Before printin my glow forge button turn blue to amber after a few seconds

Community Support
1

40x40

Aug 8, 12:02 PM PDT

glowforge says it is scanning
and wont print

Submitted from: https://glowforge.com/support

Aug 8, 2:17 PM PDT

i tried everything to make my machine work -
checked all the cables, reset my computer , my modem , my router, the machine itself.
And it is still in scanning mode then resets itself.
The bigger problem is that i have to wait 3 days for your company to get back to me to confirm my problem and no phone support for a machine that cost over 6k

Submitted from: https://glowforge.com/support

Hello Raul,

I’m so sorry for my delayed response.

Your Glowforge Pro features a closed-loop liquid cooling system that uses the air from the room to remove heat. It’s boosted by a solid-state thermoelectric cooler that allows for heavier use at higher ambient temperatures than the Basic. It is designed to be used when the temperature next to your Glowforge is between 60 degrees Fahrenheit (16 Celsius) and 81 degrees Fahrenheit (27 Celsius). To check, put a room thermometer next to the right hand side of the Glowforge; it draws in air from underneath, on the right.

You can try any of these things to improve warm-weather performance:

Try printing with no material on the bed (so as not to generate smoke and fumes) and no exhaust hose attached. If this works, then the problem may be that your exhaust hose is constricting the flow of air out of the unit, preventing cooling.

Examine the bottom-right side of your Glowforge, and ensure that there is no fabric or other flexible material underneath it, like a tablecloth. There are air intake vents, and if they become obstructed, it makes cooling less effective.

Try pointing a fan at the right side of your Glowforge. If there is warm air around the intake, this could help it cool off.

Power off your Glowforge when you are not using it. When your Glowforge sits idle, the fans are off, so heat can build up

Just wait. Your print may take a little longer when it’s warm, but your Glowforge will protect itself and make sure it cools enough to prevent any loss of power or damage. It’s clever enough to pick up from exactly where it left off, even if it needs to pause to cool down during the print!

Ensure that the sun isn't shining on the lid. This could cause the inside of your Glowforge to heat up.

If you are venting outdoors, ensure that extreme temperatures or humidity do not enter the Glowforge unit through the exhaust hose. Disconnect the hose from the outside air when the Glowforge is not in use.

Turn your Glowforge off and open the lid for a few minutes before trying again. It’s possible for the air in your Glowforge to heat up, just like a car in the sun on a hot day, opening the lid will help that warm air to escape and your Glowforge to cool down.

If you are still running into trouble, please let us know the following so that we can investigate further:

A description of the things you tried and what happened

If possible, place a thermometer next to your Glowforge on the right hand side and measure the temperature there; if not, estimate the room temperature

The date and time (including time zone) when you had the problem

Take a picture of the exhaust hose behind your Glowforge that includes the part where it connects to your Glowforge, and the part where it exits the room

Best regards,

Gary D

Any advice is not intended to replace or contradict the user manual. For safe operation of your Glowforge, always follow the instructions in the manual at Glowforge - the 3D laser printer

Thu, Aug 8, 9:08 PM (2 days ago)

to Glowforge

i did everything that i was asked to do.

when i push the button the machine fan turns on then the button turns yellow,

i tried everything more than 3 times.

the tempature in the bay area is 65 degrees, the machine is in a room with the blinds closed and it is complete darkness with ac in the room .

Please let me know if you have the ability to look at the log that you keep,

i tried this all evening and the last time i tried it was at 9:03 pm

Vee (Glowforge)

Aug 9, 1:04 PM PDT

Hello,

Thanks for taking the time to try those steps. I’m so sorry you’re still running into trouble. I would like to check over just a few more things. Could you do the following for me?

Please send photos of all your cleaned optical components, with special attention to any damage you might find:

  • Both windows

    • The printer head window, on the left hand side of the printer head
    • The laser window on the inside left of the Glowforge

  • The printer head lens

  • Both sides of the lens, top and bottom

  • The 45 degree mirror inside the printer head

  • The bottom of the printer head

    704×709 221 KB

Once we have those pictures, we’ll follow up with next steps.

Best,

Vee

** Any advice is not intended to replace or contradict the user manual. For safe operation of your Glowforge, always follow the instructions in the manual at https://glowforge.com/manual.**

I did all the steps in cleaning the parts =

my machine keeps saying that it is over heating ?

It was off for the entire day until i tried to make a simple box cut then i got the message ( picture of my screen is attached )

the room has ac and it is not hot at all.

IMG_3099.JPG

I have cleaned everything several times
disconnected and connected everything several times
and tried all the above options.

I received it about 10 days ago and have only used it 4 times for simple projects.

2

You might want to edit out your email address above as this is a public forum.

Was the hose attached and vented outside the whole day? What are the outside temps like around you?

3

ac in the room - nice and cool

4

Yes, but if you have the hose connected to the outdoors it could bring heat into the bed of the machine where the sensors are.

5

I disconnected the hose per glowforge and it is nowhere the window-
I also tried this several times the last 2 nights and have the same result.

1 Like
6

I would continue their processes so they can determine the issue. You’re already working with them, this just opens another ticket for the same issue. It sounds like you’ve tried most the things we can suggest around here.

7

What is the actual temperature near the machine?

For a Basic machine, (according to your profile), the ambient temperature around the machine needs to be at or less than about 72° F. That’s because the machine heats up when it’s in use, from anywhere around 5 to 12 degrees, and when the temp of the liquid in the tube goes over 75°, the machine is going to pause until it cools down. (The yellow light.)

You can try turning down the AC a few degrees. Or maybe just try circulating the cooler air towards the machine with a fan pointed at the air intake at the lower right side of the machine. Or relocating it under a vent. (It’s extremely rare for the reading on an AC unit to give an accurate reading of temperature at all points in a room. It’s usually taking a reading on temp far away from where the Glowforge is…on a wall somewhere, or even in another room. In this case, it needs to be cooler specifically at the machine.)

1 Like
8

its currently at 65° F & the fan blowing on the right side of the machine-
i tried it last night arond 11:00 pm and early this morning around 4:30 am

and its the same thing.

9

Thanks dave .

10

Well, that definitely ought to be cool enough. Have you checked the connections on all of the cables? (Black ribbon cables running across the lid and the white ribbon cable connected to the head? (Turn the machine off before checking.)

11

yes i connected all the wires and the head does move when i turn it on it goes to the far left corner and that it.

12

Okay, not just the white cable under the gantry, you also want to take a look at the black ribbon cables that run around the interior of the lid…hang on…there’s a link around here somewhere…

13

I see you already emailed us about this and we’re working on it there, so I’m going to close this topic.