Keeping my glowforge cool

When L do large cut jobs the glowforge will briefly stop to cool down. Can you suggest ways I can keep my glow Forge cool to limit the overheating issue I certainly do not want to damage the machine I’m not sure what to do should I just do shorter cut jobs?

That cool-down stop is actually a protection feature to prevent damage. There have been some creative solutions to that issue. Use that magnifying icon at the top right and search using your question. See if any of those ideas work for you Tracy. :+1:

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  • Make the room cooler.
  • Add an inline vent fan to help draw more air through the machine.

Also if you’re using a filter it getting full can cause overheating (because the air can’t get through)

Hi @tracy.k.hankins - I’m sorry to hear you’re getting slowed down by your printer needing to cool off on longer jobs.

As other’s have stated, this pausing to cool down is an intended behavior to prevent the printer from damage due to higher heats.

Your Glowforge features a closed-loop liquid cooling system that uses the air from the room to remove heat. It is designed to be used when the temperature next to your Glowforge is between 60 degrees Fahrenheit (16 Celsius) and 75 degrees Fahrenheit (24 Celsius). To check, put a room thermometer next to the right hand side of the Glowforge; it draws in air from underneath, on the right.

You can try any of these things to keep things a bit cooler, and look into why the printer might be running a bit warm.

  • Try printing with no material on the bed (so as not to generate smoke and fumes) and no exhaust hose attached. If this works, then the problem may be that your exhaust hose is constricting the flow of air out of the unit, preventing cooling.

  • Examine the bottom-right side of your Glowforge, and ensure that there is no fabric or other flexible material underneath it, like a tablecloth. There are air intake vents, and if they become obstructed, it makes cooling less effective.

  • Try pointing a fan at the right side of your Glowforge. If there is warm air around the intake, this could help it cool off.

  • Power off your Glowforge when you are not using it. When your Glowforge sits idle, the fans are off, so heat can build up

  • Just wait. Your print may take a little longer when it’s warm, but your Glowforge will protect itself and make sure it cools enough to prevent any loss of power or damage. It’s clever enough to pick up from exactly where it left off, even if it needs to pause to cool down during the print!

  • Ensure that the sun isn’t shining on the lid. This could cause the inside of your Glowforge to heat up.

  • If you are venting outdoors, ensure that extreme temperatures or humidity do not enter the Glowforge unit through the exhaust hose. Disconnect the hose from the outside air when the Glowforge is not in use.

  • Turn your Glowforge off and open the lid for a few minutes before trying again. It’s possible for the air in your Glowforge to heat up, just like a car in the sun on a hot day, opening the lid will help that warm air to escape and your Glowforge to cool down.

If you are still running into trouble, please let us know the following so that we can investigate further:

  1. A description of the things you tried and what happened

  2. If possible, place a thermometer next to your Glowforge on the right hand side and measure the temperature there; if not, estimate the room temperature

  3. The date and time (including time zone) when you had the problem

  4. Take a picture of the exhaust hose behind your Glowforge that includes the part where it connects to your Glowforge, and the part where it exits the room

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Hello @tracy.k.hankins - It’s been a while since there’s been any activity on this topic. I’m going to go ahead and close this down, but please feel free to create a new topic or reach out to us at support@glowforge.com if you still need assistance!