White Ribbon Cable Recall?

That is so crazy. Well this is a huge bummer. With the holidays coming up I can’t afford to be down and now apparently I have a cable wearing abnormally.

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Wow well apparently I have a bad cable or something else going on. Thank you for the pictures!

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Addition: has anyone sent their machine in to have their cable repaired and if so how long did the process take?

They’re a direct competitor, so I’m not sure I’d use them as an indicator of GF quality.

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True, but the way their cable looks looks a lot like mine so I found them to be at least helpful in that regard. Their machine has less than 50 hours on it.

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this is interesting as well:

I’m also in the cable looks fine after 3+ years category. The amount of wear yours shows is quite puzzling. Is there any chance you cut something corrosive once or twice?

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Adding my personal 2cents–I’ve had my unit for 3 years and my white cable is spotless–granted, not used as much as others who’ve said the same.

But just looking at your pictures–it’s filthy! Please clean not only the cable, but the metal gantry too on a regular basis. And ensure what cleaning product you are using does not affect the coating on the cable–Simple Green is a great option if just a water damped cloth is not enough on the gantry/cable. if you’re using acetone or another chemical to remove soot and residue, you may be causing the coating to soften and stick on the gantry and thus increase the friction and cause it to wear like this.

But also simply NOT cleaning and letting the unit get covered with soot and such (especially bad with draft board), the debris on the surfaces will cause more friction than the clean cable to clean metal does–and increase wear and other bad consequences the designers should not be blamed for.

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Judging by what I see regarding cable wear in the picture you’ve posted, it looks like someone attempted to ‘clean’ the cable with a solvent that degraded the insulation. Acetone or lacquer thinner, maybe? The insulation has been softened, which is common when exposed to said chemicals, and once this happens, normal movement activity leads to rapid removal of the insulating layer.

Your concerns over the non-replaceable nature of the white ribbon cable, and the fact that it’s not even offered as a special order part (along with a few other common wear items) are completely valid. Glowforge should provide the complete assortment of parts that go into building the machine as parts that can be purchased, if not to the general public, to select users that have the ability to perform such labor-intensive repairs or are at least willing to do so.

Personally, I would welcome the ability to purchase every part that goes into making a Glowforge, then providing repair services to other Glowforge owners… Talk about a moneymaker! But for now, I guess I’ll stick to small parts and upgrades. :slight_smile:

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Coming up on 4 years here (Dec 2017) and the cable looks as new as others shown above. I just wiped my finger across it and got a little bit of soot.

I think the problem stems from people using this hobby-grade machine for commercial purposes. It was designed with a 2-yr lifespan for hobby use. Mine has now doubled my expectations.

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When the laser cuts stuff, it doesn’t turn it all in to smoke. Some of what it generates is carbonized dust, which is fairly abrasive. So depending on what you cut and your cleaning regimen you might have more or less wear on moving/sliding parts as a result.

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I have cleaned appropriately based on the manual and I have never used solvents or anything harsh. (definitely NOT acid or anything remotely close). This is my second laser. That’s pure wear.

And yes I completely agree. I completely admit I was taken in by the pro-entrepreneur marketing. I wish I had purchased a better laser. I’ve been freelancing for 11 years now to accommodate our 11 year old son’s therapy schedule (he is on the autism spectrum). I wish I had done more research but I hate that I’m in this spot as a mom right now.

I cut rubber and wood. That’s it. And I clean twice a day. Rubber and proofgrade wood should be a no-brainer and are both listed in the FAQs.

Add me to the list of long-time owners with no problems with the white cable. I’ve had my glowforge for 4 years, 2 months.

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Is it still working? Question now is how to keep it working until either a repair, replacement or other solution. Maybe line the gantry–surfaces the cable rubs against–with teflon tape or something like that to help decrease the friction between the cable and the gantry. And even cover the worst parts of the cable with electrical tape?

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That was my first thought-there was something used to clean it that caused some damage…

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No, I haven’t touched it besides basic cleaning with a small vac. Nothing harsh or chemical at all and zero liquids besides lens wipes for the lenses only. I have zero desire to stupidly introduce harsh chemicals to expensive equipment in my studio much less even my kitchen’s countertop. Again, this is not my first laser.

Provided the cable has still got continuity and the issue is only that some conductors are exposed, covering them with Teflon (or Kapton) tape is a good suggestion.

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Any experience with UHMW? That’s what I am currently considering.