ok gang proofgrade acrylic. used set focus both times send time slowed to 165 instead of the 170 proofgrade default speed.
each time it failed to completely cut in the Happy 80th Birthday area.
first attempt was around the H in Happy.
first time I attributed it to perhaps the material wasn’t completely flat. deployed hold downs and magnets in abundance.
second time it was the 80thB part. Now am I just trying too fine of a detail? or is something else in need of a change.
and smarter people than me GO! Dang I don’t recall how to size the uploaded image.
That can cause serious problems!
If at any time you see smoke marks on the top of the material it will be because the smoke or fumes have caught fire. If this happens the cut will be a lot less than otherwise. If those smoke marks are straight down that is one problem, but if they are a bit curly and wander off to the left then you fan is not operating properly.
Most folk realize the connection between magnetism and electricity but rarely think of it in terms of equipment moving fast through a magnetic field. If your magnets can pull on the loose tip of a screwdriver, anywhere near where that gantry and fan will be it will at the least slow down the fan, if not stop it. If that happens the smoke or fumes will catch fire and the cut will be weak.
If you post a photo of just after a bad cut, any smoke marks can tell a story. Watching while cutting and noting any times that the fumes ignite, and see if that is where it is not cutting through. If that is happening then that is the problem no matter if it is about magnets or something else.
It is harder to see in acrylic, but particularly with wood the generalized smoke is reduced as is burns but right at the cut you see the marks of the flame and of course
not cutting through where that happens.
I’m so sorry to hear that you’re running into trouble, but I’m glad that @eflyguy and @rbtdanforth provided some great next steps.
Please let us know if you continue to experience the same trouble after performing a deep cleaning of your optical components. If cleaning the lens does not help to resolve the trouble, we’ll work on sending over the next best steps.
If there is much flaming the cut will not be as deep. If you have upped the power of the cut (slower speed) then it will still make it through. Keep an eye on it that the flame does not “take” as the risk is higher if that is happening.
it would just flare momentarily like when you light a match. interesting thing is that I had never noticed that happening before I I always watch when cutting. the successful cut was back to the generic proof settings. post optics clean.
I will be making some more things in the near future so it will be interesting to see if there is a pattern.
Thank you so much for working through those steps, and for updating us. I’m so glad to hear that everything appears to be working correctly. I’ll close this thread for now, but please don’t hesitate to reach out to us directly at support@glowforge.com in the future if you hit any more snags. We’re here to help!
Dang I don’t recall how to size the uploaded image.
