Does anyone have an official answer as to how far in the lens is supposed to go? I’m talking about the piece that you use the blue tool to take out and re-insert.
Do you only push it in until the magnets kick in? Or do you push it all the way up? I’ve heard both and just tonight I was cleaning my lens when I noticed the exhaust port for the assist fan almost ON the tip of the lens, heh.
For the record, I’ve been stopping at the magnet… but early on, I do remember pushing it all the way up as well.
The lens seat has a mechanism to autofocus, That’s the clicking you hear when the machine calibrates during power on. It’s supposed to move, when you hear the lens snap in place you’re done, no need to push it.
@pauljima is likely referring to the purge fan on the print head, which blows into an opening directly below the lens. It provides some of the same functionality an air assist does in a traditional laser cutter setup, so it’s only due to Glowforge’s conventions we don’t call both fans air assist.
I believe that fan is to purge the lens bore to keep smoke away from the lens. Its efficacy is limited because it pushes air from inside of the machine.