Guaranteed Way to Get Bad Cuts with Silhouette CAMEO 3 AutoBlade (And How to Fix It)

One of the most common issues from Silhouette CAMEO beginners is that their CAMEO 3 Autoblade is cutting through the vinyl (or other material) and the backing.  The same goes for the Portrait 2 Autoblade.

In most cases there are two quick fixes that will fix the issue and get you cutting successfully in a hurry.

The first thing you want to do is make sure that the firmware on your Silhouette CAMEO 3 is updated.  Unfortunately, with the CAMEO 3 this is something that needs to be done out of the box.  You can download and complete the firmware update from the Silhouette America website.

If your Silhouette Autoblade continues to cut through the vinyl, it's very likely due to the way the Autoblade is seated in the tool carriage.  When the blade is not fully seated in the tool carriage - meaning there is a gap (even a small one) - it actually cuts too deep.

It would seem that if the blade is not fully pressed down, how could it actually cut too deep? But what's happening is - when the blade is not fully pressed and locked down into the carriage, the blade depth can't be actually be adjusted. This is because the blade mechanism needs to be tapped to adjust the blade depth, but if it's too high up in the carriage, it's not far down enough to tap... therefore the blade itself is not being adjusted to the correct depth leaving too much blade exposed which means it cuts too deep. Whew...

So while it seems opposite of logical, pushing the blade down further into the carriage will actually prevent the blade from cutting too deep.  Even the smallest of gaps can cause a problem....

The blade should be sitting like this....with no gaps at all.

Watch this video and keep an eye on the red line marking the blade depth and you'll see that when the blade is NOT pressed down the blade is not being adjusted. But when the blade is fully seated in the carriage, the red line is moving indicating the blade depth is changing.

Updating the firmware and ensuring that the blade is correctly and fully seated in the carriage will almost always fix a Silhouette CAMEO 3 Autoblade that's cutting too deep.
 
Note: This post may contain affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing products through my links, I receive a small commission. That's what helps fund Silhouette School so I can keep buying new Silhouette-related products to show you how to get the most out of your machine!

Get Silhouette School lessons delivered to your email inbox! Select Once Daily or Weekly.

Subscribe Here!

 

SaveSave