Crumb tray moves when front door is closed

I’m having some alignment issues when using the Glowforge: the cut is in a different location than where the art was placed prior to printing. The alignment is worse the farther away from center the cut/engrave is made which I’ve read is expected to some degree due to the fisheye camera distortion. I’ve made sure the Glowforge is level and there is no degree under the crumb tray, etc. I noticed that when I close the front door of the Glowforge it takes considerable force and the crumb tray is displaced towards the back of the Glowforge. I measured the height of the crumb tray relative to the floor of the unit and noticed when the front door is closed, the crumb tray raises about 0.7 mm as the door displaces the crumb tray towards the back of the Glowforge. The crumb tray is being displaced partly out of the dimples in the bottom of the Glowforge. Would this cause alignment problems? Has anyone else noticed movement of the crumb tray when the front door is closed? If the handle at the front of the crumb tray was a few millimeters smaller it wouldn’t be displaced by the closed front door.

Yeah, the door shouldn’t hit your crumb tray; there’s an indentation in it that fits around the front of the tray.

Is your crumb tray in the right way around? The curved handle-looking edge should be in front, and the flat/square edge in back.

Aha. I found a photo. This shows the tray in the orientation you should see it in when standing in front of your Glowforge. The wide edge goes in back, and the curved handle goes in front. I’ve gotten mine in backwards before and couldn’t close the door, so I’m thinking that might be the problem.

glowforge_crumbtray

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The crumb tray is oriented correctly with the handle in the front.

Yep.

Do you have a Pro model? Sometimes when the front Passthrough Shields are in position, the tray is a little cramped. Removing those will let the tray sit flat in the dimples. (Mine’s a very tight fit.)

Or you can try to tighten down the thumb screws if they are loose. It might give you some extra room.

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Pro or basic? Using the passthrough shields if a pro?

Yes adjust If A Pro Model.
Every time I have removed the shields I have had to close the door past the crumb tray handle bump before final tighten.
It is a snug fit once in the right place and if the chunks do not slide past each other then something has to give (which would be the crumb tray).

Added note. It is my opinion that the shield slot significantly weakens the lower door. I do not push in the center of it, only on the ends.

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I just did some tests yesterday when I realized that the tray can move with respect to the rest of the machine even when the indents and feet are clean. I get around 3mm in any direction, which is not insignificant.

So yours may allow a little more offset that is causing the issue with the door. All I can suggest is to play around with it and visually confirm if there’s any contact.

yes, it’s the pro model

yes, pro model

The shields are in place. From comments I’ve read, that’s likely the problem.

The shields are not supposed to rub the tray but they do on mine. Don’t care myself. Without getting into a safety discussion I can’t imagine why I would ever need to install the shields. If I ever wanted to demonstrate the laser in a public location the shield would in theory make the unit as safe as the class 1 Basic unit. But I don’t do that.

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I took the shield out and problem solved. The door shuts easier and no movement from the crumb tray.

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Thanks for the help everyone.

@Bufuteeth I’m going to send you a new pro-shield.

Even if you don’t end up keeping them installed in the long term, I’d like you to try installing them to see if that is the issue.

Also, now that the crumb tray is sitting flat, has the alignment issue you were seeing been resolved?

The alignment has improved but is still not perfect. Even in the center of the Glowforge there is a small discrepancy between the image and actual cut.

J. Kendall Snow, DDS, MS
Snow Endodontics

That’s fairly normal right now. They haven’t finished tightening down the algorithm. There are several methods people are using to fine-tune the placement for the time being…best way I’ve found is to use jigs if you are trying to engrave on something that has been pre-cut.

If it hasn’t been cut yet, by far the best method is to set up the cuts and engraves with perfect alignment relative to each other in your design software before saving the file. :slightly_smiling_face:

If you find that you have an alignment error of more than 1/4", we’d like to have you try a few troubleshooting steps for us:

  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.

    • 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.

  3. 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.

  4. Turn your Glowforge back on.

  5. We included an extra piece of Proofgrade Draftboard with your materials shipment for troubleshooting. Place the Proofgrade Draftboard in the center of the bed and print the Gift of Good Measure using the default settings.

  6. 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.
  7. Send us the screenshot along with the date and time of the print, and we’ll investigate.

I’m going to close this thread.

Please install the replacement Pro Shield when it arrives. If you’re still having trouble, go ahead and post a new topic.