Extra grinding noise with fan as job runs

In the last few days, and extra grinding? noise has appeared making the fan even louder.

It continues during the whole job

Other than there might have been a fan control profile change that I don’t know about but has happened before, the first place to look is in the path to the exhaust fan and at the back fan itself. Sometimes material gets sucked in and causes a racket. Same thing with the head fans.

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Does everything sound normal if you turn the unit off and gently slide the arm forward and back? The head back and forth? If so, I agree that fan garbage is high on the list.

Too bad you’re missing a “silent” setting on your cool escutcheon… :wink:

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Thanks for reaching out. I’m sorry about the grinding noise.

Would you please clean and inspect the exhaust by following these instructions:

Remove Hose from Unit
Squeeze the two ends of the ring clamp together and pull the clamp and the hose away from your Glowforge to remove them.

Vacuum Exhaust Connections
Use a vacuum to remove dust and debris from your Glowforge unit’s exhaust connection as well as from your outdoor exhaust vent. Then take a photo of the exhaust connection like the one below and attach it to your reply.

Try a Print

  1. Remove any material from the bed, leaving the crumb tray
  2. Turn the Glowforge on and go to app.glowforge.com
  3. Upload or select a simple, quick design, such as a single outline cut
  4. Click “Unknown” to select a material
  5. Search for and choose “Thin Natural Leather” as your material
  6. Start the print (Note: This may create some odor, but it is not hazardous)
  7. Take another video of the print
  8. Reply to this email to let me know how it goes, and send me the video

Thanks so much!

thanks - didn’t realize how many fans there actually are!!

No loose material but some buildup on the main and head and the one behind the head. Lots of cutting and etching! Following staff directions below…

Yep, everything sounds normal moving the head and arm with power off. Just stepper motors humming

this is after vacuuming out the exhaust port. The noise is worst when the exhaust fan starts up and when it shuts down after the print job.

There is no debris in the area of the fan although there is some brown residue
Thanks

OK I spent a lot more time cleaning the exhaust fan -the blades and the grill behind, and now it sounds much better!

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I’m glad you resolved it! I’m going to close this thread - if the problem reoccurs, go ahead and post a new topic. Thanks for letting us know about this!