New High pitch whirring noise

My machines started making a high pitch really loud whirring sound. It seems to be coming from the right side of the machine in the rear, close to the plug. What do I do?

Can you capture a short video of the noise with your cellphone and post it to Youtube with a link here? (It will help support to try to determine what it is.)

Thank you. It also just started cutting the design on top of the other part of the design. That’s new too.

That high pitched whine sounds to me like it might be either a dirty exhaust fan or a blocked exhaust port…it sounds like the fan is struggling a little.

There is a section on cleaning the exhaust fan down at the bottom under the Exhaust section here:

Try that and see if it still makes the whine.

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I would second what @jules said. When the fan behind the laser head got grubby it would start to vibrate and I would get all kinds of crazy sounds from sympathetic vibrations in the machine. Nothing that said “fan” to me, but when I cleaned it, all was well.

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Thank you @Jules for your advice.

I have a method you can use to clean your fan.

First, you’ll need to obtain a can of 3M Novec Electronic Degreaser, which you can purchase from Amazon or Digikey.

That page will walk you through the cleaning process. Brief summary:

  1. Turn off and unplug your unit and move it outside. Make sure it’s in a location where it has power and Wi-Fi

  2. Using the fan maintenance page, you’ll be able to turn the fan on

  3. Following all manufacturer’s safety instructions from 3M, spray the degreaser into the fan while it’s running for approximately 5 - 10 seconds, or until the fan is clean.

  4. When you’re done cleaning, turn off your unit to stop the fan, and return it to its usual home. You should now see considerably better performance from your exhaust fan!

Please let us know if you have any questions!

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What if I can’t take it outside?

@sclark To answer your question the manufacturer recommends that you avoid breathing dust/fume/gas/mist/vapors/spray & use only outdoors or in a well-ventilated area. We recommend cleaning outdoors because we can’t advise on whether or not a given indoor space is sufficiently well ventilated, however, you may be able to make that determination for yourself. You can find complete information on the product including the Safety Data Sheet here: https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/all-3m-products/~/3M-Novec-Electronic-Degreaser-12-oz-Can-6-Case/?N=5002385+3292076371&preselect=8717595+8745188&rt=rud

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I’m in no way associated with GF (other than owning one) and you should take my experience with a grain of salt because you should probably take it outside for safety reason. That being said, I use the 3M spray and just unhook the exhaust hose and put an open paper bag behind it to catch any junk. (My room is pretty open with good ventilation though.) The 3M spray works well and it doesn’t take much of the stuff to clean the fan.

FWIW, this is about the cheapest I’ve found, but YMMV.

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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.