I was an early backer of the Glowforge but ended up bailing on the project due to me coming to the conclusion that, while it seems like it would be super easy to use, it wouldn't be large enough or powerful enough for many of the projects I have in mind. I ended up purchasing an enormous 100W laser cutter from a manufacturer in China for around the same price as the Glowforge pre-order (though, what you save in price, you pay for in time spent reverse engineering the machine to make it work correctly). That said, I'm excited that they're finally getting Glowforge units rolling and I hope they become wildly successful--I also wouldn't mind playing around with their Proofgrade line of materials.
+Tested If you really want to put that machine through it's pace, you should have Adam design and build a dollhouse. Design parameters should include working doors and windows with casements, and it should include materials other than wood (like plexiglass or glass inserts for the windows). Style isn't as important. Sure, a victorian house would definitely put the machine to the test, but everyone builds victorian doll houses. Any Craftsman house would work fine, as would a Frank Lloyd Wright style house.
definitely can't cut glass with this laser. A 40watt laser also can really only cut 1/8" soft woods (baltic birch, balsa) and some plastics. In the world of lasercutters, its one of the weakest lasers you can buy that lets you cut through some materials....
As a guy with a business revolving around my laser cutter, this makes me happy but also very nervous, haha. Pretty soon our 10 year olds are going to get a $300 laser cutter for Christmas...
If you want something cool and groundbreaking, take the chance. My Glowforge is totally amazing and worth the wait. Shipping to the UK was expensive, but worth it. It's very well built, well supported and a great tool for the creative mind.
thank you much, Tested! I'm a backer for the pro model and been on the fence with a cancellation due to lack of updates from the company. I guess Star Citizen's constant news streams have spoiled me a little. Good to see one in the wild, slower than I was expecting, but still, it's good to see that it's not vaporware. By the way, you guys should do a frequent questions about the glow forge vid. oh, by the way, the company said that the non cloud drivers will be available, but will void the warranty, not a problem if the company goes under. Thanks again
The fact that it is cloud-based worries me. If the company goes belly-up or decides to stop supporting the device in a few years, you've got one very big, expensive paperweight.
I agree, I've 2 software programs now on the cloud and they suck. Besides being SLOW (my inter net is fine) the unscheduled update is very time consuming. 2 out 0f 5 time I use the product I have to update it and you have no choice, you have to update to use the product and sometimes the update breaks it.
I don't understand the point of the software being web based. Why not just ship the software with the laser so you can use it at home and tweak it exactly how you like?
@Rasheed Abdul-Aziz : It's obviously you really know your stuff! Thanks for the explanation. But the comments about the company "going bust" and not being there in the future does worry me. What do you think about this scenario?
As soon as I saw the purple design at (approximately) 11:30 I knew what you were printing although I was only half right. I knew what the left side was for but I didn't realize that the right side was for a different item. This cutter might be inexpensive for what it is but I bet the price of it is still in the range of a few thousand of dollars.
That's my one real gripe about it. I love the form factor, looks like it works really well, and I'd pay a premium for such a nicely constructed package. But I can't do it if I don't know it will run for 10 years, and we don't know that Glowforge will last that long as a company.
All the other laser companies need to get this camera idea and software in their system if they want to be up to date. It make it so easy to work with images and objects on the bed. Other compnaies dismiss it because they don't have this feature.
Thanks for the update. I was very much interested in how fine or or thin a cutout could be, and the border coming from Adam's test seemed to be very promising.
This feels weird. I want the Glowforge to be good. I am interested in tested's opinion of it. But I'm not convinced that there is an opinion here. This feels a little like a commercial to me. I'm not saying it definitively is but knowing they are getting paid by Glowforge definitely doesn't rule it out.
Oddly expensive considering you can buy 40w laser cutters for $280 and 100w for $2k. External appearance isn’t worth the added expense and any decent controller can be upgraded into a preexisitng $300 laser if one wanted to optimize it.
What if you don't have an internet connection? Is it effectively a paperweight without the internet? What happens when glowforge goes out of business, or the "cloud" service fails or is taken offline? Is your unit now a useless brick? Will there be any support for local system software support? This is a huge futureproofing issue.
If they didn't add a local system I'd be extremely surprised! Just saying, not everyone is like Apple in removing old things because something new is available!
It doesn't look to have air assist which has been a must for my laser cutter, just curious how much impact that would have on cutting depth. Thanks for the info!
Do you ave control over the order of operations? Generally you'd want to do your engrave before the cut pass. [If you cut first, the part could drop and shift, resulting in the engrave not being exactly where you wanted]
This is exactly what we are looking for, We could use 3 maybe 4 in our production model shop. I will tell you why we will not buy this for our company. This unit is not stand alone. We have poor to spotty internet service in our shop and the industrial park is not on the top list by the internet provider for upgraded. 2nd we do not feel comfortable sending our digital property out on the web to a cloud computer to be rendered and returned back to us. Granted it is not TOP SECRET or SECRET digital models, but still this is our Digital Property and it should not be out on an uncontrolled server in the cloud.
