Hello, I have had the machine nearly 2 weeks and have read an abundance of posts back from 2018 on engraving and cutting. I do not understand why the machine does not cut all the way through on materials purchased from Glow forge even with 2 passes. I can duplicate a design on the same piece of material during the same print job and one will cut all the way through and the other will not. I have double checked to make sure the settings are the same and they are. I clean the cameras and machine every other day to prevent build up. It is very disheartening. Any suggestions?
Thank you
are you sure your material is not warped? Check that the crumb tray is seated properly
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Here is an example from last night. It has happened with veneer, acrylic and board. If the outside item was not cut through, the crumb tray might be an issue, but here you can see it is the inner item not cut through. The products used are not warped.
It cuts almost all the way through, but not quite and if I try to pop the cut out, it cracks
Your picture is of the underside of the board, right?
Even though the material may not feel warped to you when you place it on the board, you should still pin it down, since the process of cutting into it can relieve stresses in the material and make it move while it’s being cut.
Give that a try, at least.
If it’s consistent with not cutting through by location, then there may be more mechanical issue, but usually it is related to the true flatness of the material.
Pinning really does make a difference! And small magnets in the center of the material (if no cut out already to catch the board. Just be sure the magnet is at least 1" or so away from the path of the laser to ensure no interference… and you don’t need super strong rare earth ones, but do make sure they are thin enough so the material+magnetic height is not greater than 1/2".
I’m so sorry to hear that you’re running into trouble. I’ve extracted the log files from your Glowforge to review your most recent prints.
I’d like to have you perform a specific test print, so that we can great a baseline for your Glowforge, and see what could be causing the cut through behavior you’re experiencing.
Could you please do the following?
- Turn off your Glowforge, then turn it back on
- We included an extra piece of Proofgrade Draftboard with your materials shipment for troubleshooting. Place Proofgrade Draftboard in the bed and load the Gift of Good Measure design.
- Set the score and engrave steps to ‘ignore.’ Print the Gift of Good measure using the default settings. Allow the print to finish.
- When the print finishes, leave the lid closed and wait until the fans stop and the picture of the bed updates.
- Check the completed print:
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- If the Gift of Good Measure fails to cut, please let us know the date and time of the print
- If the Gift of Good Measure cuts successfully, please try another print of the design you saw the issue with, and let us know the results.
- If the issue still occurs, please let us know the date and time of the finished print.
Once completed, please provide an image of the front and back of the print, and we’ll review.
It’s been a little while since I’ve seen any replies on this thread so I’m going to close it. If you still need help with this please either start a new thread or email support@glowforge.com.