Broken Glowforge Rollers - A trip to the hardware store

Ok, after getting a halfway decent print of this part on my DLP printer I was able to compare it more closely to my original wheel. I ended up making the groove just a bit deeper.

Here is the latest (version 3) .STL file of the wheel, in case anybody wants to try printing some of these. As others have warned, please do not run your Glowforge unattended if you install these parts. You assume any responsibility for your decision to use this replacement part, but please let me know how they work out for you.

ReplacementGantryWheel_v3.stl (396.0 KB)

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Hey, are they working! I am very interested in ordering some/

My printer was never broken, and nobody else has reported back one way or another whether these fit. So I can’t say whether they work because (to my knowledge) nobody has tested them. I would have to destroy my good Glowforge wheels in order to extract the parts to fit these back on.

I’d be happy to send you a set off of my 3D printer if you want to be the first to try them out. But please know that I am not affiliated with Glowforge (except as a customer) and I can’t take responsibility for any damage they might cause.

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I’m willing to try! I will shoot you a private message.

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Hi All,

I am shocked at the level of interest in this topic. when i posted originally, I didn’t imagine how our little community would pitch in to help out. I had to leave town unexpectedly but I am back now and going to give it a shot. In the meantime, with a 1-day turnaround the folks at GF sent me a replacement carriage (not stopping me from running the print however). DrVegetable- thank you so much for working on this for all of us!

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It sounds like the good folks at Glowforge are on top of this. Definitely use the parts they give you instead of anything I’ve designed. Sometimes it is hard to tell from the outside what they are doing to resolve customer issues, but I haven’t seen them disappoint anybody yet.

I’m happy to hear they were able to take care of you so quickly, even in the middle of a global pandemic.

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Thought I’d add my $0.02.

My brother bought a GF and I’ve been helping with it when he runs into trouble (I used to play with a nice pretty Trotec at a place I worked at a few years ago). He ran into this exact problem. I found @drvegetable 's stl (thanks tons for that dude!) and printed a replica on my own resin 3D printer. Looking forward to seeing how well it may help till GF sends him the replacement part.

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Excellent! I am happy to hear that they may help.

I found that the bearings are a tight fit, so be careful when pressing them into the wheels. I was able to assemble them by press-fitting them in a vise, although a c-clamp will also work in a pinch. You may need to open the bore slightly with a drill, or perhaps soften it with a solvent or heat gun.

Please let me know how they work out, good or bad.

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Does anybody have a 3D file/design for the roller that holds the belt??? My right side one looks super smooth compared to the left side on the carriage

It is supposed to be smooth. It is an idler, the left side is the toothed drive wheel attached to the motor.

Ok that is a relief… is it suppose to look like this? (notice is not 100% smooth)

That’s just gunk “printed” onto it from the belt running over it.

Run your finger over it, it will wipe off and the wheel is perfectly smooth.

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Hi. Has anyone tried these yet? Do they work? I’m in need of these v wheels and GF is out of stock.

I haven’t had the need, but I’m pretty sure you can find them on amazon. Just make sure they are the same size. Check outer and inner diameters before ordering.

Yes, I tried amazon and couldn’t find the correct size. Our machine has been down longer than expected so we thought we would give these a shot.

Nobody has located a reliable source from a US seller that I am aware of. You can find similarly-sized versions on non-US sites, usually in bulk designed for people assembling CNC or 3D printer machines from scratch. At this time, most purchases from Asia are taking weeks, vs. days.

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I don’t know.

I have mailed out several sets of 3D-printed wheels upon request to several forum members, at my own expense. All I asked was some feedback on how they worked out for people. I have heard from everybody that they received the wheels.

Not a single soul has told me whether they even attempted to install them, let alone whether/how they worked.

So your guess is as good as mine.

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Thank you. A neighbor of mine printed a couple out for me on his 3D printer. I haven’t put them on yet. I was able to super glue my broken wheel. If and when I use them I will provide an update. I will say that the 3D print isn’t as smooth as I thought it would be. I might have to try sanding them to make them smooth. I also ordered a couple from the printing service. I will compare when they arrive.

question, one of my wheels broke and i have no idea where it is. has anyone else had this problem as well. i just got my pro in july and just started using it this month. do they break that easy? any advice i would greatly appreciate it.

They don’t all break so easily. Unfortunately, they recently had a bad batch. To get official wheels from GF open a ticket by either emailing them or creating a new post in Problems & Support.