Gantry Replacement: CMC 8500e

NEVER SKIP AHEAD ON ANY STEP! Your Head may vary from model shown, but the connections are the same.

Never pull/push on the Drive Shaft to move the Gantry. Use the Gantry Arm to Move/Pick up the Gantry.

Do not pick up the Head using only the Blade Depth knob or the Head Cover. Pick up the Head by holding the “D-Shaped” Upper and Lower Head Plates.

Turn the shut off valve on the Blue airline, and unplug the Blue airline by untwisting the Blue Air Fittings.

Turn the bottom locking knob Clockwise to loosen.

Turn the top locking knob Counter-Clockwise to loosen.

Slide the Straight Line Trimmer off of the Board and set aside in a safe place.

Click Reset Motors button to turn off power to the motors. Remove the Blade Cartridge from the Head. Turn off the Air.

Remove the plastic hood from the lower part of the Gantry by unscrewing the screw that holds it in place and set aside.

Move the Gantry to the right side of the Board until the footblock is off the Board.

Look at the right side of the Head and locate the Head Grabber Arm (on the right side of Gantry just above the Head). Unconnect the Head Power Plug (square connection) from the Head Grabber Arm.

Disconnect the Air from the Head Grabber Arm by untwisting the two Air Fittings.

Remove the two 5/32” screws from the Head Grabber Arm and set aside, taking care to support the Head so that it doesn’t roll/fall off the Gantry.

Pull the Head slowly to the bottom of the Gantry until it comes away from the Gantry and carefully set aside.

Remove the 3/16” Stop Screw from the left Bottom Rail (located on the top of the Bottom Rail) and set aside.

Remove the 5/32” Allen Screws and washers from the lower Gantry Plate. These were placed here to assist in removing the Gantry.

You will have one of two models of the Gantry. You will either have two airlines, or one airline and a Clamp Valve; both models have the Board Cable connection.

Look for Red Dots (only these screws are to be adjusted).

Disconnect the airlines to the Gantry by untwisting the air fittings.

Disconnect the Board Cable by turning the Black Locking Ring until it comes away from the Gantry.

Disconnect the Clamp Valve Plug (if applicable) from the top of the Gantry by grasping it and gently pulling/separating it from the matching Clamp Valve Plug on the Gantry.

The Clamp Valve Plug is unplugged.

Loosen one full turn only the 3/16” Allen Belt Tensioner Screw from the right bottom side of the lower Rail marked with a red dot.

Only loosen it enough so that there is some movement in the Belt Tensioner; about one full turn.

Belt Tensioner springs should be visible.

WARNING: Make sure you do not over loosen this screw. One full turn is usually sufficient.

Locate the hole on the end of the Belt Tensioner for the 5/32” Allen Screw.

Place the 5/32” Allen Screw and washer into the Belt Tensioner hole.

Tighten it until Belt Tensioner is flush with the rail and the springs are not visible.

Go back and tighten the 3/16” Allen Belt Tensioner Screw from the right bottom side of the lower Rail marked with a red dot.

Lift the Toothed Belt End out of the slot/recess of the Belt Tensioner Slot.

You may need to push the Toothed Belt End a bit to the right in order to get a hold of it.

Wind up the Toothed Belt, and rubberband it.

Repeat steps 1 through 9 with the upper Rail.

Move the Gantry slightly to the left to dislodge the Belt Anchors that are sunk into the left ends of the top and bottom Rails, to which the Toothed Belts are attached. If they are in your way, lay the Belt Anchors over the Toothed Belt and rubberband them together.

The Belt Anchors will be dislodged.

Grasp the Gantry on the bottom and along the Gantry Arm and gently roll the Gantry off the Rails on the left side of the Board and set aside. A second person can stand in front of the Board, grasping the Gantry at the bottom and along the Gantry Arm, if you need two people. The Gantry only weighs about 30 lbs, but it is large and awkward.

NEVER SKIP AHEAD ON ANY STEP!

Before installation, look at the bottom set of Gantry wheels. The bottom wheels are spring-loaded, the top wheels are on a center-pivot.

Move the top set of wheels as needed for ease of installation (picture shows Gantry being put on Rail from back).

Before installation, look at the top set of Gantry wheels. Both sets of wheels are spring-loaded.

Wheels may need to be eased over the Rails (picture shows Gantry being put on Rail from back).

Hold the Gantry near the left side of the Board and line up the upper then lower wheels of the Gantry to the center channel of the rails.

