Just wanted to do a simple cut but couldn’t even get the machine to work. How long am I suppose to let the GF run on cooling mode for me to be officially concerned?
It depends on the ambient temperature in your room. If the temperature is over the rated maximum, it will not be able to cool enough to operate. If you are getting cooling issues in an ambient temperature lower than the maximum, make sure the right edge of the GF is clear as this is the air intake.
Other users have found that when the room gets hot they need to add additional cooling for the GF to keep it in operating temperatures.
Thanks for the help.
So, are you saying I should direct the air conditioning unit into the right edge (looking at it from the front)?
If your room is higher than the maximum temperature and you need to cool it down, yes, you should direct the cooler air toward the right side of the machine. You will want to be careful though not to blow cold air straight into the machine to avoid sudden temperature gradients which can lead to shattered glass.
What is the maximum ambient temperature in Celsius please? Its so hot in Germany right now that the laser has the cooling alert before every cut.
From this link: https://glowforge.com/tech-specs
- Recommended Operating Temperature: 60F-75F (16C-24C) Basic and Plus; 60F-81F (16C-27C) Pro
2 Likes
Your Glowforge features a closed-loop liquid cooling system that uses the air from the room to remove heat. It is designed to be used when the temperature next to your Glowforge is between 60 degrees Fahrenheit (16 Celsius) and 75 degrees Fahrenheit (24 Celsius). To check, put a room thermometer next to the right hand side of the Glowforge; it draws in air from underneath, on the right.
You can try any of these things to improve warm-weather performance:
-
Try printing with no material on the bed (so as not to generate smoke and fumes) and no exhaust hose attached. If this works, then the problem may be that your exhaust hose is constricting the flow of air out of the unit, preventing cooling.
-
Examine the bottom-right side of your Glowforge, and ensure that there is no fabric or other flexible material underneath it, like a tablecloth. There are air intake vents, and if they become obstructed, it makes cooling less effective.
-
Try pointing a fan at the right side of your Glowforge. If there is warm air around the intake, this could help it cool off.
-
Power off your Glowforge when you are not using it. When your Glowforge sits idle, the fans are off, so heat can build up
-
Just wait. Your print may take a little longer when it’s warm, but your Glowforge will protect itself and make sure it cools enough to prevent any loss of power or damage. It’s clever enough to pick up from exactly where it left off, even if it needs to pause to cool down during the print!
-
Ensure that the sun isn’t shining on the lid. This could cause the inside of your Glowforge to heat up.
-
If you are venting outdoors, ensure that extreme temperatures or humidity do not enter the Glowforge unit through the exhaust hose. Disconnect the hose from the outside air when the Glowforge is not in use.
-
Turn your Glowforge off and open the lid for a few minutes before trying again. It’s possible for the air in your Glowforge to heat up, just like a car in the sun on a hot day, opening the lid will help that warm air to escape and your Glowforge to cool down.
If you are still running into trouble, please let us know the following so that we can investigate further:
-
A description of the things you tried and what happened
-
If possible, place a thermometer next to your Glowforge on the right hand side and measure the temperature there; if not, estimate the room temperature
-
The date and time (including time zone) when you had the problem
-
Take a picture of the exhaust hose behind your Glowforge that includes the part where it connects to your Glowforge, and the part where it exits the room
This has been effective for me. I’m in the Caribbean and its been 89f - 77f or 32c - 25c and using this I’ve been able to avoid cooling messages. But the compressor is running all the time, no cycling.
The windows and doors are open except in that corner otherwise the house would really get hot.
I precool with the A/C, then turn on the forge, then burn. Wait til cooling and fan stop. Do a quick material swap and forge again. I try to optimize my workflow to burn all items first. Shut down forge, A/C then weed and assemble. Less than I hoped for, better than I expected. YMMV
10 Likes
If you hadn’t already check my post above. Amazon cardboard, scored for the sides and open on the bottom.
feature suggestion.
have the fan runs to keep the temperature in range if the unit is on rather than wait until I want to print to try to cool it off. Result would be less waiting.
bonus feature. is there is some tradeoff associated with this (like having the fan run and thus the noise) make it user select-able from the web app.
@mark14 Thanks for the suggestions! I’ll make sure the team gets them. Also, you can leave the lid open to prevent heat build-up!
@GLC 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.