Engrave doesn't recognize cutout

[erclin]

The issue is with thick Proofgrade plywood having air pockets.

Proof grade not cutting through

Every so often, my proof grade material will not cut all the way through. It seems as if there are small knots in the middle plywood layers that the laser takes longer to cut through. I usually saw through the uncut areas with a razor blade, but sometimes it’s too much uncut material and the whole piece is wasted. Is anyone else having these issues? What can I do about it? If this is common for proof grade, I don’t know if it’s worth the premium - I thought proofgrade should be guaranteed to be …

[geek2nurse]

Thick PG plywood has a thick MDF core. If you’ve been cutting it for a week since you last cleaned lenses, Occam’s Razor says it’s far more likely to be dirty lenses than air pockets. But hey, you can wait on support instead of seeing if my suggestion might get you going again sooner. Your call!

[jamesdhatch]

@erclin

The issue is with thick Proofgrade plywood having air pockets.

If you found voids in your PG Ply, attach pictures of the edge that shows the gaps and Support will likely replace the ply for you. PG isn’t supposed to have voids or other aberrations in the construction.

[eflyguy]

I’m confused, although this thread is now so far off-topic…

I’ve never had voids prevent cutting thru. I have had weird material inclusions that did, however.

[erclin]

Sorry. To steer it back on topic, I have finally discovered the workaround for Affinity Design users. Before applying the Subtract operation, Reverse Curves using the Node tool. Also make sure Fill Mode is set to Winding (non-zero).

[MarcM]

I’m so sorry to hear that you’re running into trouble. I appreciate you providing so much information regarding the even-odd fill mode snag you are hitting. I’ll make sure your feedback gets back to my team.

In regards to the cut through trouble you are experiencing, I’d like to look at a specific print on your Glowforge to create a baseline and review. Could you please do the following?

Turn off your Glowforge, then turn it back on

We included an extra piece of Proofgrade Draftboard with your materials shipment for troubleshooting. Place Proofgrade Draftboard in the bed and load the Gift of Good Measure design.

Set the score and engrave steps to ‘ignore.’ Print the Gift of Good measure using the default settings. Allow the print to finish.

When the print finishes, leave the lid closed and wait until the fans stop and the picture of the bed updates.

Check the completed print:

If the Gift of Good Measure fails to cut, please let us know the date and time of the print

If the Gift of Good Measure cuts successfully, please try another print of the design you saw the issue with, and let us know the results.

If the issue still occurs, please let us know the date and time of the finished print.

Thank you!

[MarcM]

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.