So I am printing a box in Proofgrade Medium Maple Plywood using default settings, and no matter what I do I cannot get this thing to cut all the way through.
I have wasted 3 sheets of plywood now, and I still don’t have this thing done.
How do I get this thing to cut properly?
Does the Proofgrade warranty cover improper cuts made by the glowforge?
I’ve printed lots of times, and it works GREAT, even earlier today. But now its being a pest.
THANKS FOR THE HELP!!!
Have you cleaned the beam windows and lens lately?
You may find this troubleshooter helpful:
https://glowforge.com/support/topic/troubleshooting/cut-didnt-go-through-material
Also, since you are probably gun shy by now, you can get a chunk of sticky tape and pull up on a corner of one of the cuts (without moving the main piece of wood). If the corner does not pull or seem loose, then return to the browser and have it ignore all else and just redo the cuts.
As long as nothing was shifted it will work fine.
I have a sharp probe I usually push a little into a crack, if the chunk shifts a little it is loose, else a re-cut. Tape works the same way, use whichever tickles your fancy.
Ha. My first post. I got my GF about a week and a half ago. Anyway…
My proofgrade boards are all slightly warped. Laid on the crumb tray with the QR code face up, the board is higher in the center by a few mm compared to at the edges. The focus was off on my initial cuts and some areas did not cut through. Once I noticed the problem and pinned the board down so it wasn’t bowed up in the center, things worked as expected…
At first I thought it was the crumb tray, but a straight edge ruled that out, it’s flat as a pancake. The proofgrade acrylic sheets are not bowed and the sit flat across the entire crumb tray.
Any thin wood needs care in storage, and the thinner it is the more attention is needed. The PG stuff is no exception.
Stacked on a flat surface and even with a weight on either end if you feel they are going to be there awhile.
The more moisture for them to suck up, the worse it will be.
Once on the GF bed, magnets, tape, pins, etc can be used to flatten it until the design is done. A flat panel is best, but the warped ones can also be cut.
I push on the board in the center. If no give then I flip it and try again. Which ever side has give in the middle becomes the face and I pin it down top and bottom middle.
Other people like the lift on the ends.
Your choice, but that push test will tell you right off if the board has warp or not.
Thanks for letting us know. I’m sorry that your print didn’t come out beautifully!
To cut successfully, there are three important things to check. First, your material must lie flat. This requires a clean, properly installed crumb tray and flat materials. Second, there must be no obstructions, dirt, or damage preventing the laser light from reaching your material. Third, your design must be set up properly - for example, with lines that are fully on the material and that are set to cut. It’s hard to know which issue might be affecting your print, so please thoroughly inspect your unit and design according to the suggestions in our troubleshooter.
Once you’ve inspected and cleaned, 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 Proofgrade Draftboard and let us know the result.
If it doesn’t print well, please let us know the date and time of your print and send photos of the front and back of the print.
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.