The camera image shows all of the bottom but is missing about the top 2" of the bed The crumb tray is seated appropriately. Not sure what to do? looks like the lens has shifted somehow
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That’s normal. The bed is bigger than the maximum cut size. Place your material against the right side against the bottom (front of the machine) to maximize your use of material. You’ll find you lose about 3/4" on the left and 1/4" on the right as well as about an inch on the top.
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Yep, completely normal. @jamesdhatch is correct. Only commented to give you a second opinion. Can’t see all of the top or all of the left side through the lid camera. Same on every GF printer.
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It hasn’t always been this way. I used to be able to see the pins on the bottoms and top now I see the bottom and the crumb tray “handle. Seems like the view has shifted downward
Oh no, I’m sorry you’ve hit a snag.
Your Glowforge bed can accommodate materials measuring 18 x 20.4”. Your Glowforge has a maximum printable area of approximately 11″ (279 mm) deep and 19.5″ (495 mm) wide, and it’s reduced somewhat when the laser operates at high speed, as it can take space for the laser to decelerate.
This means not all of the bed is displayed, or available to be printed on, so there will always be about an inch of space on the left. This material can be reused as scrap later for small pieces. For example, a lot of customers use small pieces of scrap to print these pins available in the free laser design section: Honeycomb bed holdown pins.
It appears earlier today there was a stronger than normal light above your Glowforge. Is your Glowforge in direct sunlight during the day?
No direct sunlight. I usually use honeycomb pins but some of my wood was warped so I used magnets. What can I do about the alignment?
Also the machine is not cutting thru 1/8” birch on medium hardwood setting. Won’t cut any wood 1/4”. Very frustrated right now.
You view will change depending on your focus level/location - what you’re describing for alignment sounds completely normal. If you really think it’s off, posting a photo of your entire GFUI could help.
To test cutting you need to cut a Gift of Good Measure (in your dashboard) out of PG material. They sent a spare piece of draftboard for this purpose.
Thank you so much for that additional information @mmnicreations!
For our next steps, I’d like to have you perform a specific test print that will allow us to test the Cut Through and Alignment trouble.
At your earliest convenience, please perform the following:
- Turn off your Glowforge.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Turn your Glowforge back on.
- Place Proofgrade material in the part of the of the bed that you are having the most trouble and print the Gift of Good Measure using the default settings.
- When the print finishes, leave the lid closed and wait until the fans stop and the picture updates. 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 type “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.
- Send us the screenshot along with the date and time of the print, and we’ll investigate.
Let us know how it goes!
Hi @mmnicreations. It’s been a while since we’ve seen any activity since Jeremy’s last response. I am going to go ahead and close this thread. Feel free to create a new thread, or write us at support@glowforge.com if you are continuing to run into any trouble with alignment or prints not cutting through the material. We’ll be happy to help. Thank you!