Camera Alignment Issues

Community Support
21

EVA foam is safe to cut on the laser. It’s about a half an inch thick. Commonly used for costumes, and tool drawer inserts.

Harbor freight carries digital calipers made out of stainless steel and another type of caliper made of a carbon fiber like material.

1 Like
22

Ahhh nice! Ok. Thanks, I’ll give that a try!

23

Thanks for the great help in this thread, all! @alicia1, it sounds like you’ve already taken the time to do some troubleshooting - thanks so much for that!

Most alignment problems come from the material being closer or farther from the camera than expected. While the software is still improving, you can take these steps for the most accurate alignment results:

  • Use Proofgrade™ materials.
  • If you don’t use Proofgrade materials, use a precision set of calipers to measure your material, and enter the thickness in the “uncertified materials” dialog.
  • Use material that is not warped or tilted.
  • Place your design near the center of the bed.
  • Clean the area underneath your crumb tray, particularly the four indentations on the floor.
  • Reboot the machine. Alignment can drift over time, particularly if you bump the head of your Glowforge while removing material.

If you’re still seeing seeing alignment offset by more than 1/4", could you please do the following for me?

  1. Turn off your Glowforge
  2. Check for small pieces of debris or dust:
  • Check the lower door to make sure it closes all the way. It may require some force to open, but open it, wipe any dust off the edges, and close it all the way
  • Remove the tray and clean any dust or debris from the surface underneath. Pay careful attention to remove all debris from the four dimples where the tray rests
  1. Check the lid to make sure it closes all the way. Small particles of material, such as dust or debris, can prevent it from closing completely
  2. Check the surface your Glowforge is on to make sure it’s flat. Ensure it is not twisted slightly and that there is no debris propping up one side of the machine
  3. Turn your Glowforge back on
  4. We included an extra piece of Proofgrade Draftboard with your materials shipment for troubleshooting. Place Proofgrade Draftboard in the center of the bed and print the Gift of Good Measure using the default settings
  5. When the print finishes, without moving your artwork or your material, take a screenshot of the workspace to show us the difference between the artwork placement and the actual print placement. Make sure to include the rulers in your screenshot and show as much of the bed as possible
  • Mac: Press Shift-Command-4 and click and drag a box around your image. You’ll find the screenshot file saved on your desktop.
  • Windows: Click on the Start Menu and search for the Snipping Tool. Open the Snipping Tool > New then click and drag a box around your image. Click the Save icon and name and save your file.
  1. Send us the screenshot along with the date and time of the print, and we’ll investigate.

Thank you in advance!

2 Likes
24

Sounds good! I’ll try to go through this whole procedure tomorrow when my proofgrade materials arrive. Thanks for taking the time to get back to me here and through email.

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FYI: the cheap digital calipers go through batteries quickly. Turning off the calipers only turns the display off, so it drains the battery all the time. The medium price digital calipers turn off, so the batteries last much longer. I’ve spent more on batteries over the years for my cheap digital calipers than the $20 I spent on them.

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Eh. I don’t remember the last time I swapped out the batteries on the 4inch calipers. The 6" ones, yah. Plus batteries are cheap. $.023 a pop.

For me, having a few sets of the inexpensive ones around, means I can afford to have one in the woodshed, one on the metal lathe, and 2 in the studio. Saves me a ton of time searching for one. It’s also the reason I buy #2 pencils 2 boxes at a time.

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BTW: if you live anywhere near a Tractor Supply store, they usually carry a big ole card of batteries for $5.99 in their discount bin. I have seen the pack in Tractor Supply stores in WV, VA, MD and PA. Don’t know whether all stores across the U.S. carry the pack.

Batteries
Batteries816×612 215 KB

The card contains:
(10) CR2032s
(10) CR2025s
(10) CR2016s
(20) LR44/AG13/357s

The large CR2032s and small LR44/AG13/357s are used in a lot of things around the house. I have use for the CR2025 and CR2016 but not everyone does. Either way, it’s an incredible deal.

7 Likes
28

While buying that many batteries is indeed a good deal, batteries do have a finite shelf life. I would give them a total of 1 year maybe 2 max… And that is till all 50 are dead or near dead. In my experience the batteries are made, then go to a distributor, then the distributor to the wholesaler to the warehouse to the store. Now I do realize that time can be as quick as 6 weeks. But my experience shows that process is up to 2 years, then an unknown time on the shelves before they are purchased.

I hope I didn’t jinkx it for you, I just don’t want people wasting money on batteries that will be dead before they get used.

p.s. I fix watches for a living and go through a LOT of button cell batteries.

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29

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