Constantly On Purple Button Laser Now NOT Working

I started a print that was to take 10 minutes to complete. Two minutes into the print the laser stopped working , the timer continued to run down and the head continued to move however no laser activity. I tried another print off something I had previously printed with no issue and the same thing is happening. Head moves , timer runs down but no laser activity. I have roughly 10-15 hours printing on the Glowforge Pro version. I have cleaned all the lenses and the normal cleaning steps but still no luck.
If I leave the GF switched on after a while it makes strange clunking noises and sounds like water is running. If I switch it off for a few minutes and back on it starts noises after a few minutes.

Is there any air bubbles in the laser tube?

yes

and now the purple light is not there , head still moving, laser still not working.

The air should clear within a few minutes of powering on, and there shouldn’t be any more after that. That condition suggests the coolant level is low. Was there any wet in the plastic bag the laser was in when you unpacked it?

no, there was no wetness or dampness when unpacked. there were a huge amount of bubbles before but they seem to clear and reappear

I’m just another user like you, but I’ve had mine for a couple of years now. The only time there was any air in the tube was when I first set it up. Support will chime in when they see this post. I’m sure it’s frustrating, but the company will make it right if it’s still under warranty.

I’m pretty sure there is a temperature sensor that will shut off the laser if there is an overheat condition to prevent tube damage. I wouldn’t try to run it again until you hear from support.

I hope so , I sent an email to them and I am a little concerned to say the least with a response I just received telling me it was probably a damaged mirror and I could buy a new one in the store. The mirror on the machine is not damaged. The machine is less than a month old so the thought of being told to buy something so soon without any proper diagnostics to follow makes me regret buying a $6000 paperweight.

How long have you had the machine?

around a month

You are all set. I’ve seen the character of this company in action, they won’t leave you hanging.
I know the wait is frustrating, I paid in full at the pre-sale and had to wait 2 years for mine. I still think the $2,000 I spent on my basic to be the best money I ever spent.

3 Likes

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