I just received my warranty replacement GF Plus yesterday. I got it all set up last night and cut two very small pumpkins as a test. Smoke immediately started coming out of every seam. This was the issue I was having with my last GF plus jagged edged cuts.
I tried a new cut this morning, so I could take photos and video, again a small cut and score. Still smoke coming from the bottom left, bottom front and seams in the lid. I have attached images. From them, you can see that the compact filter switch is activated. My filter is new as of June 2020 and hasn’t been used since early August when my other machine had the same issue.
If i were running the machine daily for hours I might consider that a real possibility. At the filter price point it is hard to imagine that it would need to be replaced every 2 months. I use non-PG birch and the whole lot of proof grade materials. I will try venting it out the window and see if that solves the issue.
You can fill the filter in one day. Plywood with an MDF core (which is what Proofgrade plywood, and many others has) is the worst (after Draftboard/MDF.)
Are you saying that is a highly probably scenario that the $209 compact filter replacement cartridge can fill up in one day of use…an 8 hour day of use (which is not my scenario)? I just want to make sure that you are speaking literally and not hyperbole.
You all are so very helpful! Thank you! I searched for lifetime of the filter way back when I first started having issues and I could not find anything. I asked GF Support as well. Now I understand why they couldn’t give me an answer. The answer truly is, “it depends.” One thing that does disappoint me is that I never read anything that suggests the filter should be used as a back-up and not as day-to-day. If I had read that I would have spent far less money on a configuration to vent it outdoors.
I have it venting out the window right now, kind of haphazardly (not 3 feet). I’ll see how it goes.
They’re not going to advertise it as such, I’m sure partly because having the ability to operate with a filter indoors was a big part of the original marketing.
It absolutely works if you’re printing a couple of things a day, which is what most owners do. It’s not, however, a commercial product, and not suited to commercial use.
Well. That did it! I just did a simple score and cut and am now running an engrave and cut, no smoke. I am seeing wavy lines around the “S” I cut, but I think it could be the font. When I look closely, I see wavy lines in the actual design. It was one I type in quickly using the Text option in the GF interface. I’ll see how this job runs and then I feel good that I have a full resolution.
I am in the category of users that use it for a couple of hours once or twice a week. I do have a business, but I use a commercial laser for big, all-day jobs. It’s larger, more powerful and faster. The area of my home in which I had this, originally, did provide an option for venting outdoors. I have now moved it next to a window, so it was an easy alternative. I just finished an engrave and cut and all is well.
Thank you eflyguy for all of your help. I appreciate it so very much!
As to the “wavy” lines, check the nodes in the source. Depending on how the font was created or converted, it may not have enough to be suitable to scaling up to that size.
Those look like facets rather than waves. In other words, the shape has been made up from straight lines instead of true curves. Weird thing for a font
So very true. I used to get 6 months + out of a filter cartridge before I was able to move to a window, but I mostly cut baltic birch ply and acrylic and never MDF. If you were only cutting acrylic and engraving glass you could go much longer.
