Fire up but no movement?

I just moved to a new apartment in a basement and haven’t been able to use the Glowforge in a couple months.
The temperature down here isn’t too hot or anything. I just cut 2 things and after the 2nd cut the button flashed orange one time. I tried to cut a 3rd time and the vent tube expands and it acts like its getting ready to laser but it doesn’t move… I left it there for maybe 20 seconds before I opened the lid because it makes me nervous lol
Has anyone had this problem before ? I hope my machine isn’t somehow messed up! ugh

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Does the UI say cooling? Orange light is usually followed by a user notification in the UI.

There have been a few reports as of late that the UI isn’t giving a cooling notification.

@crystalvinyls is it a pro or basic, and what’s the temperature by the machine (not the thermostat temp, since temps can vary significantly from what that is set to)

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Just yesterday I had an overheating issue where it did not go amber (stayed white like it was burning) and got not such info in the GFUI (no message, timer kept counting down like it was burning) and the exhaust was running full blast as if it was burning. But the head didn’t move and the laser didn’t fire.

I ran the job again and it worked. But then later I tried to run another job and the same exact thing happened, except this time I got the cooling message in the GFUI (however still no amber light).

@crystalvinyls, when you say it’s not “too hot,” that’s a relative term. What’s the actual temperature? And, as @jbmanning5 asked, you running a Basic or Pro?

Keep in mind, too, that air is coming back in the exhaust as well (when the exhaust isn’t running). If it’s 74ºF in your house, but 90ºF outside, the temp inside your 'forge could be considerably higher than you might think.

darn really :frowning: well I have a Basic and the temp now is 75 but ranges around 75-80F depending on how hot it is outside that day. I’m getting air conditioning next week so it’ll be a lot cooler soon

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It doesn’t say anything it just sits there like its about to move but never does

Ohhhh okay see i wasn’t too sure if the air was coming in from the exhaust also or if it was just venting it out because the vent is in direct sunlight after around 2pm so it must be hot in the machine since its about 80F out

If the timer is clicking down in the GFUI, it is probably in a cooling cycle

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This literally happened to me and I never got a message on the GFUI either. I contacted support and they pulled the logs and my machine was overheating. I can only assume this js happening to you too.

Thanks for letting us know about this. I’ve made the team aware that the “Cooling” message isn’t showing up reliably in the Workspace for some of you, along with the yellow button on the Glowforge. We’re looking into it now.

@crystalvinyls, I extracted the logs from your Glowforge to investigate the issue, and it looks like your unit is pausing to cool before it can complete the prints in question. 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:

  1. A description of the things you tried and what happened

  2. 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

  3. The date and time (including time zone) when you had the problem

  4. 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

I hope this helps!

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.