I think this might be related to what I’m seeing, at least with camera placement.
I place my material in the Glowforge, using magnets to ensure a flat surface.
I open the app.
I place my design on screen so that it does not go out of the cutting area (or etching area).
I make sure the placement of my design does not overlay any of the magnets as seen on screen via the camera.
I click Print, and wait for the app to process, and pink version of design overlays the material as seen via the camera…still does not overlay any of the magnets.
I press glowing button on the Glowforge, and design now covers the magnets.
I’m etching, and nothing seems to happen to the magnets, but the design now has magnet shaped blank spots along the edges.
How far out of alignment should I expect the camera to be?
Support will ask you to provide pictures if possible. Might also be easier for us to understand what you are describing if you take a snapshot of the entire bed and post it here.
I think it is related to the issue that’s been discussed elsewhere about the limitations of the fisheye camera.
I would surmise that the solution is going to require multiple sensors (cameras) in a grid pattern, with the images stitched together. Which is, as usual with any software application, both a simple idea, but a real PITA to implement.
Have you entered the proper height at some point in that process, or are you using PG? Because otherwise I think 0.0 or your last known value will be assumed.
Another heads up! I have had my GF pro less than a month. Today when I started it and it started homing the laser head it looked like it was rubbing the side and grinding when moving forward. I powered it off a set the head close to home under the camera. This is when I noticed the side lens on the laser head was loose and screwed out. I got it back right and ran as usual. Still the cut was off from where it was placed to cut. But it looks like the glowforge will need a little routine checks before every start. Like setting the laser head under the camera to home , checking if items are loose and regular cleaning.
Exactly what’s happening to me. If your cutting or engraving this happens . I learned to keep magnets back a little further because of this variance in where it decides to cut or engrave.
It’s not just the magnets. I need to do pieces that are 6-9" wide and 24-30" long. I can break the image into parts easily, but still need to align the parts, without elements “overwriting” another element, and without there being an obvious break line. In the attached image, when I placed it an the app, it showed at least 1/4" between the star from the first section, and the angel which was in the 2nd section.
I’m going to have to do more experimenting to try and get more precise with where it LOOKS like the image is going to land, and with where it ACTUALLY lands. I see lots of note taking in my future.
Yep. That’s what happens to me. But it seams to go up or down in the wrong place. I thought of putting a taped scale on both sides of the tray lined up. This way I can maybe find the sweet spot where it will cut right. And could log the variance. Maybe it will get better.:)
Regarding the greyed out area you see in the app, there are a few reasons this area could change. First, you will see a different printable area based on whether you are cutting or engraving. Second, the printable area will be reduced somewhat when the head is moving at higher speed, as it can take space for the laser to decelerate. Last of all, the view of the bed will change when the material height is changed or if you manually select a type of Proofgrade material other than what was detected. It might be helpful to decide on the final placement of your design after making all the necessary changes to settings for your print. Please let me know if that works better for you.
For working with the fabric you might want to look at some form of sticky mat–either a Seklema mat or something like this
That will allow you to position your fabric nice and flat and keep it from moving around with out having to worry about whether magnets might interfere with the head motion or laser.
Also, if you’re going to do longer pieces, you may want to look at manual indexing rather than visual alignment. Something like I wrote up here:
If you notice the picture I sent it is a 3.25 inch round piece of proof
grade I cut out with the label still intact. I started at center under the
camera. I moved it across the to the left and it off the material everytime
even though centered on the screen. This might not happen everytime but
seems to be worse when it does. This is wasting money I spent on
proofgrade. And actually I haven’t had as much trouble running non proof
grade material.
I’m sorry to hear that didn’t address the issue. If you see an alignment problem of more than 1/4", could you please:
Turn your unit off and back on
We included an extra piece of Proofgrade Draftboard with your materials shipment for troubleshooting. Place the Proofgrade Draftboard in the center of the bed and print the Gift of Good Measure using the default settings
When the print finishes, without moving your artwork or your material, take a screenshot of the workspace to show us the difference between the artwork placement and the actual print placement. Make sure to include the rulers in your screenshot and show as much of the bed as possible
Mac: Press Shift-Command-4 and click and drag a box around your image. You’ll find the screenshot file saved on your desktop
Windows: Click on the Start Menu and search for the Snipping Tool. Open the Snipping Tool > New then click and drag a box around your image. Click the Save icon and name and save your file
Send us the screenshot along with the date and time of the print, and I’ll be happy to take a look
We try to keep to one topic per post in the Problems and Support section. If you still have questions, would you please create a new post? If you’ll include an example time and date of a print, that will help us research. Thanks!
ok here are the pictures. Like I have mentioned the cut varies depending on the GF’s attitude. I have noticed since yesterday the screen view is better than other times. that is I don’t see as much of the bottom and right side of the tray in the picture . Also sometimes the material looks like it is setting angled in the tray but is straight and the tray is set right. when I got the GF the front door would not shut straight. Reading in the forum about this it was mention the front pass thru cover was causing this because it was wrong hitting the tray and keeping the door from shutting. I took it off and the door shut and the lid closed. now I am wondering if the injection molded case is the issue because there is no way you can put a tray in and tested this unit before it left the factory with the shield cover in place. With the front shield in place the door is harder to close. I really need the GF to be more repetitive and do what was promised.
Thanks
Mike
I’m sorry your Pro Shield isn’t fitting correctly. I’ll email you separately so we can coordinate sending you a replacement for the front Pro Shield.
The test with the Gift of Good Measure shows that your Glowforge is performing within the range of accuracy that we expect right now. Most importantly, that means that as we make improvements to the software, I expect you to see much better alignment.
However, I totally understand that the issue can be intermittent and that this screenshot might not capture the extent of the alignment issue. I’m going to close this thread, but if you see the issue worsen again, please capture it for me by:
Taking another screenshot
Recording the date and time of the print (including time zone)
Contacting us again either by posting a new topic or emailing us at support.glowforge.com
