Alignment change

Community Support
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I just received my Glowforge on the 18th of December and it’s amazing. Louder, then I thought it would be, but amazing.

The problem I’ve noticed is alignment changed recently. On my first couple days, it was dead on. If I wrote something in a sharpie, it was 100% right on. but now I’m noticing it slipping. I hope they get this bug worked out soon. Using the camera for aligning cuts is one of the biggest benefits of the Glowforge.

55 PM
55 PM724×690 200 KB

Keep up the improvments @dan, this is an amazing machine.

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If it used to be better than that, I would be looking at your setup: wood warpage, bits of grunge under the material making the focus height wrong, entering the wrong number in material thickness, bits of grunge in the dimples that the honeycomb tray rests in, etc. That kind of thing.

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Thanks @cynd11, for the suggestions.

I’m sorry for my slow response!

The software on your Glowforge is responsible for ensuring that the print lands on the material in the same place as the preview. When you’re done with a print, let a new image load. If the print appears on screen far from where it was supposed to go, you may have an alignment problem.

Most alignment problems come from the material being closer or farther from the camera than expected. While the software is still improving, you can take these steps for the most accurate alignment results:

  • Use Proofgrade™ materials.
  • If you don’t use Proofgrade materials, use a precision set of calipers to measure your material, and enter the thickness in the “uncertified materials” dialog.
  • Use material that is not warped or tilted.
  • Place your design near the center of the bed.
  • Clean the area underneath your crumb tray, particularly the four indentations on the floor.
  • Reboot the machine. Alignment can drift over time, particularly if you bump the head of your Glowforge while removing material.

Should you finish all of these steps, and find that you have an alignment error of more than 1/4", please let me know here so I can investigate.

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It’s been a little while since I’ve seen any replies on this thread so I’m going to close it. If you still need help with this please either start a new thread or email support@glowforge.com.