I haven’t seen much of any fire/flame when cutting various materials in the last year. I use almost exclusively Proofgrade. But then I cleaned my crumb tray last week and have had nearly constant flames trailing behind the laser whenever cutting since then - especially on acrylic. Obviously that can cause problems. It is also not cutting through using PG settings in the last week or so, whether I’m using acrylic or wood. I am having to consistently change the PG settings to get it to cut all the way through and this has increased the edge burning, of course.
I used Simple Green since it was recommended by so many folks here and on FB. It’s possible that I didn’t rinse it as well as I thought I did. So I recleaned it again tonight with just water and dried it completely with a hair dryer. Same result. Near constant flame cutting proofgrade acrylic using proofgrade settings. I’ve ruined 2 pieces of thick white acrylic tonight and have a project for a client due Monday, so I am on the struggle bus for sure!
If the flames are trailing behind the laser the large head fan is likely not blowing enough. If the crumb tray is badly seated it could cause problems but I would not expect those problems.
It has been my experience that when there is a lot of smoke or flame the laser does not cut as deeply so the flaming may be a part of that… but any resistence in that fan can cause a lot of flaming. I have come to see that such unexpected flaming as notice that the fan needs cleaning.
FWIW, I’ve had this same experience and I had constant flaming. When I checked the air assist fan it didn’t look all that bad and I was sure that wasn’t the issue. It was.
Open the front door and carefully remove the crumb tray
Remove the printer head
Holding only the finished black surfaces, grasp the printer head as shown. Pull gently up and back to disengage the magnets and remove the head.
Push down fully on the wire ribbon tab to unplug the wire ribbon from the printer head. Pull the wire ribbon gently away and tuck it into the laser arm.
Unhook the belt
Push the carriage plate to the center of the laser arm so it’s out of the way
Reach under the laser arm on the right side and feel for a black belt and pulley
Placing your thumb between the belt and the laser arm near the pulley, push down on the belt while sliding the belt to the right towards the pulley. The belt will slide off of the pulley. Don’t be afraid to use pressure.
Unhook the belt from the motor on the left side
Remove the carriage plate
Place both index fingers on the rear corners of the plate and both thumbs on top of the front wheels. Use your other fingers to support the plate. While keeping the laser arm stable with your thumbs, use your index fingers to pull the plate towards you as far as it will go. Then push down with your thumbs to angle the plate down and towards the back of the Glowforge until the plate pops off of the laser arm.
You’ll find a black plastic fan on the underside of the carriage plate. Please inspect it for damage or debris and send me a photo of the fan blades.
If you see any debris stuck in the blades, you can use some canned air clean them.
Once you’re done inspecting and cleaning, you can replace the carriage plate and try a test print:
Reattach the carriage plate
Hold the carriage plate as shown
Placing your index fingers on the back corners of the carriage plate and your thumbs on top of the front wheels, hook the rear wheels on the groove under the laser arm. The front wheels should be mostly visible.
Pull the plate forward until the front wheels clear the laser arm then angle the plate up until the the wheels are in line with the rail. Release the plate – it should grasp the rail firmly.
Pick up the right side of the belt and make sure it is not twisted. The outside of the belt should be smooth and the inside should have ridges.
Make sure that the left side of the belt is not twisted and is smooth on the outside and ridged on the inside
Attach the belt on the left side
Using your left hand, set the belt on the front half of the motor (the silver piece on the left hand side below the laser arm) and support it with your fingers by placing them under the motor. The belt will not be fully on the motor. Use your left thumb and fingers to clamp the belt firmly in place and apply pressure.
Still holding the belt and motor firmly with your left hand, use the pressure from your left fingers to guide the belt clockwise around the pulley as your right hand slowly pushes the carriage plate to the left. The belt should roll onto the pulley until it is secure.
Prepare to Print
Gently slide the carriage plate back and forth on the laser arm to ensure that it travels smoothly. If it doesn’t, remove the plate and try again.
Replace the printer head and crumb tray according to these instructions
Turn your Glowforge back on, record a video of another test print, and let us know how it goes!
If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know.
Aww man, I hadn’t thought of that and I’ll keep the pipe cleaner trick in mind for maintenance. I did the full-on remove the carriage plate for the cleaning and I was so pleased with how much better it started cutting. These things creep up on ya and you don’t really notice how bad it’s gotten.
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.
It is very useful information that I have bookmarked in any case, and good that others (particularly new owners) find it to understand what is happening when those flames happen.