After my last detailed cleaning I have started experiencing a couple different issues. The first I noticed was a loud vibration coming from the left side when cutting. After several people suggested it might be debris or gunk on the fan I thoroughly cleaned it twice more with the problem still persisting. Now my machine seems to be getting stuck on centering. I have tried everything I’ve seen in the forums: rebooting our modem and wifi, restarting Glowforge, centering arm under camera etc. I am at a loss of what to do.
Can you describe the loud vibration a little bit more…is it constant? Does it happen only when you are cutting and the exhaust fan spins up, or at other times? Is it a thumping sound? (If you can shoot a video with your phone while it is happening, that would be very helpful to support.)
It is a vibration that occurs while cutting. Not a thumping sound. Kind of grinding like. It’s hard to hear in the video attached. It’s much louder in person https://community.glowforge.com/uploads/short-url/4fh1xS2juEOVBE2BVJb1X8GzmJF.MOV
Unfortunately, I’m not able to play that…it keeps crashing VLC Media player. 
If it’s a constant drone, it might be the fan blades out of balance. That’s what mine sounded like when there was junk stuck to the blades. Do you have a Basic/Plus or a Pro model?
It is not constant during the cutting but definitely a distinct vibration when it was moving around.
Did you check the belts to see if there is a little bit of debris stuck in there? (Even the one under the tube arm.) Vibrations from the belt thumping or stepper motors slipping sound a lot louder than they should for something so innocuous. (Turn it off before you check.)
Would you please clean and inspect the exhaust by following these instructions:
Remove Hose from Unit
Squeeze the two ends of the ring clamp together and pull the clamp and the hose away from your Glowforge to remove them.
Vacuum Exhaust Connections
Use a vacuum to remove dust and debris from your Glowforge unit’s exhaust connection as well as from your outdoor exhaust vent. Then take a photo of the exhaust connection like the one below and attach it to your reply.
Try a Print
- Remove any material from the bed, leaving the crumb tray
- Turn the Glowforge on and go to app.glowforge.com
- Upload or select a simple, quick design, such as a single outline cut
- Click “Unknown” to select a material
- Search for and choose “Thin Natural Leather” as your material
- Start the print (Note: This may create some odor, but it is not hazardous)
- Take a video of the print
- Reply to this post to let me know how it goes, and send us the video.
Thanks!
It’s been a little while since I’ve seen any replies on this thread so I’m going to close it. If you still need help with this please either start a new thread or email support@glowforge.com.