I recently got a contract to engrave a large number of very small spoons. I created a holding fixture for engraving 5 spoons at a time but the problem was how to align the text perfectly every time.
So I built an alignment platform that gets my projects directly under the camera and in the exact location every time. Now all of my repeat engraving projects are perfectly aligned without making adjustments in the dashboard.
The problem with permanent jigs is that the Glowforge calculates its zero on startup, and it can vary.
It shouldn’t vary by much and it may be accurate enough for what you’re doing, but it can and does vary by small amounts. If you need the highest level of accuracy and require a reusable jig it’s best to use a kerf-corrected double cut method.
I have engraved these spoons on three separate occasions with no adjustments on the dashboard layout and it has come out perfect every time. If the zero moves each time it must be by less than one hundredth of an inch in the vertical axis or I would see the misalignment on the engravings.
I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it. My machine resets so accurately that if you score a design, turn it off, move the head, turn it back on, and repeat the score, you can’t even tell it was scored twice. It’s very repeatable.
