Shifting images

Why are my images shifting. The first print starts out fine, but subsequent prints shift. I thought it was because I had too many images on one screen so started a new file - printed one and it printed fine, then added a few more and they all shifted again.

I’ve tried setting focus and it didn’t affect anything

Can you be specific on what the issue is - It looks like the block to the left matches the art you’ve got selected, but the rest are in a completely different layout, as well as some being a different size…

If it shifted from where the block on the left is to where the art is now - then you must have moved the head manually (whether intentionally or accidently) and it got lost. If it’s ever moved manually you should re-run calibration so it knows where it is.

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sorry I left my wood in from cutting before. On the screen the image is showing the inner circle perfectly center inside the outer circle. When I cut the inner circle shifts. I have not moved the head manually, I have restarted the machine, I have cleaned the machine and I have refreshed my browser. Its still happening.

Have you inspected the wheels and belt tension. I can’t be sure, but the outside circle appears wobble in addition to your shifting problem. Also, look for debris on the belts.
I just looked more closely at the file image, and your cirlcle there are not perfect circles. That seems odd.

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the softball icon was one included with the glowforge and then I just used the outline tool to outline it so that may be why they aren’t perfect? I’ll check the belts. Thanks!

It could also just be that you didn’t use Set Focus when you placed your image, so it shifted when the auto-focus corrected for the material height before printing. :slight_smile:

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I’m sorry to hear that your prints are shifting.

I see that the community has provided some good advice on the next best steps.

Here is how the belt tension should look.

When pressing lightly on one side of the belt, the other side should not move.

Like this:

(You should see an animated image above)

If a belt is loose, you can follow this link for instructions to adjust the tension of the carriage plate belt or here to adjust the tension of the side belt.

Please reply with a photo of the belt if you are unsure about the tension.

This suggests that you could be having trouble with a wheel on your carriage plate.

Could you please do the following?

  1. Turn off your Glowforge
  2. Remove the carriage plate from the laser arm
  3. Closely inspect the carriage plate wheels from the top for any cracks or other damage
  4. Closely inspect the sides of the wheels for any cracks or other damage
  5. If you notice anything damaged or out of place, please take a photo and attach it to your reply.

i did set the focus

Hi @angie46143. Thanks for letting us know you tried using Set Focus. I wanted to see if you were able to try the troubleshooting steps @David.W David included in his response. If you’re running into any trouble with the steps, or unsure about the state of the wheels, or belt tension, go ahead and post any photos of those parts from your Glowforge. We’ll be happy to take a look and help you get this resolved. Thanks!

Hi @angie46143. It’s been a couple days since we’ve seen any activity, so I’ll go ahead and close this thread. If you need any further help, feel free to create a new thread, or write us at support@glowforge.com. We’ll be here and happy to help. Thank you!