Same Settings from a day ago don't work any more?

[avanvolkinburg]

I’m using my GF pro and i’m cutting 3/16" acrylite clear acrylic. I have been cutting it at around 128 full power and today i cut it at 121 full power and it didn’t even go thru half way. How often does GF change their cut power settings and how often should i be cleaning the lenses? I typically cut around 4-5 hours a day.

[beerfaced]

Have you by chance had your lens out lately for cleaning? Is it in “cup” side up?

[ekla]

@avanvolkinburg

how often should i be cleaning the lenses?

It depends on a lot of things but for sanity’s sake I usually wipe all my lenses and mirrors at the start of each day. Also in the middle of each day if I’m doing a lot of work that day. Make sure you’re getting all 5.

If the tube or lid look mucky chances are the lenses and mirrors are even more dirty.

[dklgood]

Glowforge does not change the power settings for manual settings. The speed stays the same. The power stays the same. You have something else going on, like uneven material, not flat material, dirty optics, etc.

[avanvolkinburg]

There are 5?

[rvogt]

Yep! Easy to miss!! Here’s a good resource…

What do I clean

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 …

[avanvolkinburg]

Yeah I’m only counting one lens and 3 mirrors.

[dklgood]

Clean Your Glowforge

There is one lens, one mirror and several windows.

[Faryar.N]

@avanvolkinburg I am so sorry your Glowforge printer is not cutting through your acrylic material.

I would like to check over just a few more things. Could you do the following for me?

Please send photos of all your cleaned optical components, with special attention to any damage you might find:

• Both windows

  • The printer head window, on the left hand side of the printer head
    

    

  • The laser window on the inside left of the Glowforge
    

    

• The printer head lens

  • Both sides of the lens, top and bottom
    

    

• The mirror inside the printer head
  

  

• The bottom of the printer head
  

  

Once we have those pictures, we’ll follow up with next steps.