Brand new Glowforge - Air assist error on first print

Community Support
1

I just got my second Glowforge, followed the setup instructions and go to do my first print and the print button turns orange with the air fan assist error pops up. I followed the trouble shooting instructions, turned off/unplugged the printer, removed the head, cleaned the fans with a compressed air canister and reassembled everything. I went to do a test print and still got the same error message. I tried cleaning the head and making sure the ribbon cable was properly connected, but the printer still starts up and misfires every time I try to print - not even moving from it’s back left starting position.

It’s brand new, so I don’t understand why this is happening. Anything else I can try?

2

Is there any chance you are using magnets to hold down your material?

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3

I’ve never used magnets, nor do I need to with the material I engrave.

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4

k was just wondering because in the past using magnets has given that error in some instances.

5

The fans were all clean (obviously because I just unboxed the thing), so I am thinking that the misfire is a power shortage? All wiring looked to be in good shape though.

6

One thing that has been known to happen is the pins that make contact with the gold pads on the carriage you see when you remove the head, sometimes they can be jammed or not moving freely edit they should move free and seem spring loaded. another is a possible bent or damage pin on the white ribbon cable and a bit more of a long shot is where the white ribbon cable attaches to the board on the left side of the machine near where the fan and heat sink are (heat sink if you have a pro unit) it can be detached there. would be worth taking a picture of it to help assist support but i would’nt recommend playing with that one until they say to.

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7

Sounds good. Thanks for your input! I will wait to see what support says.

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8

Thanks for taking the time to do that troubleshooting already, and I’m sorry for the challenging start. The alert you’re seeing is new and the team is still making changes, so your feedback was very helpful. Can you try printing again and let me know if you’re still having trouble? If you’re able to print successfully, please keep watch on the movement of air within the Glowforge, and let me know whether the air assist fan is moving air away from the printer head.

Please let me know how it goes.

9

Good morning,

I tired printing again last night and everything fired up correctly, but I noticed that the fan on the backside of the glowforge head was not spinning. Do you have any recommendations?

Thanks,

10

Thank you for the additional information that your air assist fan isn’t spinning. Replacing the component might be the best next step. I’m going to close this thread, and I’ll be in touch via email very soon to work out the details.