NOTE: Installation is easier if you line up the upper wheels first, then slide the lower wheels onto the Rail. Sometimes having a second person for this step helps a lot.

Carefully ease the Gantry onto the left side of the Rails, taking care that all the wheels line up. Make sure that the Toothed Belt lies within the channel on either side and is not pinched between the Gantry and the Rail. Upper and lower Gantry ends must be slid on at the same time.

Roll Gantry past where the Stop Screw was removed. Replace the 3/16” Stop Screw into the left Bottom Rail. Roll the Gantry to the far right of the Board and back to the left to make sure it moves smoothly.

On the left side of the Board, slide the Belt Anchor into place.

Lightly pull on the coiled Toothed Belt toward the right to take up the slack which puts the Belt Anchor flush with the end of the Board.

Loosely lay the rolled up Toothed Belt along the Rail channel.

If necessary, rotate the Toothed Pulley so that the red mark is on the top.

Line up the red mark of the Toothed Belt to the red mark of the Toothed Pulley; this may require moving the Gantry a bit in either direction. Pull Toothed Belt on the right to take up slack.

Do not move the Gantry after red marks line up.

Remove the rubberband from the Toothed Belt and pull the loose Belt End to the right, making sure that the Toothed Belt is not twisted and that the teeth are facing down toward the Board into the Rail channel.

Slide the screw of the Belt End into the Belt Tensioner slot.

Click the screw of the Belt End into the Belt Tensioner slot into the slot/recess on the end. Go back and make sure red lines are still lined up.

Locate 5/32” Allen Screw on Belt Tensioner. Remove the 5/32” Allen Screw and washer from the Belt Tensioner and set aside.

Leave the Gantry where it is.

Loosen one full turn only the 3/16” Allen Belt Tensioner Screw from the right bottom side of the lower Rail marked with a red dot. The Belt Tensioner should spring fully into place.

WARNING: Make sure you do not over loosen this screw. One full turn is usually sufficient.

The belt tensioner should spring fully into place.

Repeat steps 1 through 11 with the upper Rail.

Place the Allen Screws and washers removed from the Belt Tensioner into the lower Gantry Plate in the holes provided. These multi-purpose Allen Screws will be used during the lifetime of your Wizard, so it is important to place them here. Only screw in enough until the screw slightly protrudes from bottom of plate.

Go back and snugly tighten the 3/16” Allen Belt Tensioner Screw from the right bottom side of the lower Rail and the right bottom side of the upper Rail marked with a red dot.

Keep the Gantry on the right edge of the Board.

Point the Head so that the footblock faces toward the Board and the wheels are close to the bottom of the Gantry. Line up the wheels on the Head to the center channels of the Gantry arm. Ease the Head onto the Gantry.

Roll the Head up on the Gantry until it lines up to the Head Grabber Arm (attached to the right side of the Gantry).

NOTE: If you are installing the Head and having difficulty getting the Head Wheels onto the Gantry, see “Head Wheel Adjustment” further below.

Make sure that the Head and the Head Grabber Arm line up together neatly to ensure correct fitting. Replace the two 5/32” screws by making sure they go into both the Head and into the Head Grabber Arm then tighten firmly.

Connect the Air to the Head by twisting the two Air Fittings together, matching colors.

Connect the Head Power Plug (square connection) to the Head Grabber Arm.

Lift the Head up carefully from the Board as you roll the Gantry to the left so that the footblock does not strike the side of the Board.

Reinstall the bottom hood onto the lower part of the Gantry, replacing the screw you removed earlier.

Turn on the Air.

You have installed the Head.

IMPORTANT: PROCEED TO HEAD WHEEL ADJUSTMENT INSTRUCTIONS after reinstalling the Straight Line Trimmer, which is located further below.

NOTE: A Blade is probably still installed, so take care when handling the Straight Line Trimmer.

Look at the backside of the Trimmer and locate the T-Nut on the glides. Make sure that the T-Nut lines up with the glide on both the upper and lower sections of the Trimmer.

Holding the Straight Line Trimmer steady (a second person helps here), carefully slide the Trimmer onto the channels on the right side of the Board, making sure that the T-Nuts slide into the channel of both the upper and lower rails.

Move the Straight Line Trimmer to the right until it stops.

Slowly tighten the bottom locking knob COUNTER-CLOCKWISE until it is snug.

Slowly tighten the top locking knob CLOCKWISE until it is snug.

