Hello, Anybody know how to remove the right side wheel that holds the middle belt?
Not the wheels on the carriage, but under the laser arm,
It seems like mine is cracked, and is there a replacement anywhere I can get in a timely manner?
Thanks!!
1 Like
It takes a small Allen wrench, 3mm if I recall.
You need to post your problem in “Problems and Support”. That will generate a ticket for them to address. They can get the parts, but it’s not quick.
3 Likes
Thanks for the reply! I just actually purchased some on etsy.
I will come back with the results when I recieve them.
2 Likes
The anchor you screw the wheel axel out of is inside the gantry may not be captive, it has to slide so the belt can be tensioned. Be careful not to displace it.
3 Likes
Ok, thanks.
1 Like
A reply worthy of a bookmark; thanks!
2 Likes
Hey mine just broke we’re you able to figure this out?
Your belt or the wheel?
The wheel was fairly easy to change, just unscrew it slowly, I used phone for light and a handheld mirror that I use when I shave.
1 Like
Getting the tension on belt is easy also, once you get the wheel on you can slide it so you can fit your belt and then push it to get belt snug and then tighten.
I got the wheel off of Etsy, it came in about 8 days, I live in hawaii.
Thanks for getting back to me. All my wheels broke on the sides. I’m having trouble getting them off.
Any luck getting them off? They are pretty snug, dont be scared to twist the Allen wrench to loosen it.
Any pics?
Hey i can’t fit my Allen wrench in there and that black track seems fixed. I did remove the left side as well…
The gantry wheels are not meant to be user serviceable. If they break, GF asks you to mail in the whole machine to replace them. The rest of this thread was discussing the tensioner pulley for the horizontal belt under the laser arm, not the wheels the gantry rides on.
Is it just me, or does it seem like it would have been in the best interest of Glowforge to make more of the parts user serviceable? I’m sure there are probably some legalities that prevent it, but it would sure save everyone a lot of time and money. Plus, shipping that big ol’ thing back is quite a chore!
1 Like
Product design is all about trade-offs, and this one isn’t about legal liability.
Glowforge packs a heck of a lot of hardware into a tiny footprint: a 45W tube, an air assist system, an exhaust fan, a coolant tank and water pump. Many of these parts are external to the case in other lasers. To make all the parts easily accessible, the Glowforge’s case would need to be much larger, so it doesn’t have to be taken halfway apart to get at the parts in question.
If you make the case bigger, it’s no longer possible to ship by UPS/FedEx, no longer fits through a standard doorframe, can no longer be moved by one person.
So sure, repairs are easier, but the addressable market for the product shrinks from “any hobbyist with an address and a desk” to “single family homes with room for a freight truck to deliver, able to take time off to schedule a freight delivery, a ground-level workshop without any tight doors to move the laser through, and moving equipment or several strong men to move it inside”.
Compare what $3000 buys you with Glowforge versus a competitor: a compact 55 pound machine that requires no external accessories, or a 450 pound 6-foot-wide laser that needs an external chiller, external fume extractor, external water pump, and all the above difficulties in shipping and moving it.
I think the current design is pretty clearly in Glowforge’s best interest.
4 Likes
I’m no engineer, but couldn’t the top right (where the magic button is) and the left top be made so they are removable? That alone would give TONS of access to many of the parts. Again, I’m sure I’m missing because I’m not an engineer. Sorry, I think I hijacked this post. Probably a topic for a different post.
I have seen pictures of machines with at least the left panel removed. e.g.:
So, there is, at least, a way to do that.
2 Likes
Normal procedure around here. 
It isn’t that difficult if you are comfortable with tools… and potentially voiding your remaining warranty.
1 Like