You should look at a Voccell DLS then. I have one (they are close by to my business) and its great and easily 10-15 times faster than the Glowforge for engraving so you would only need 1 instead of 3 or 4. It doesn't require an internet connection and it can run all day without overheating. I had a Glowforge preorder until the delays and the misplaced hype machine; I cancelled and haven't looked back. This video just reaffirms why I jumped ship.
Thanks, I will check it out. Speed is very important to use. Running 8 hours a day it looks as if the Glow forge will cut about 4 to 6 kits a day. I would like to get 15 to 20 kits cut a day. Thanks.
I use an Epilog 7-12 hours a day, 7 days a week. Find a used Zing or Mini if you don't need a really big bed and you'll probably be just fine. I have the same concerns as you about digital property, which is why I bought my own NAS. It has cloud functionality so I can work on designs when I'm on the road, but everything is stored locally in my shop. No way I would use a cloud based app for actually sending files to the laser.
This is not a machine suitable for production work. It's a hobbyist product. I have a laser with twice the cutting area and twice the cutting power and it didn't cost me more than the Glowforge. It will run 10 hours a day, day after day.
Re: laser tube life, I've been using my Shenhui G350 50W with the original tube for a year now and it's still going strong. I don't know how much Glowforge is planning to charge for tubes, but replacing my tube looks like ~$250 so really it's on the order of replacing toner on a couple laser printers. Seems reasonable to me.
Those are pretty good machines for the money and are fine for production work. You can also fit a more powerful tube which will be near impossible in the GF.
This is so awesome! who wouldn't want one for Christmas! you can easily get a kid into making things with this technology or be selfish like me and want to keep it to yourself! haha! that is one gorgeous machine! Nice job Tested:)
This laser mostly works on the cloud. What do you do if you don't have internet availiable. My internet access is spotty at best. Is there software I can install on my computer to run this thing? I have CAD software.
8:51 Did he say 40 minutes? That's a long time for such a small piece. I have only used a 60w epilog laser, but I didn't think 40w would be that much slower.
Since it has a wide angle camera, wouldn't the scanned image be distorted? Where accuracy is important, such as doing marquetry or inlays, I am wondering if this camera will cause inaccuracy which cause the pieces not to fit properly. This is the case where you would want to use Adobe Illustrator vs. the browser base software. Question, if you just use Adobe Illustrator, can you bypass the internet requirement and print (send the artwork) directly to the laser, similar to sending a print job to a printer?
There seems to be a difference between the actual design, and the laser path used to cut or engrave. The two don't match. The laser path looks shifted a bit. Is this something that will be resolved?
i wanted one so bad. but that waiting period and 5000 dollars man. got a full spectrum and even though weve had some problems with the psu the customer service was great
You could use this to make plates for an offset printer.With this in your shop copying multiple bills with different serial numbers is not as COST prohibitive.Considering the anti-counterfeiting measures in the larger denominations makes one and five dollar bills more attractive to the cautious (and frugal) felon.
Welcome to the cloud age - where your tools don't belong to you and you need an internet connection just to read a QR code sticker from a sheet of plywood.
This was my main concern when I bought the Cricut pen and die cutting machine (It's browser based only). I hedged my bets and got it anyway. I figured someone will have reverse engineered the communication protocol with the machine to work with other apps long before Cricut goes out of business, should that ever happen.
Looks really cool, I desperately wanted one during the pre-orders a year ago but just couldn't afford it. There were a few things I noted, the first being that originally I recall it being mentioned that the detail camera in the cutting head would be used for scanning drawings put into the glowforge, but it appeared that this was not the case with this model. Will this be in software shipped on the final version, or a future update? Or has the plan been scrapped? Also I was surprised that the laser cut the vector first before etching the raster. Is this intentional? If the material were to slip after the first cut the raster would then be off position. Is the order of operations changeable, or is there some other reason for it being done this way around?
I wonder, since the laser tube is attached to the stepper motors, if that's what's causing the rastering to be so slow? Like most hobbyist laser machines, my tube is stationary. I've had material jams before, so I'm curious what happens when you jam that moving laser tube against something?
You can order in the software to engrave before you cut. That's pretty much the standard procedure. (You can choose the production order of all elements in your design.)
Hah, I downloaded it, noticed the (1) after the DL and did a sort by name. Turns out I already had the file, from 2 years ago. Maybe I should purge my downloads folder a bit more often.
I've been working with it, and wow is that file junk. For something allegedly drawn in CAD, there is nothing neat or precise about it. I couldn't even assemble the X-Wing. It broke 4 times in the attempt because all the measurements were terrible. I got it to work now, but I literally had to redraw and remeasure every single part. The TIE fighter was a bit better, but still required a fair bit of work to get a good fit. I'm glad I tested it on cheap hobby wood first. I'd have hated to waste any of my exotic hardwoods on that.