Plug in the Blue Connector airline from the ST 500 into the Blue shut off valve on the “Y” Connector.

Turn on the Blue shut off valve on the “Y” connector to turn on the air.

Be VERY CAREFUL when connecting the large Board Cable. Align the four in-line pins carefully before applying pressure to plug them in. If forced in incorrectly, they WILL cause malfunction of the Wizard Mat Cutting system.

The Board Cable connects the driver pack to the Gantry. The driver pack is the shoebox-sized peripheral with a round plug that the Board Cable plugs into.

Connect the large Board Cable to back of the driver pack by aligning the four in-line pins and turning the locking ring until it “seats itself” and locks into place.

Connect the other end of the Board Cable to the back of the Gantry in the same manner.

Move the Gantry to the far right of the Board and back to make sure the Board Cable does NOT get caught on anything. If the Board Cable is obstructed, this WILL affect your cuts.

Look at the Serial Number of your Board, which is located on a label in the lower left corner of the Board. If the Serial Number begins with BA-02, go to Attaching airlines BA-02-#####. Otherwise, follow the directions for Attaching airlines BA-03-######.

Go back and make sure that the airlines on the back of the Board are not pinched between the Board and the Stand. If you have not already done so, reattach the airlines on the inside of the Stand Arms to ensure maximum air flow.

Connect the Blue Connector from the top of the ST 500 to the Blue Connector/Shut Off Valve of the “Y” Connector.

Connect Red Connector from the top of the Gantry to the Red Connector of “Y” Connector; only one side will fit.

NOTE: If you did not install the SL 500, this Red airline Connector from the Gantry would plug into the right side of the Air Regulator.

Plug in the Red airline Connector from the bottom of the “Y” into the right side of the Air Regulator.

Plug the airline coming off the left side of the Air Regulator into your main air supply via 1/4” NPT female connector, or the quick disconnect, whichever type you purchased (shown is the black threaded fitting connected to a 1/4” NPT female adaptor). Your air compressor should have at least 100 - 120 PSI. It is suggested that Teflon tape be used on the threads of the black fitting to reduce possible air leakage.

Strap your Air Regulator, glass bowl down to the left large wall bracket or left stand side with cable ties provided in your Tool Kit, making sure not to crimp any of the airlines.

Connect Blue Connector from the top of the Gantry to the Blue Connector on the back of the Board.

Turn on the Air.

Continue to Calibration and Alignment of the Straight Line Trimmer.

*WARNING: The Air Regulator comes factory-set. Do not make any adjustments to it.

Locate the Air Valve on the back of the Board on the right side. Note the 3 connections from the Air Valve.

Take the Clamp Valve Plug (Grey cable with the Green Power Plug) and plug it into the Clamp Valve (the matching Green Plug on the top of the Gantry).

Take the Clear Airline with the Red Connector from the Air Valve and Plug it into the airline with the Red Connector at the top of the Gantry by giving it a 1/4 turn onto the locking connector.

The top of the Straight Line Trimmer has an airline coming out of the back it, which connects to a Blue Connector/Shut Off Valve on a “Y” Connector.

Take the Black airline with the Red Connector from the Air Valve and Plug it into the Red Connector of the “Y” on the Straight Line Trimmer. Only one will fit.

NOTE: If you did not install the SL 500, this Black airline with the Red Connector would plug into the right side of the Air Regulator.

Plug in the other airline with the Red Connector of the “Y” into the right side of the Air Regulator.

Plug the airline coming off the Left side of the Air Regulator into your main air supply via 1/4” NPT female connector, or the quick disconnect, whichever type you purchased. Your air compressor should have at least 100 - 120 PSI. Shown below is the black threaded fitting connected to a 1/4” NPT female adaptor. It is suggested that Teflon tape be used on the threads of the black fitting to reduce possible air leakage.

Strap your Air Regulator, glass bowl down to the left large wall bracket or left stand side with cable ties provided in your Tool Kit, making sure not to crimp any of the airlines.

Turn on the Air.

WARNING: The Air Regulator comes factory-set. Do not make any adjustments to it.

These instructions will make sure that your Straight Line Trimmer is cutting straight.

Do not use the Wizard CMC to cut anything wider than 53” from the left edge of the matboard... this INCLUDES the outside cut... without first removing the Straight Line Trimmer.

Place a piece of matboard at the 10” mark, and using the Trimmer, trim it. Measure the width of the matboard. If it does not measure 10” across the top and across the bottom, the Trimmer needs to be calibrated.

