I have a new Aura and though I’ve been using proofgrade materials and designs from the catalog so I can learn to use this, my results are as expected less than half the time. It’s so frustrating, I’ve gone through so much material and spent so much time and I’m starting to wonder if my machine is bad or is this typical? Here is my latest fail: Monstera leaf coasters on light cherry plywood. Help please!
The main thing with the Aura is to keep it clean. It needs constant attention to cleaning. Typically cleaning after each project, and, for some in between engraves and cutting. Make sure the rails are clean.
As @rvogt said…that is absolutely a matter of not cleaning the rails enough.
Thank you thank you thank you! I was going by Glowforge’s recommendation of cleaning every 10 hours. Clearly that’s not enough. How do you clean in between engraving and cutting? Do you have to tell it to ignore either the cut or engrave and just do one of them and then the other? And this doesn’t disturb the alignment?
Yes you would ignore i.e. the cut and do the engrave, stop, clean, then ignore the engrave and do the cut. As long as you DON’T move the material, it will stay aligned. You may want to somehow secure the material so it doesn’t move. That’s the most important thing… (regardless of what the picture looks like on the GF, if you don’t move it, you’ll be good!
Good luck!