Laser 'dotting' instead of cutting a line

Community Support
1

Hi,

I’m trying to cut a cake topper, which i’ve successfully cut many times before, but for some reason the laser is cutting part of the design perfectly and then ‘dotting’ the design instead of cutting a full line. Has anyone experienced this before?

I’ve cleaned the machine and recalibrated but it’s still doing it and i’m at a loss as to why! I’m based in the UK, and have now cut 5 times with the same results.

The cake topper is for an order for tomorrow morning, really hoping someone can help soon!

Thanks and Kind Regards
Leah!

Happy 60th topper 2|353x500

GF - Dotting
GF - Dotting816×612 162 KB

1 Like
2

You should provide a picture, and the time and timezone of the print, so support can check the logs.

It is possible either your tube or power supply are faulty.

3

Thanks, i’ve updated the request.

4

I meant a picture of the print, showing how it failed, not the design file.

5

Thanks again - now updated with the dots! :slight_smile:

1 Like
6

Have you ever cut this file successfully before? What graphics program did you use to create the topper file? Can you upload the file so we can take a look at it?

7

Hiya,

I have yes - it’s been absolutely fine before. I use Adobe Illustrator and then download into a SVG to put onto the glowforge app. The file is attached to my original post :slight_smile:

8

Im running it on mine real quick and will let you know what happens.

9

I did a quick run with your original and one that I imported in CorelDraw and then exported. In the interest of time I just did a score onto poster board and both came out fine and exactly the same.

1 Like
10

IMG_4777
IMG_4777816×612 185 KB

2 Likes
11

Are the settings the same for the interior cuts as the exterior? (Like if you made them a different color?)

12

(… as each other, not as their failed print?)

nvm… you posted a pic as I was typing!

1 Like
13

Thank you so much for doing this, I really appreciate it! So it looks as though it might be something to with my machine?

I’ve just noticed that the tube is flashing when it’s trying to cut, I don’t think I’ve seen it do that before! :grimacing:

14

That’s what it will do if the tube or power supply are failing.

15

Oh gosh, hoping it doesn’t need replacing!

16

In the meantime, maybe there is someone who is close in the UK who could cut the design for you? You could also post a help wanted uk in the everything else section. I am afraid that it would take longer to get to you from Hawaii!

17

I’m sorry to hear you’re experiencing difficulties with your Glowforge. Since you’ve already cleaned your Glowforge and you mentioned you’ve printed this design before, I’d like you to check that the material is flat in your Glowforge.

If the crumb tray is mispositioned or holding bits of material from packaging or printing, it could keep your material from lying flat. Even a millimeter difference in height could affect your laser’s ability to cut. Follow our instruction here to ensure your Crumb tray is flat.

Some materials can develop a curve (called ‘warp’), and warped material may not cut through consistently. The problem is especially likely to occur if the print is large. Read our troubleshooter on warped material for ideas on how to take care of your materials.

Once you’ve verified the above, try another print to see if you can successfully cut through and let us know how it goes!

18

I can see that you’ve reached out to us via email, and we’ve responded there. I’m going to close this topic in order to avoid any confusion or duplicate communication.