I am very excited to receive my GF Pro and just created my first print with the Founder Ruler. After I put the proof grade wood into the unit, it displayed a blurry image of the material but I aligned the design to the side with a little bit of spacing on the edge as seen here:
After finishing cutting, the accuracy issues can be seen in the next 2 images:
You can see the left side is cut off or is off the edge. I know I can probably fix this by moving the image inside to the right more to account for the +/- deviation of placement but the other issue is more concerning Part of the engraving is cut off at the top.
That is a weird issue with the cut out of whack from the engrave. The only time I have seen out of placement operations with respect to each other in the same print has been do to warping issues or shifting of materials during the print (either on the surface of the crumb tray) or by the part dropping down and shifting. Is this a full sheet of Proofgrade plywood or hardwood?
That placement of materials is at the limits of testing lid camera image positioning. Two other issues can affect placement: zoom level issues depending on browsers, and warp of material.
I’d try it again, ensuring that the material is dead flat and is not able to shift during the operation.
I can understand wanting to get the most from the wood slabs, but most people have a buffer from the actual ends, probably to prevent what you saw. My prep drawings all have a buffer already.
It has also been stated all through this forum that the Zoom is unreliable.
Still, your problem is confusing in a sense. If it was in a no-cut area I would have expected it to not cut, rather than cut oddly.
It will be interesting to see what the response is on this issue.
@marmak3261 I was using proofgrade hardwood. It is strange that it would cut the top of the ruler incorrectly.
@brokendrum I definitely need to loosen up and give more of a buffer.
I will try again and make sure there is larger border space. I was expecting the detailed camera to make a pass and then let me adjust again (like a photo scanner).
It only takes the one image after you have placed the material. Correct input of material thickness is necessary for the lid camera’s image to have any kind of chance to have accurate placement of the design. Proofgrade should automatically put in the correct thickness, so if it accurately chose default settings for the material you put in, then this shouldn’t have been an issue.
I’m still curious as to material shift. Since this was Proofgrade hardword, that leaves a lot less surface contact of the material on the crumb tray. With a brand new crumb tray, you would have a fairly slick surface and the chance of the engraving shifting the material from movement of the head is real. The Glowforge literally can rock back and forth on some engraves. Again, this is a conjecture, but would explain that bizarre out of square final cut.
I don’t see how placement could cause what @xejchangx is seeing. If it can line up an engrave, I think it can line up a cut. I believe this is something else… Something got slightly out of alignment during the job. I can’t say if it was somehow the material, or the machine’s alignment.
I don’t think you do. If you can align your jobs with that level of accuracy, then go for it! Personally, I tend to leave about a 2/10" buffer. But now that I give it thought, that’s more habitual than it is necessary. I think the next job I’l go less.
Like I said above, I think you saw some strange alignment issue that happened during the job. I look forward to your next result.
Right on the edge, it also has a good chance of not being flat. A lot of us have resorted to holding the piece down with strong (but thin) magnets. I always give it a tap all around the cut area to make sure there there is no bounce.
The manual (or first print tutorial, I forget which) also suggests leaving a buffer since cutting right at the edge he’s a higher chance of flare-ups.
I think I had a similar problem – not with the ruler (that worked for me) but with some other stuff I was cutting and engraving. Basically, the fan in the GF is very strong and caused my material to shift position.
I’m currently using two thin pieces of heavy metal (technically, I tore apart some old hard drives a while ago, and these are the casings). I put these on the left and right sides of the material to prevent it from moving when the fan blows.
When you press the “Go” button to start the printing, keep an eye on the material and see if it shifts position. If it does shift – even a little – then you’ve got the same fan/airflow problem. Just put in some heavy weights to stop it from moving.
NOTE: Make sure the weight is heavy enough to stop things from moving, but isn’t very tall. The clearance between the arm and the crumbboard is about 1/2" – try to stay under 1/4" inch.
