors to tightly control the movement of cutting and drawing tools. The accuracy and repeatability with which the Cricut Maker™ works is remarkable, especially at this price point.
The Cricut Maker™ is at the top of the Cricut line and cuts paper crafts, iron-on vinyl, adhesive-backed vinyl, fabrics, leather (light) crafts, balsa woods and even thin light ply. You get a rotary cutter for fabrics like the hand-held versions that are so popular in sewing today. You can use special pens to draw shapes and lettering, also with precision. An extra-deep blade cuts heavier material like 2.4mm (3/32”) balsa wood, chipboard and mat board, usually in multiple passes. Thanks to the tight precision of the Cricut Maker™ those repetitive cuts do not wander or expand the cut line appreciably.
The Cricut Maker™ can enhance many types of projects with hundreds of digital patterns available. The Cricut Maker™ does all the labor-intensive cutting and lets you focus on completing the project. You can also upload your own designs in a variety of standard file formats.
There is a free (download) cloud-based software program, Cricut Design Space, that lets you design your own project, on your computer, in a user-friendly format. Using USB connectivity (Wi-Fi is also available) the design is processed and sent directly to the Cricut Maker™ for cutting. The workspace tools and controls are like many graphics programs and that lowers the learning curve dramatically. Cricut Design Space also allows you to access projects, fonts and shapes, the number of which can be substantially expanded with a subscription.
A nice feature of this program is that you get an accurate representation of the fonts and shapes on the computer screen. What you see is precisely aligned with the on-screen grid so you know how your design will look and how it fits in the space you are working with. This on-screen grid matches the grids on the cutting mats so you can place the material precisely and use smaller pieces to save on waste.
The projects you create within the Design Space can be saved publicly to share with others or privately so only you have access. Later you can tweak your designs as needed to fit a new project. I like that I have such total control now and later of my work and how that saves time when that design is needed.
The EasyPress is essentially a high-tech iron (120V) but with huge advantages over the best of the clothes-pressing (distant) cousins. Once again, the purpose designed tool is the right one for the job.
The EasyPress displays the selectable temperature (up to 350-degrees) and the “press” time that you enter according to the material being applied and the material to which it is being applied. The countdown timer makes it easy to use the proper amount of press-time.
The EasyPress features a large, always-cool handle, a safety base that protects the table surface from the heat and an auto shutoff for when you aren’t paying attention. The 9” by 9”, ceramic-coated sole plate makes working with larger projects fast but precise. Many iron-on projects can be adhered in 60-seconds or less, most in the 30-second range. The included chart provides suggested temperature settings and time settings. Having used the Cricut EasyPress for a nearly a year I appreciate the benefits of this purpose-designed tool.
Though I initially doubted the necessity of the Cricut Bright Pad I quickly learned to appreciate the impact this adjustable light has on weeding vinyl without damage to the portions to be applied. The brightness is adjustable to best fit the task at hand. This is a 120V light with a thin body and flat surface that can also be helpful for tracing images. Once you start using the Cricut Bright Pad you will appreciate all the costly mistakes you don’t make when weeding, particularly smaller-sized projects.
Cricut developed a line of special cutting mats with various strength adhesives that make holding specific materials easier. These are “self-healing” mats like those used with hand-held rotary cutters. The mats have a grid with dimensions shown along the edges that make placing material correctly simple. The grid matches that shown in the Design Space so when you design a project and place it correctly on the screen, the Cricut Maker™ cuts it in the same position on the mat. The precision with which this happens is a little spooky, but it is consistent and makes it easy to use the amount of material needed with very little waste which saves overall cost.
The mats are available in 12 by 12” and 12” by 24” versions, with adhesive “tack” properties designed for working with specific materials. These mats do get contaminated with dust etc and begin to lose their tack, but they can be cleaned several times using many common household surface cleaners and a scraper that Cricut also sells. I must admit that I was skeptical of this cleaning process, but it really does work and extends the life of the mats a bunch.
I found that these cutting mats work well with iron-on vinyl, adhesive-backed vinyl, fabrics and even Monokote-type coverings used in RC. I had to use low-tack painters’ tape to lift the covering material from the cutting mats after cutting and weeding to maintain the alignment of the letters on the way to the plane. Using a heat iron part of the covering was adhered before removing the low-tack tape and ironing down the remaining portion of the covering design.
In this Review I show the process of making an iron-on vinyl design. Soon we will show making stick-on vinyl designs and a couple other project types this system is capable of. I can say now that the Cricut Maker™ and related equipment work great and continue to be an important part of my shop.
The simplicity of the Design Space software along with the on-screen accuracy of the grid make sizing the project for the space available a virtual no-brainer. Because we get to see the actual font on screen as it will be cut, getting the design right before using up materials is easy. That is also a huge time saver as we can get the “do overs” done before sending the job to the cutter.
When using a product for Review I try to watch for the little complications that can create frustrations but with the Cricut Maker™ I literally found nothing other than my not reading the instructions for a procedure. Even during the learning process, I have wasted very little material or time. Pay attention and professional-level results are all but assured.
While the Cricut Maker™ is not going to replace the high end graphics dedicated companies can create for us this equipment gives us a freedom to design graphics for our projects. Keep in mind that I have not tried everything these machines are capable of. Their versatility is almost as amazing as the accuracy of the work they produce.
As with anything that works great, saves us time and/or money the Cricut Maker™ equipment is not as cheap as we might like. However, to me, it is cost effective, especially if I consider my time and the efficient flow of work to get a project completed.
The Cricut Maker™ cost me $349.99 (11-15-2018), the Cricut Bright Pad $59.00 (11-15-2018) and the Cricut EasyPress $129.99 (11-15-2018). While buying this set of machines is a financial hit to the budget, I think the productivity they afford me is worth that investment. Though I have been using these machines for nearly a year now, I have yet to find a wear point in anything but the expected consumables such as cutting blades. Even those cutters last far longer than I anticipated which makes my cost-per-use more than reasonable.
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