Technical

The Cutting Strip is the black or white strip on the Silhouette cutting machine along the path where the blade points down. This strip is designed to prevent damage to the blade or the actual machine when cutting materials that bypass the cutting mat (such as vinyl, for example).

If you cut too deeply with a material that bypasses the cutting mat, you can potentially cut too deeply past the material and into the cutting strip. You should always ensure that your Force and Blade settings are such that the blade is cutting through the material as desired, but not so deeply that it continues through the material and into the cutting strip.

If you do cut into the strip, you will need to lower the Force and/or Blade setting to the lowest possible setting where the material can still be cut through properly, but not so deeply that it is cutting through into the strip.

Indentations on this strip are normal and will be experienced even if you do not cut all the way through into the strip. The cutting strip will be naturally indented as cutting passes are performed. Fraying, however, is not normal. Such would indicate that the Force and/or Blade setting are too high and need to be adjusted.

The cutting strip typically does not need to be replaced unless it is affecting your cutting results.