Hi! I have had my Glowforge for about 1.5 years now but recently I have been getting a flame (about 1.5-2") when cutting draft board. I vigorously cleaned my machine last night but the issue is still happening. I noticed that the window on the head is slightly damaged (possibly from the flame?). Do you know why the flame could be occurring and how to fix it? Do I need a replacement head? TY!
I suggest you make a new post in Problems and Support and let them help you.
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In addition to contacting Support, check that the assist fan mounted under the carriage is clean and can spin freely. A clogged assist is often the culprit.
Good luck!
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It could be that your air assist fan on the head assembly is clogged.
Is it proofgrade draftboard? Just asking because a supplier I get mine from, which is another laser company, had a huge dip in quality during the pandemic. I’m assuming it was from shortages and trying to maintain supply. But I noticed it burned differently, threw sparks, and I also saw bits of metal in a huge quantity of pieces. There are small flames every now and then, but my air assist gets rid of those quickly.
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I use a lot of PG draftboard and it is always a mess in the machine. I agree with the last 2 about your air assist fan. That’s an easy one to forget about and if it’s not blowing that flame will just keep giving you trouble.
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I was having the same issue. And it was the air assist fan which was almost totally blocked. (Silly me thought that the air assist was the one on the laser head. Duh.) Got it all cleaned up, along with everything else, and my GF now works perfectly again. I now do a regular weekly cleaning of it now since I’m doing a lot more cutting now. That may be overkill, but it’s sure making it nice to know I’m not having to worry about it.
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I can’t tell for sure but you might need one of these…
The one to the right of it could also be a problem but would not give those symptoms.
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