Start with the bottom. Loosen the bottom Locking Knob by turning it Clockwise.

Using a 7/16” Open-Ended Wrench, loosen the Locking Nut.

Using a 3/16” Allen Wrench, turn the Alignment Adjustment Screw Clockwise to move the Trimmer to the Right; turn it Counter-Clockwise to move the Trimmer to the left. When moving to the Left, you will need to push the Trimmer to the Left so that the Alignment Adjustment Screw stays on contact with the rail.

Tighten the bottom Locking Knob by turning it Counter-Clockwise.

Cut the mat again... remember we are looking at the bottom of the mat. When the bottom of the matboard cuts the correct width, retighten the Locking Nut to keep the Alignment Adjustment Screw from moving.

Trim a tall piece of matboard at 10” and measure across the top and across the bottom. If it does not measure 10” across the top and across the bottom, continue.

Loosen the top locking knob by turning it Counter-Clockwise.

Using a 7/16” Open-Ended Wrench, loosen the Locking Nut.

Turn the Alignment Adjustment Screw Clockwise to move the Trimmer to the Right; turn it Counter-Clockwise to move the Trimmer to the Left. When moving to the Left, you will need to push the Trimmer to the Left so that the Alignment Adjustment Screw stays on contact with the rail.

Tighten the top locking knob by turning it Clockwise.

Cut the mat again, and readjust if necessary. When the top of the matboard cuts the correct width, retighten the Locking Nut to keep the Alignment Adjustment Screw from moving.

NOTE: PLEASE FOLLOW THESE DIRECTIONS AFTER INSTALLING THE HEAD.

WARNING: Do not loosen the Head Wheel Screws without first Aligning the Head to the middle of the Board to avoid damage to the Head.

Manually move the Head and the Gantry to the middle of the Board, design any mat (we will not be cutting it).

Click the Power button on the Cut Screen to Align the Head in this position.

Locate the Head Wheel Adjustment Allen Screws by looking at the left side of the Head just under the Blade Depth Adjustment Plate. They are located next to the Head Wheels and are marked with red dots. Do not touch the Allen Screws attached to the Wheels themselves.

NOTE: Pictures shown have the lower gantry hood removed to reduce the photo reflections; it is not necessary to remove the lower hood.

Loosen each Head Wheel Adjustment Allen Screw until the Wheels are loose; about two full turns. The Wheels are spring-loaded and will pop into place.

NOTE: If you are installing the Head and having difficulty getting the Head Wheels onto the Gantry, loosen the Head Wheel Adjustment Screws, roll the Head onto the Gantry, then continue with the following instructions.

Grasp the Head with both hands and GENTLY rock it back and forth to ensure that the Wheels are lined up to the Gantry Grooves.

Retighten the Head Wheel Adjustment Allen screws consecutively; tighten the top screw half a turn, then the bottom screw half a turn, back to the top and continue until they are both tight.

Check each of the Head Wheels to make sure there is no movement in them. There are the two visible Wheels on the left side of the Head under the Blade Depth Adjustment Plate, and two wheels on the backside of the Gantry, which can be felt with your hand. They should be firmly into the Gantry groove and be difficult to turn. If not, repeat these steps of loosening the Wheels, gently rocking the Head back and forth, then retightening the Wheels.

The Head Wheels have now been Adjusted. Click on the Reset Motors button and return the Head to the home position. Check the Blade in the Blade Cartridge and install if necessary.

Remember to rotate the footblock into the 12 O’Clock Position, which is the start position. The footblock is upright with the Blade Cartridge on top of the Head. Holding it about an inch above the bottom rail, slide the Gantry and the Head assembly to the left edge of the CMC until it stops, then Slide the Head down until the footblock rests against the Head Alignment Stop. You have finished.

NOTE: Pulling the Head to the left during the Align the Head procedure is the most commonly overlooked step. If your borders/openings are off in a Horizontal direction, Realign the Head, making sure you have pulled the Head completely to the left.

Reinstall the upper hood onto the Gantry, replacing the screws you removed earlier.

Do a test cut. Cut a rectangle that is about 2x24”, NOT cutting the outside, with 2” borders. Measure the borders to the opening at the bottom of the mat closest to the vertical clamps, then measure the borders to the opening at the top of the mat closest to the vertical clamps. If the borders are not measuring 2” in both places, call Customer Support for assistance.

Call Customer Support if you have any questions at 425/551-4300 or 888/855-3335.