So... This happened

Beyond the Manual
21

Here.

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22

I stand corrected on this point.

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23

Also please link a post where there was a motion problem on a non-PG material and they didn’t ask for it to be repeated on PG.

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24

I also seem to remember support saying they don’t recommend magnets. This is despite always saying to ensure you material is flat. Since PG warps as much as any laminated wood product how do you ensure it is flat to the minute tolerance that PG settings seem to require without using magnets?

And isn’t the reason the crumb tray is made from “expensive” ferrous material because it allows the use of magnets?

Perhaps if you use a powerful enough magnet oriented in the right direction it will cause the head to pop off its mounts.

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25

Not only that, they suggested little stacks of proofgrade scraps to hold down warped material. Nearly fell out of my chair when I read that one. :crazy_face:

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26

Yes and despite this: Will be the tray magnetic?

Seems like they thought magnets were a good idea until they remembered the head is held on by magnets at the bottom.

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27

I think that they think a lot of things are good ideas but have truly paranoid FNLs. In their minds, recommending something means standing behind it in some sense. So if they recommended magnets and someone used magnets in a way that screwed something up, or if they recommended a setting and someone misused it blah blah.

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28

I hope the problem is not magnets. I have my doubts about that. Like many some other people, I use ridiculously powerful magnets to hold down material all the time, and I have not experienced these issues. Of course, you should never ever violate the sanctity of the documented and recommended way to use your machine. I do, however, recommend everyone visit the brain slug planet and walk around not wearing a helmet.

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29

I’m waiting for my Pro to arrive so I can file a P&S ticket on it when it doesn’t work and blows a sheet of PG.

Sometimes you gotta make the FNLs understand they’re making you say or do stupid stuff.

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30

Wow. The parsing continues. Do folks really think that the above statement means the company doesn’t expect you to use the unit to it’s full potential? To someone that’s not suspicious of everything it would simply mean that they aren’t going to provide the settings. So what. It’s easier on their team and is more conservative position for the legal folks.

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31

that’s the key phrase here

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32

Not recommending to me means they aren’t going to show you how. Not that they don’t want you to use it. Their UI has provided a significant amount of manual setting capability. I’m pretty sure that is intentional.

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33

Yes, I suppose it could be read both ways.

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34

Never considered myself and optimist, but it’s not in me to be Chicken Little either. I agree that there are multiple interpretations of almost every post from the company. Many seem to be intentional.

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35

I’m pretty sure they’re all intentional. And that they are all precisely correct in one of the possible interpretations. :slight_smile:

36

Note that we do not document nor recommend the use of manual settings, although of course you’re welcome to experiment.

I read that to mean that if you use manual settings they’re not guaranteeing results, so they’re encouraging people to use the ProofGrade settings because that’s what they can support (known material, etc.). Clearly they document the existence of manual settings, and they fix bugs in the manual settings, etc., and they’re not saying not to use manual settings, just that they can’t stand behind the results because you’re not using their recommended settings. That’s reasonable.

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37

There’s definitely an element of two sides intentionally talking past each other. Glowforge doesn’t want to be in the position of providing support, as in helping people get their manual settings to work, or dealing with problems that are caused by using incorrect settings. They have some control over what the Proofgrade settings are, so they want to do all of their troubleshooting using Proofgrade materials and automatic settings. You can use manual settings, but you’re on your own. That makes sense up to a point. The issue is that it doesn’t address two things: one is what happens when there’s a legitimate problem with the manual settings. What if power levels 15-32 leak coolant due to a bug in the software? You’re on your own? The second concern is what we’ve seen in a few instances, where a problem is encountered that clearly has nothing to do with the settings or the material being used. Like if the front fell off. “Please test with Proofgrade” really irritates some people when you can blatantly see that the front fell off and 20 inches of plywood fell onto the floor and caught fire. These thing should be built so the front doesn’t fall off at all, regardless of settings.

I had a point there but I seem to have lost it. Anyway, it doesn’t matter whether it’s real, the threat is real.

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38

Have reported maybe 50 problems/issues to Support over 9 months of using the PRU. Support has asked me to print on Proofgrade once. It was a cut through issue that never reoccurred. There is usually common sense in what they ask.

So far the OP hasn’t been asked to do anything.

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39

That seems a very odd interpretation of English to me. It definitely means “we prefer you don’t use them” to me and I am a native English speaker from England. Just like shipping means to hand over to a courier. I know you have your own language in the US that isn’t English because it has different words, spelling and pronunciation but it is also starting to appear it has different comprehension rules as well.

Not documenting what they do in a manual for an $8000 machine is pretty much unheard of as well I think.

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40

You are welcome to your interpretations and opinion. Support has been very good to me.

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