Laser not Firing - First Try

I tried to use my glowforge for the first time last night. Unboxed two weekends ago and it’s been on a desk since then. No laser. Saw the purple light but no laser.

What could be wrong? How long does it take for a response back from support?

Did you run the first projects that they recommend you run? If not I recommend running the gift of good measure on proof grade draft board that they include for this purpose. Record the time and time zone that you tried to run it and take pictures of the results. Support will be able to look up the logs from your machine for this print to aid in determining the problem.

Are the mirror and lens installed correctly?
You can see where everything is and how it should look here

Print the Gift of Good Measure with proofgrade settings on proofgrade material. Photograph the result if there is a problem and post along with the date and time of the print.

I think the lens may not be in correctly! I was thinking about it and that would explain it. heading home to heck.

Thanks - that what i was doing - I did photograph it, but will go home to see if something is in upside down!

Yes I did. Already recorded everything but I think something is in upside down.

I’m sure it’s operator error.

I’m so sorry to hear that you’re hitting this snag with your new Glowforge.

If your Printer Head is moving but you aren’t seeing the laser marking your material, there are two likely causes:

  • The mirror in the Printer Head is not installed correctly and may have been damaged.
  • The print power has been set to the lowest possible setting.

First, please inspect the mirror in the Printer Head

  • Follow these instructions to access the Printer Head mirror.

  • If you see damage to the mirror or the plastic handle (for example, if the plastic handle has been melted), please check the interior of the Printer Head for any additional damage. If you don’t see any signs of physical damage inside the Printer Head you can purchase a replacement Printer Head Mirror through the shop. Note: If there is damage to the plastic handle on the mirror, the mirror may be difficult to remove. You can follow the instructions here for removing a mirror that is stuck.

  • Once you receive your replacement mirror, please clean both the lens and Printer Head window, by following these cleaning instructions.

  • If you find any damage in the Printer Head, please take a photo of the damage and send it to us and we’ll follow up with next steps.

If the mirror looks good, do a test print

  • If the mirror is undamaged, please reinstall the mirror.

  • Place a sheet of Proofgrade material in the bed of your Glowforge and open the Gift of Good Measure design.

  • Before starting the print, please select the default Proofgrade settings. Once the material has been chosen you will see the word, “Cut”, “Score”, or “Engrave” under each step in the design.

  • When the print finishes, leave the lid closed and wait until the fans stop and the lid image updates.

  • If the design prints successfully, it is likely that the power was set too low on the previous print.

  • If you still don’t see the laser marking the material, please reply to this email including the date and time (with time zone) when your test print was run.

Once you’ve worked through these steps, let us know how it goes!

Hi. That’s the problem. The mirror was upside down and is now burnt up.

Hey @craftsofadifferentsh, I see you’v also emailed us about this and we’re working with you there, so I’m going to close this topic.