Broken Laser Arm Wheel

My machine is going off track - I’ve cleaned it, re-calibrated as some suggested to help it set again, I’ve done everything I can find. As I continue to inspect my machine - it looks like my front wheel on the laser arm has grooves in it unlike the other metal wheels that are solid. Is this something that can be replaced/fixed?

The groove in the middle is likely the exposed metal bearing that would normally be inside of the plastic wheel – but the plastic has split in half. Continuing to use the machine while it’s broken may permanently deform the aluminum rail due to the metal on metal contact.

This is not a part that Glowforge sells, since they don’t want you taking apart the whole case and messing with high-voltage wiring to access it for replacement. If your machine is in warranty, they’ll repair or replace the machine for you at no cost. If you’re out of warranty, they’ll give you a quote/estimate for repairing or replacing it at your expense. Email your issue and photos to support@glowforge.com to get help from the company either way.

The third option would be to DIY it – at least one person appears to sell aftermarket gantry wheels on Etsy and you could try to install it yourself.

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That what I was afraid of, I did email glowforge with pictures so hopefully will hear from them tomorrow at some point. Don’t know of anyone that’s videos themselves DIYing this process

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