Sticking in cooling down mode

Community Support
1

My GF sticks in cooling down mode after nearly every job. I have to power off and reboot near every time, what is going on? Anyone else?

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2

Hi, welcome to the community :slight_smile:

What type of :glowforge: do you have, and what’s the temperature in your work area?

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3

I have a plus, it’s in a bedroom in my house, around 68-70• I just got it 2 weeks ago.

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4

I had same problem… I turned off the machine for 5 mins and turned on again. Worked perfectly.

5

That’s within the range for the Basic and Plus which is between 60 degrees Fahrenheit (16 Celsius) and 75 degrees Fahrenheit (24 Celsius). There is an intake fan under the front right edge - make sure nothing is blocking that. Also, if you’re venting out a window make sure nothing is blocking your vent, and if you’re using the filter make sure you don’t need to replace the medium.

Sometimes folks get temp warnings when the white cable to the head comes loose so check that as well.

6

As the :glowforge: uses its fans to cool itself off, turning it off will increase the amount of time if your issue is actually too high of a temperature. More likely you’re issue is mechanical and you should open your own P&S post so it can be addressed.

7

I have done that and waiting for a response, thank you!

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8

Oh no, I’m sorry to hear about the trouble.

I see you also emailed us, I’m going to close that request so we can continue the conversation here.

Your Glowforge features a closed-loop liquid cooling system that uses the air from the room to remove heat. It is designed to be used when the temperature next to your Glowforge is between 60 degrees Fahrenheit (16 Celsius) and 75 degrees Fahrenheit (24 Celsius). To check, put a room thermometer next to the right hand side of the Glowforge; it draws in air from underneath, on the right.

You can try any of these things to improve warm-weather performance:

  • Try printing with no material on the bed (so as not to generate smoke and fumes) and no exhaust hose attached. If this works, then the problem may be that your exhaust hose is constricting the flow of air out of the unit, preventing cooling.

  • Examine the bottom-right side of your Glowforge, and ensure that there is no fabric or other flexible material underneath it, like a tablecloth. There are air intake vents, and if they become obstructed, it makes cooling less effective.

  • Try pointing a fan at the right side of your Glowforge. If there is warm air around the intake, this could help it cool off.

  • Power off your Glowforge when you are not using it. When your Glowforge sits idle, the fans are off, so heat can build up

  • Just wait. Your print may take a little longer when it’s warm, but your Glowforge will protect itself and make sure it cools enough to prevent any loss of power or damage. It’s clever enough to pick up from exactly where it left off, even if it needs to pause to cool down during the print!

  • Ensure that the sun isn’t shining on the lid. This could cause the inside of your Glowforge to heat up.

  • If you are venting outdoors, ensure that extreme temperatures or humidity do not enter the Glowforge unit through the exhaust hose. Disconnect the hose from the outside air when the Glowforge is not in use.

  • Turn your Glowforge off and open the lid for a few minutes before trying again. It’s possible for the air in your Glowforge to heat up, just like a car in the sun on a hot day, opening the lid will help that warm air to escape and your Glowforge to cool down.

If you are still running into trouble, please let us know the following so that we can investigate further:

  1. A description of the things you tried and what happened

  2. If possible, place a thermometer next to your Glowforge on the right hand side and measure the temperature there; if not, estimate the room temperature

  3. The date and time (including time zone) when you had the problem

  4. Take a picture of the exhaust hose behind your Glowforge that includes the part where it connects to your Glowforge, and the part where it exits the room

9

I wish you would have kept the email instead of this, I have the GF in an air conditioned bedroom on a hard surface work bench. It only 2-3 weeks old, vented out a window directly behind it with baffles at the exit point. And, it’s not stopping during the cut / engrave, it’s hanging up at the end! After the laser stops, there is still time left on the software screen, then, after the time runs out, it goes into cooling mode. This is where it gets stuck! Fans turn off, lights dim and still… Colling down! Stays this way until I turn off and reset everything after waiting 15-20 minutes! That’s NOT very efficient for work flow.
Thank you

10

Thank you so much for this additional information. I apologize for the mixup, I will respond to your email request and close out this post.