Designjet T1200 Error 86:01 (cutter jamming carriage travel)

[fixitrite]

Plotter was relocated and displayed error 86:01 at startup. During boot cycle carriage moves to the left, bumper moves cutter to vertical position and cutter strikes rail jamming carriage when attempting to return back to home (service station) position.
Device works perfectly when cutter is removed, prints are excellent with no smearing or other quality issues. Client using 24" HP bond roll paper and paper type is set accordingly
Passed Scan axis, Star wheel and PRS tests
Even when moving carriage by hand as soon as the cutter drops into cutting mode it bumps into the rail and prevents the carriage from moving
Help please!

[davidzuts]

First make sure the cutter is in the correct postion as per the attachment. If it is, check the encoder strip on the left side and clean it with a damp cloth. When you clean do it gently as there are fine lines you do not want to wipe off.

[fixitrite]

Thanks for the response davidzuts, the encoder strip is clean and I have removed and reinstalled the cutter multiple times. It has alignment posts so there's not a lot of wiggle room as far as the installation goes. When the carriage travels to the right with the cutter extended (vertical) what ensures that it rides up and aligns with the opposing metal strip that the cutter wheel contacts?
The manual doen't have a clear shot that I could refer to, the cutter should ride up and maintain spring tension with the opposing metal strip to cut the paper. I can't tell where it may be misaligned causing it to jam the carriage.

[Roy_Kuzmich]

Could a missing/broken carriage rear bushing factor into this issue. 

The cutter could be installed correctly bit the carriage not following the correct path.

just a thought as I hae never seen this isuue before.

RoyK

[fixitrite]

Hello Roy, thanks for the input. I was afraid that the rear bushing would come up as a possible culprit. The carriage travels smoothly from left to right so I was looking for another (easier) solution. Looks like I'll have to perform surgery after all. This is a billable client so I want to be on solid footing before I quote it. Wish me luck!

[fixitrite]

UPDATE to Original post. The carriage rear bushing is intact and functioning properly. When the left cover is removed and you look straight into the machine (end on) the cutting wheel is offset from the stationary blade by 3/8", this explains why the carriage gets stuck when the cutter is attached. See image attached. The carriage is on the rail, travels smoothly and the prints are perfect. I have another cutter on order even though the existing unit appears fine. Still looking for an explanation of how the cutter could be mis-aligned when there's only one way to install it. 

[fixitrite]

UPDATE 2 Re-visited the machine with new cutter in hand, after installation the problem remained. The carriage still struck the bottom guide containing the stationary blade and jammed.
I restored power to the machine with the covers off and top cover open. I discovered that when powered on (cold boot) with the rear power switch the carriage struck the bottom guide and failed during POST with a 86:01 error. I powered off the machine using the front power button, flipped the cutter to its horizontal position and moved the carriage to center. I reapplied power with the front panel button and the machine booted normally and the cutting function was restored.
Recap: Rear power on, cutter jams carriage. Front power on device works normally.
Even though I left the device functioning, in the event of a power failure or equipment reolocation the first cold boot will cause the carriage to jam.
Any suggestions?