Gang,
I am looking for a few more ideas as to why the laser suddenly stopped firing mid-job with my Pro. I have:
What else?
Thanks!
I’m having the same problem - it just started today…
Hello @christopher3, thank you for reaching out to us. I’m sorry to hear you’re having trouble with your Glowforge laser.
If your Printer Head is moving but you aren’t seeing the laser marking your material, there are two likely causes:
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, please run the Gift of Good Measure print again. This time, when the print finishes, leave the lid closed and wait until the fans stop and the lid image updates. This will allow us to gather full information for the print in the print logs.
If you still don’t see the laser marking the material during the print, please look at the laser tube and let us know if you see the laser beam.
Please let us know if you have any questions. Thank you!
MorganW,
Thank you for the information.
Thanks and let me know your thoughts.
Is the brown spot still present after cleaning?
Yes, after several cleanings.
That may very well be what is keeping the laser from doing its job. They are available in the GF online store under spare parts.
https://shop.glowforge.com/collections/spare-parts?sort_by=title-ascending
Sorry but I am a little confused. Am I talking to two people, same machine or two people, two machines but same issue?
Soak the lens in isopropyl alcohol for awhile and then try to clean it with a wipe or use a fingernail on the brown spot. It’s actually fairly hard to burn the coat itself. That is more likely smoke deposits that have been baked on. Those will usually soften up or dissolve in alcohol.
Hi, this is one person with two GF machines and two logins. Sorry for the confusion and thanks for the tips!
Support tracks cases by username, so you might want to stick to one when responding to an open ticket.
Thanks for the suggestion. I tried it and could not remove the spots.
Any other ideas?
Sounds like time to order a replacement. Fortunately they are not expensive.
That damaged lens is not going to prevent the laser from firing. It would reduce power and potentially impact focus.
You need to determine if the laser has completely failed - could be a dead tube or faulty power supply.
Create some simple shapes and set the power to FULL and speed to 150 or so, and watch the laser tube. It has a pretty obvious glow when it is running. If not, then the issue isn’t your lens.
Thank you. We did similar test and the laser still would not fire at all. The exhaust fan continues to run, even after attempted cuts and engraves.
Morgan, I have been through all of the steps. The issue is that the laser is not firing at all. It’s not creating a beam and is behaving like there is no power to the tube.
I have had this machine for 20 months. I spent the extra on the Pro for many reasons. Also, I am one of the lucky ones who has snapmarks, and I want to retain that feature.
I still have my packaging of course. Please would you arrange for this machine to be returned and either replaced with a fully refurbished Pro that also has snapmarks OR FULLY refurbish this one and return it to me. I am not trying to be difficult but I spent a lot of money on a machine that is now basically a paperweight. Please let me know ASAP.
So it has to go back for repair. But you’ll also want to order a new lens since your current one didn’t clean up. Otherwise when the repaired unit comes back it still won’t cut well. Although, they might replace it as part of the repair procedure so you could wait until you get the repair estimate before ordering a new lens. If they don’t include it, you can ask them to replace it or get another one yourself.
A new tube isn’t terribly expensive (although 20 months is pretty young for a tube). A new power supply repair is likely to be in the 4-digit range door-to-door. 
Thanks James, that’s my conclusion too. The head and all the fans are working so I am hoping the power supply is fine. Also, I believe there was a 24 month warranty with the Pro.
I have already ordered a new lens. I know that’s not the issue because if the beam were firing, Id get some sort of burn. But you can see the tube is not firing. Fingers crossed.
Unfortunately, it looks like your unit is experiencing an issue that we can’t resolve remotely. I want you to have a reliable unit, so I’m recommending we repair this one. I’ll be in touch via email to sort out the details. I’m so sorry about the bad news.
