This may not be a concern but I wanted to check. Just got my forge yesterday (huzzah), and noticed the top cover does not sit flush with the sides when closed, the glass seems bowed in the middle so the metal band on the front and back are nearly flush with the sides but the middle edge it quite a bit higher. Its quite hard to focus on glass, but my best attempt to show what I mean.
This appears to be normal. Here’s a response from Glowforge to another customer with the same concern.
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I felt like the bowed section was letting a bit of smell out, but I can’t say for sure until I’ve thoroughly sealed the exhaust and ruled that out.
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Maybe tape the edges of the lid for a test? See if that makes a difference.
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I’ll come back to that experiment when I’ve spent more than 30 seconds taping my vent hose. 
It’s also hard to tell, once the room has filled with the odor of vaporized wood, whether you’re adding any more to the mix, so I’m hoping that running an air purifier on maximum all day will clear it out and reset things for the next leak test.
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Low tech option for testing if there’s an open gap in the lid…
Turn off all the lights in the room. Turn on the GF. Look to see if any light is peeping through any lid seams.
Alternate test…
Turn off all the lights in the room. Keep GF off. Shine a flashlight around all the lid seams and see if any light is getting into the GF.
Just a low-tech thought.
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The glass bow in the center top is on every Glowforge. Normal. Haven’t had any smoke come out from that spot. Have had smoke exit immediately after a cut on the front right side of the lid about 2" above where the bottom door latches. It’s residual smoke after a cut finishes. And this may happen only on the one Pre-Release machine. It never leaks while the fan is running, which is why having longer fan operation or duration control over the fan after the cut is so important.
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After a couple of months the smoke deposit that coats the inside of the machine will also be deposited and noticable anywhere there is a leak. On the white plastic of the case it is a tan deposit. Pay attention to the areas of the lid and door flanges in the front of the machine.
This PRU leaks a little on the edges of the door below the lid when there is a cut or heavy burn near the front and the air assist blows directly at the door edges. The air assist overwhelms the very slight negative pressure inside from the exhaust fan.
If this were my machine, I would install an 1/8" soft foam weatherstripping on those flanges.
The lid on this machine also has the same raised edge in the middle as every other machine, so that characteristic is ubiquitous in the design but I haven’t found it to leak at all.
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Do the passthrough slots look like they make a seal? I forget, is the Glowforge under positive or negative pressure when operating?
My lid has the exact same bow and I don’t notice any smell when cutting, just after the lid is lifted. Between lifting the lid after a cut and the odor that remains on the pieces (what you want and what is left over) you remove from the forge you’ll never be odor free.
One solution to the odor problem is to forge more. It takes less than a week of working on a dairy farm before you no longer realize you’re walking around inside a cloud of “perfume.” You can still smell, just not that.
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The rubbery plastic that covers them does make a seal, but it isn’t air tight.
Thanks @scatterbrains, that is correct!
That variation won’t affect operation, but if you notice any of the following, be sure to let us know:
- Any cracks or chips in the glass tube or lid.
- Unusual light coming from the Glowforge that was not occurring previously.
Finally, if there is a strong odor from your Glowforge while it is operating, stop immediately and re-check your exhaust setup. If the strong odor continues, discontinue using your Glowforge and contact support.
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