Is it just me, or has GF changed something recently so our lasers don’t cut as well? I’ve been using 1/8” plywood for some time and it’s always cut super well. Recently, I can’t get it to cut, even with multiple passes. I have two friends who are having the same challenges, we all have the Pro and are cutting (non-proof grade) 1/8” birch plywood. The same wood has cut perfectly in the past. We’ve been able to to use the Proofgrade settings in the past, now they won’t cut through. So frustrating!
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Sorry you’re having trouble. I haven’t noticed any difference with my machine. Is it possible the non-proof grade birch plywood you are using has changed? A simple change in their glue could make a big difference. Can you try another material and see if that cuts as expected?
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It is just you.
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Glowforge has not, to my knowledge, done something that would inhibit the performance of their machines.
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Don’t forget to clean the optics regularly… smoke from cutting plywoods can be especially nefarious…
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I’m thinking it’s more likely a change in material, even something as subtle as exposure to moisture or humidity changes the way it cuts. The way the heat and humidity has been lately, it could’ve been exposed at whatever lumber store you frequent.
Plus there are always variables that affect materials in production. I used to buy from the same supplier in bulk. I’d have great cuts with some boards, and then the next batch, nothing would cut. When I asked the supplier (this was during covid), he told me that the manufacturer started sources raw materials from other areas due to shipping issues, so the product changed slightly. That slight change made it uncuttable.
You can always run the gift of good measure on a piece of proofgrade to see if it’s the machine or the material. I’d do it on a small corner of proofgrade first to see if it’s fine. Then I’d probably find scraps of the wood over been working with and see the difference.
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even a different SKU number while being the same “product” can result in wonky results. had this happen with the chalkboard/whiteboard product from home depot.
diff sku different results.
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I have had the same with proofgrade from the same order. Only a couple of times, and of course they would replace it if I could be bothered to open a ticket, but just another pass with lower power was sufficient.
If it’s a job that uses a significant amount of material, I always pin it in place, and never, never move a sheet from the bed until I’ve confirmed the pieces will lift out. I keep a pick on my machine for that purpose. Another trick I learned was to elevate the edges of the material slightly, so the cut parts drop down. I have a design for a hold-down pin that does this automatically. Obviously the material needs to lay flat, but I rarely have any that isn’t, or needs just a tiny bit of force to straighten - the pins are enough.
Edit.. found it. I thought I’d called it “raised”, not elevated..
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Thanks for sharing, I’ll try them!
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I would agree, but the three of us are using the same material, in different climates. This same batch of wood was cutting like butter, now even with three passes neither of us can get it to cut cleanly.
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The three of us are super anal about keeping our machines clean. I’ll try the gift of good measure, and fingers crossed, get to the bottom of this.
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Great idea! I’ll try maaking some raised pins.
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That’s where I thought maybe exposure to humidity by the manufacturer or during shipment, since it would be the same origin going to different places, it could be something different at the source. I hope you figure it out!
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I’ve purchased proof grade materials from Michael’s before and found them to be warped when I went to cut. Super frustrating since they were actual proof grade. Now if I need to buy from there, I put them on a flat surface to make sure they are flat before buying.
when I’ve ordered directly I haven’t had issues. We live in a very dry climate but I never expected it to warp.
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If you’re still having trouble I didn’t see anyone else mention the idea that your lens might be in upside down. This would explain exactly what you’re seeing.
Check out the cut troubleshoot guide in number 5 for more tips:
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funny I had my original lens replaced with a new one and all the cuts that I have saved for different materials would no longer work based on settings dialed in for years… my complaint to GF was it was a cheaper lens, they deny this!
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