I'm frustrated and angry.... Its actually very rare for me

A jewelers saw can be thinner than the kerf, but the blades are fragile, so the balance of fragile and ease of cut must be found. It can take a bit of practice to always have exactly the same perpendicular to the material.
In addition, I rarely put out what comes out of the Glowforge even cleaned up directly, but use sanding, etc. so even bad edges such as you are seeing need not be the final edge. Or this is automating it.

Sharing all the particulars may help you solve your operational results as well.


Here is the pic. Mine looks different like a cover or two were not removed. Ill look at the unpack and install video again to see if that is where my problem is. Thanks

John Kimble
Sr. Loan Officer, NMLS #1211428
Cell: 916.622.0456

Looks to me like the two windows on either side of the laser lens are completely caked in some sort of acrylic blowback. Mine would get like that if I engraved a lot of poly coated wood. They are just clear windows. Clean them. Might need a finger nail to help with the Zeiss wipe, but nothing scratchy.

2 Likes

Look almost more like the plastic had gotten melted…look at the raised edges of the head itself…they have that same gunky looking stuff on them.

Wow. Clean those windows and you are going to see a difference.

Also, since this is a public forum I suggest you remove your phone number and personal info.

1 Like

That’s a much better description of what I was seeing, too.

thanks EVERYONE I had no idea. Cleaning now

Huh… I’ve been using these since day 1 (over 3½ years now) with no issue. They’ve always worked great for me. Maybe because they’re only 3mm thick? I dunno. But they’re quite strong and I’ve never had a single issue using them.

2 Likes

Hey @jkimble, thank you for posting the photo. Yes, as others have mentioned, those windows on either side of the printer head lens should be clear so that your printer head camera can accurately measure your material height. Try cleaning with a Zeisswipe or a lint-free cloth dipped in isopropyl alcohol. You printer head should look like the photo I posted earlier.

If the material doesn’t come off please let us know.

1 Like

and THAT my friend is why you turn to the forum. :slight_smile:

I hope that it worked for you!

and now of course I will be keeping a closer eye on those windows too!!!

3 Likes

The thing to watch is how high up the field gets. If you hold a screwdriver above the magnets at the height of the carriage and if you can feel the pull they are too strong, If the fan particularly gets in the field it will slow down or stop. If you watch how the smoke blows away, it will slow or wander to the left, and frequently the smoke will catch and burn, which will not cut as deep.

1 Like

Exactly right. When I first got my GF, I was having difficulty cutting through on some pieces. Then I noticed it was always the jobs where I had magnets close to the cut path. I was using small 1"L x 1/2"W x 1/8" thick neodymium with only about a 10lb pull, but that was enough to slow down the fan, I guess. The wood I run is 10" x 12" and only 1/16" thick. I have to use magnets to flatten it out. So, I ordered some steel pieces and made a cup to hold the magnets. Same magnets, but no more problem. The steel cup redirects the magnetic field downward, away from the laser head.

2 Likes

Yup. I tried that with steel shim and it was too thin and did not do the job but I have cup magnets bought that way and those also keep the field down and an array of 3/16 dia. magnets drilled and glued into a sheet of plywood also do a good job as each field does not reach high enough and many together do pull a lot over all. However having been “burned” before I rarely use them unless desperate.

2 Likes

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.