I’ve been away from my glowforge for a bit…so I decided to get back in the swing of things with something from the glowforge store.
My machine has not been cutting all the way through. I’ve had to make several passes on the cut.
A few of them were operator error (the settings were weird).
But I just attempted to print the coaster from the store here and it was total crap. First of all it looked like it had cut all the way through so I took it out…NO so. Some parts were definitely not cut…like little area’s that you could not get to to “save” it which peeled off parts…
When you buy a design directly from the store here…aren’t the settings already programed into the design? I didn’t mess with that at all…
It has been really frustrating that it’s it not cutting all the way through.
I know there are all kinds of reasons this can happen…but it’s still really frustrating. Ruined two proofgrades this go around.
Make sure your lenses / windows / camera are all clean. Then go do this: Introducing Lid Camera Calibration
Then try printing the Gift of Good Measure on PG draftboard, using the new Set Focus tool, and see if that cuts all the way through.
Ok… I have been reading the calibration posts in the facebook. As always… I am nervous.
A good habit is to hold down the material and use a piece of masking tape to lift the cut out. If it’s not cut through, you can rerun the cut as long as the material hasn’t moved.
I’m sorry you’re so frustrated, I would be too. (And have been plenty of times! lol.) So yes, PG material comes with it’s own settings, but they are designed to just barely cut through so as not to scorch the material etc and give you the best looking cut. That means a lot of little factors like any warp in the material (no matter how slight), humidity, a dirty lens etc. can all have an impact on how it cuts. (I know when my machine is looking pretty dirty and I should take the time to clean the lens. If I don;t have time at the moment, I bump up the power by 5 or so when I want to make sure and get a good cut. Then I clean the lenses 
)
Unfortunately it’s a matter of elimination to figure out why it’s happening. I would suggest cleaning the mirrors first. I’d then use some of the already ruined pieces of wood and make some test runs before trying another project. Make sure that the material is good and flat and try a cut and see what it looks like. One thing to keep in mind is the file will run exactly in the same spot as long as you don’t move the material. (Even if it looks off in the preview.) So when you make a cut don’t rush in and just grab it off the tray. I always very carefully place one hand on the material so it doesn’t move and then wiggle the cut pieces to see if the move a bit.
How many hands do you have? lol
That is a great idea. Thanks…
I think I will weight the material before I use the tape to pull the cut out as well. Just to be safe.
I noticed that they also drop a bit if they are cut correctly. Being a wanna be nerd means it’s always best if there are presets and proof grade materials. I just so want it to work that way.
My learning curve is a bit curvier than most others.
Instead of tape have a shop-vac that I have added a used C-Pap hose so the end is soft rubber. I can hold down the background and the hose will grab the work and lift it out if it is possible. It will also grab up all the crumbs and inner cuts so they do not even fall through unless they already have, but a lot easier, than trying to sweep them or pick them out of the grill. If what I want to pick up is small I just squeeze the rubber opening smaller
Sometimes there is just one small place that grabs so I use the vac to lift it up enough I can get it with a fingernail and lift harder,
I’ve been having similar issues. it seems some of the “proofgrade” materials have changed thicknesses, so you have to check with calipers and adjust the focus height (at least seems to be my issue) Would have been good to know before blowing through $80 of materials trying to play with settings to “fix” it. I’m beyond pissed at the moment. Instead of warning their customers or updating each QR code to set the thickness, Glowforge has said nothing and now i’m just feeding them more money. Right along the lines of the “offline mode” empty promises it seems.
Not to mention the camera calibration found here seems to require an ENTIRE piece of proofgrade medium draftboard. I’m getting closer and closer to giving up and selling this thing swapping it out for a cnc router.
Have you tried the new ‘set focus’ feature? Although you shouldn’t have to enter settings for Proofgrade materials, using this new feature might save you a big headache, not to mention money down the drain.
Pretty sure it’s not the focal height field causing the issues. Last data I have shows that there is no offset between the material thickness field and the focal height field, meaning that it’s using auto-focus to set the focal height measurement.
As far as camera calibration, use what you want as long as it’s flat, lighter colored, and won’t catch fire with the medium draftboard score settings.
Wood is wood, PG or not – it’s going to expand when exposed to humidity, there’s nothing they can do to prevent that. It’s always best to check thickness, although with the new Set Focus feature even that is no longer an absolute necessity.
Good Idea.
My machine and materials are all in a climate controlled area. If the proofgrade draftboard did not expand the other proofgrades would not either. They are all together.
Climate control doesn’t equal humidity control. And every piece of wood has its own characteristics. Some will warp/expand a little, some a lot, some might not change at all, even in the exact same batch.
I sincerely apologize that it’s taken us so long to get back to you, @Mcinzy. Everyone in this thread has already offered some great initial troubleshooting tips (thanks!), so I’d like to take a closer look. If you’ve already followed the instructions in the cut-through troubleshooter, please try another print. We included an extra piece of Proofgrade Draftboard with your materials shipment for troubleshooting. Please print the Gift of Good Measure on that Proofgrade Draftboard and let me know the result. If it doesn’t print well, please let me know the date and time of your print and send photos of the front and back of the print.
Thanks!
Thank you for catching up with me. I have not gone to the cut through trouble shooter yet. We thoroughly cleaned it last weekend and I am just getting back to it today. I will follow your instructions and let you know the results.
Mckinzy
I saw that we’re working on this via email now, so I’m going to close this topic.