My GF isn’t cutting where it is supposed to!I am so

My Pro isn’t cutting where the designs are placed and everything is either overlapping or crooked…… I have cleaned all of the lenses and the mirror…I am SOOOOO frustrated! Does anyone know how I can fix this?

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This really looks like the printhead got moved with the machine on, but if that is not a possibility, the lid camera calibration should work. I suggest turning the machine off and back on, allowing it to center and home, before performing the calibration.

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I’m not so sure since it’s not all moved in the same direction. This looks like bad calibration to me, with a radial offset problem.

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Hopefully the lid camera calibration will fix it.

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Looks to me like the board may be pretty warped (bowed in the middle). Especially if the bottom side of the picture is any indication.

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First, you should be holding down your material with something - the honeycomb hold down pins are a great option, but shielded magnets, or even tape can work. Do that first so you know your material is flat.

Then Set Focus will only work in one area of the board at a time - so if you’re doing multiple items you need to Set Focus in one area - place that item. Then Set Focus in the next area - and place that one (the first one will now look wrong - don’t move it! Then Set Focus in the 3rd, 4th, etc.
If you have items that are quite close you should do a Set Focus where they’re closest and make sure neither design is going to touch.

Let us know how it goes!

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The material height used in the image dewarping calculation is way off from the actual material height. In other words, the focus is quite a bit off. It’s a little weird that none of the settings for an engrave are shown. That indicates to me that this image was not taken immediately after an engrave and that a correct focus height has not yet been provided or that Set Focus was not used. Follow the guidance of others in earlier posts.

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It says not completed and completed, which is correct?

I really appreciate everyone taking the time to help me out! I didn’t know that you had to set the focus for every item… Do you have to set focus then cut one then set focus again on the next design? I thought the camera just focused on the material and not the design. I have so much to learn!

What happens if the print head is removed while the machine is on?

I do use the pins but maybe need to use more…

Thank you! I thought you just did set focus once if it was set to auto. I will update my progress!

If you move the printhead with the machine turned on, the software “loses track” of where the printhead is located. It is also not good for the stepper motors. The fix is easy. Turn the machine off and back on so that the Glowforge goes through the homing and centering routine.

You don’t have to use set focus for every item, but if you are trying for precise placement in several different areas of the bed, you should.

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It appears to me that the lid camera calibration was not successfully accomplished, and the reason may have been a brief wifi drop.

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I tried to calibrate the camera again and had the same result, not completed! I don’t know why it says the process was interrupted and I’m running out of proof grade medium draft board! Should I try and do it again?

What is radial offset and how I fix a radial offset problem?

How far off are your cuts if you use the set focus tool before placing your artwork? Can you get some projects completed while waiting? You can perform the camera calibration with any material (including cardboard) as long as it is completely flat and is the right size. You can also remask your proofgrade material and reuse it.

I suggest that you open a support ticket in the Problems and Support section of the forum concerning your inability to get the lid camera calibration to complete. While waiting for Support to get back to you about that issue, see if you can cut some of your designs and get a clearer idea of how your machine’s camera is functioning. Perhaps don’t fill an entire board, but do sections at a time being sure to use the set focus too before placing your art and making sure your material is held flat against the honeycomb tray.

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First allow me to apologize for the delayed response! I have had good luck by doing the set focus before every cut. It is tedious but I’m not complaining! Now if I could just keep the air assist fan from hitting the honeycomb pins!