Got my GF yesterday, has been cutting great. went to cut this morning and it looks like its throwing a flame when cutting even on proof grade material.
Okay y’all, I’m just crazy 
It was just the “candle like” flame and blows out as the laser moves.
Welcome to the forum.
Flames are often indicative of dirty fans and/or poor ventilation. A picture or video of what you are seeing would be helpful as would a more detailed description of what proofgrade materials you are cutting and how intricate the cuts are.
The air assist fan on the back of the carriage plate blows directly at the cut path in order to remove vaporized material before it can ignite, and to snuff out any flames that do ignite. If you haven’t cleaned it recently, this may be a sign that you need to. Here are some instructions:
Oh no, I’m sorry for the trouble.
As per our manual, a small, candle-like flame where the laser beam strikes the material is normal. This flame should move with the laser and should not remain lit when the laser has moved past.
If you’re experiencing larger than a candle-like flame, it’s possible that the behavior you are seeing while printing is due to an air assist fan that needs to be cleaned.
This is a regular maintenance step for the printer, however it can be difficult to tell when the fan needs to be cleaned since the build-up of residue is highly dependent on how much you print and what type of material you use, etc.
Could you follow these steps to clean your Air Assist Fan and let us know if the behavior improves?
It’s brand new. I’ve literally cut two 8” signs.
That may be what I’m seeing. I will cut again shortly and make sure!
It shouldn’t be a dirty fan because I literally got it yesterday (brand new) and have cut two 8” signs.
Can you post a picture of the flame. I really don’t see much of a “flame” as such for most of my cuts (PG or Baltic Birch are my usual materials). As it is new, maybe the air assist fan is not actually blowing (if the wires got unhooked in transit). If you aren’t sure, try cutting a small cut (Maybe a 0.25" circle) from a lightweight piece of paper – If the fan is blowing, it will probably blow out of the way as soon as it is cut. For light (much lighter than copy paper) I use speed 500/power 30. A 1/4" circle blows right out once the cut is done. That would at least tell you if the fan is on. Good luck
Thank you for following up with that information!
At your earliest convenience, please perform the following test print.
Print the Gift of Good Measure on Proofgrade material, using Proofgrade settings.
When the print finishes, leave the lid closed and wait until the fans stop and the picture updates.
If the Gift of Good Measure produces a larger than candle-like flame, take a photo of the front and back of the print and attach these photos to your reply.
just so you know… for reference not all laserable inputs generate the same level of outputs regarding ash and debris.
you can laser a sign on one material and everything is still “clean” you change to MDF or some such, and you suddenly have a wheelbarrow load of crap inside to deal with. an exaggeration, but the variability is quite wide.
Also, make sure you have not inadvertently set the filter slider to “ON” in the three dots menu (below). That turns off the exhaust fan and would lead to much smoke if you don’t have a filter connected. Or if you do have a Glowforge filter connected, make sure it is turned up enough or not plugged (it plugs up really fast if you use Draftboard or PG plywood, anything with an mdf core).
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