GF will not cut through PG draft board or baltic birch

I got the GF on October 1st and ive hit the ground running. Its been on all day and night since then. But here lately it has not been cutting nicely at all. The cuts are so inconsistent. Ive even gone over a cut twice and still didn’t get a clean cut. I clean it regularly, any help?

Make sure you’re not missing any of the windows that need cleaning – there are 4 of them, along with the lens and the mirror.

If that’s not it, your air assist fan might need some attention, or even the exhaust fan, depending on what materials you’ve been using. You can find instructions for cleaning them over on the support website. :slight_smile:

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Ha! @geek2nurse beat me to it. I cut a lot of MDF and PG Draftboard–this is fairly dirty stuff. I clean my lenses/windows weekly, just to be on the safe side.

Buy a large box of lens cleaning cloths so you won’t worry about running out.

What were you cutting recently where you didn’t get a clean cut? there are some materials that test nicely, but in practice require a lot more effort. (Non-PG stuff, in my case.)

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After cleaning all of your optics, post a picture of the results of trying to print the Gift of Good Measure on proofgrade material using proofgrade settings if the cut is not perfect. Also note the time and date of the print.

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Thanks for the response. I clean it regularly and actually just cleaned it yesterday.

It appears as if something is stopping the laser as if something is laying on the board. The boards are flat, the crumb tray is clean.

Support will need you to use proofgrade materials for them to assess performance.

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I am cutting Baltic birch and like you I did buy a large box of the recommended lens cleaning wipes. I clean it weekly as well and just so happened to have cleaned it yesterday. It cut beautifully for a while and now nothing is cutting clean. Cutting gift of good measure now.

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Is the lens in right side up? Your cuts look awful wide.

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I was just going to ask that! Might end up being an easy fix. :slight_smile:

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Rats! That’s a lot of work there. I hope you can salvage it even if you finish the cut by hand.

Is this a new batch of birch? If the lens is not a problem, then it might be the materials. If you have some PG Draftboard, can you test the same cuts with it? (Or just part of the same cuts…)

It is a new batch of birch but the batch before this was doing it too. I will check the lens but I dont think so. Here is the Gift of Good Measure. Not good.

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Yeah, not good at all. What a drag.

So what would you recommend I do now. If my machine is broken how do I get a new one?

Support will help determine that when they show up to this support thread. Did you see:

I’m still betting on your lens being upside-down. Although the massive scorching around that top line also suggests the air assist fan needs cleaning.

Sorry forgot to respond to the lens inquiry. I checked and cleaned while at it. The lens is in correctly. the scorching was from a double pass that I did to try and get the letters out (they are being painted). But I need them asap for a client who ordered a Christmas item.

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Okay, then check that your mirror is seated correctly, and also try cleaning your air assist fan. :slight_smile:

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It is all newly cleaned.

Hmmm. The smoke just looks…wrong. But so do those massively wide lines, so I dunno. I guess now we just wait for Support to get here!

About the Baltic birch: even though I’ve been using some generally very good Baltic birch, I do occasionally run across a void or plug that refuses to cut through. You can check that on your failed boards by sawing into the place it didn’t cut and seeing what’s in there. Some people check their boards with a strong flashlight on the opposite side before using them—such anomalies should show up that way.