Glowforge Stuck on Focusing – Print Head Not Moving at Startup, Solid Yellow Light

[hayat.fuzan]

Hello Glowforge Support,

I am having an issue with my Glowforge Performance Series printer.

The printer is currently stuck on “Focusing” / “Head Focus” in the Glowforge app, and the physical button remains solid yellow.

The main issue is that the printer head does not move at all when the machine starts up. It remains completely stationary, even though the printer is powered on and the app is stuck at the focusing stage.

I have already tried all of the recommended troubleshooting steps, including:

• Turning the Glowforge off and completely unplugging it.
• Waiting and restarting the machine multiple times.
• Checking that the printer head can move freely on the rail.
• Manually moving the printer head to confirm that it is not physically stuck.
• Cleaning the printer head and the relevant optical and camera areas.
• Checking the printer head connection.
• Removing the printer head and properly reseating it.
• Disconnecting the printer head ribbon cable and reconnecting it securely.
• Checking the ribbon cable connection and making sure it is fully inserted and properly aligned.
• Checking that the ribbon cable is not twisted, damaged, or preventing the head from moving freely.
• Checking the printer head connector for any visible issues.
• Restarting the Glowforge and attempting the focusing/calibration process again.
• Trying the focusing process multiple times, but the printer head still does not move.

The printer head moves freely by hand when the machine is powered off, so it does not appear to be mechanically stuck.

However, when the Glowforge is powered on, the printer head does not move during startup or focusing, and the machine remains stuck on “Focusing” / “Head Focus”, with the button showing a solid yellow light.

We have tried all the troubleshooting steps we could find and have attempted the recommended solutions several times, but unfortunately, nothing has resolved the issue.

Please let me know if you need any additional information, photos, videos, or diagnostic details from my Glowforge.

Thank you for your assistance.

[evansd2]

@hayat.fuzan

Please let me know if you need any additional information

First of all, welcome to the forum! Sorry it’s under these circumstances.

A couple of things:

This is a great report—very detailed and an excellent writeup.

Unfortunately, Glowforge staff don’t use this as a support channel. You’re really talking to fellow Glowforge owners here, so I’m not sure we can help directly. It sounds like you’ve already done most, if not all, of the troubleshooting you can do at home.

That said, a yellow light is often related to overheating. Take a look at #20 in my FAQ, which covers overheating:

20: All about overheating

Return to the common questions index If your machine is overheating, there could be a few causes. Your room may just be too warm. And, somewhat surprisingly, Your room may just be too cold. There is a recommended temperature range for your Glowforge, sometimes you’ll get the overheating warning when really it’s too cold. Think of it more as a “temperature out of range” error. Find out more about allowable temperatures here: Your airflow may be insufficient. If your airflow is block…

If that’s not the issue, hopefully someone else will have another suggestion.

If you do want to contact Glowforge support, their official support page explains how to reach them:

How to Contact Support

Good luck!

[beerfaced]

Have you tried manually moving the head until it is under the camera and then turning the machine on?

[dwardio]

@beerfaced

manually moving the head until it is under the camera

Wow, that’s old school…