I'm experienced with both the Epilog laser (120w) and my personal Full Spectrum laser (90w). Both laser machines do not require CAD files, although they both will accept them. I use Corel Draw on both machines and they both recognize the files automatically. As for the Glowforge being able to cut through 1/2" material with a 40w laser tube, I would have to see it to believe it. All in all, however, the Glowforge is a cool entry level laser for those who like to play around with a laser cutter.
I also have the Full Spectrum and I've cut through 3/4" pine, 1/2" cherry and alder. It just takes a lot of passes and you have to monitor the temperature of the wood. After so many passes the wood will hold the heat and create the possibility of ignition. Before that happens I just let it cool down for awhile and then continue the cut. Now if Golwforge is claiming to cut through 1/2" with one pass, I'd have to say BS on that one!
Holy crap! That is huge! How is that desktop? Its as big as Adam's other laser cutter. I'm confused, that thing will need a dining table to sit on, not a desk.
I was thinking the same too. Perhaps they could take inspiration from Krammer's coffee table book and put a leg in each corner to make it an actual desk :-)
I kind of feel like I am taking crazy pills, because I thought when I saw a promo video, it looked smaller. That's way too big for my desk. Nothing else will fit on it...I'll need a SECOND desk to hold the computer that's needed to put files on it. Desktop should be it will fit on your desk and still let you use your desk, not completely take over your desk space.
The two MAJOR problems are 1) You need to be online to use it. Therefore it will stop working as soon as they stop building new ones. and 2) They still have not shipped them out yet. People who ordered them in October 2015 are being told they will get them mid 2017. If you really want a laser cutter get either a China Laser or a Full Spectrum Laser. Much more for your money and none of these problems.
This I need to have! So exciting with so many things to be made.UPDATE: Oh, my, reading reviews on Amazon and not good! Especially that you have to buy all the cutting materials from THEM! Plus cloud-based software. Well, I guess I will have to look elsewhere.
i have the FSL muse. i have to say the glowforge looks better and looks better built. but i think FSL planed it to be like that. having the laser for some time i realized that there will come a time you have to fix your laser. change tube, belts etc. FSL muse was designed for you to be able to fix it yourself. this does not look like something you can fix yourself and may require you to send it back if something goes wrong.
Bitter sweet; apparently shipment is delayed again. We were supposed to receive the unit in December (now). Now in December they say there is another delay...between March and July 2017. Man...I am fighting to keep that thing. How am I supposed to justify another delay :(
It looks like the camera calibration is not perfect, judging from the offset between the etching pattern and the actual drawing. The error is smaller at the center and increases as the distance grows.
The Glowforge is awesome in concept. I pre ordered one of the pro models. I will be canceling my pre-order based of the performance seen in this video and the fact that they have now missed 3 delivery windows, I REPEAT MISSED 3 DELIVERY WINDOWS. These folks at Glowforge have done a horrible job of delivering on their promises, and have had 4500$ of my money for over a year now. I can't stand by anymore, I will no longer be vouching for this company. I urge you all to strongly consider what you are getting yourself into before jumping in with this company. I have zero confidence in their ability to deliver a working product, not to mention the sizable flaws, like the web based interface and inaccurate cutting/engraving that seems to be present in the current version of the product. They supposedly have over 30 million dollars in venture capital, and around 27 million dollars in customer money, but have repeatedly failed to deliver. RIP Glowforge. You were a cool idea, but unfortunately your creator seems to have failed you.
Wouldn't it be more efficient to etch an area or shape which is all joined up (like one of the little triangles), then move to the next shape? It seems to have a lot of unnecessary movement by moving all the way across each line of "print", but only burning a few dots at a time like an inkjet printer. Take out most of the "blank" moves and that 40mins is probably more like 8-10mins, maybe less?
Probalaby, but you would have to design a slicer like they have for 3d printers, dunno how much work that would be and the way its setup now you can just use a printerdriver
I have to agree with many of the comments below. One presumes Glowforge will respond to customer feedback and work out the kinks... but this is a competitive industry. I like the cut & trace feature, being able to use other than vector files etc... but other cutters have had (for example) jpeg & bmp to vector file conversion software for some time. This considered, the trace function isn't all that impressive-- especially since the end result was visibly offline from the original drawing. The comment about cutting before etching is also true: etch, THEN cut rather than as shown in the video. Then add the final blow to the process: 40 to 45 minutes to etch and cut one single piece? That has to be the slowest laser etcher on the planet. They weren't etching stainless steel there; they were etching 1/8" wood. I would consider 3 minutes excessive, 60 seconds more reasonable. Can you imagine trying to manufacture a logo with this machine at 45 minutes a pop? There are $500 "hobby lasers" that do a better job than seen here. Then the final blow: cloud-based software. I currently have a piece of software that is useless because the registration system tries to access an online company that's no longer online. So although I have a valid registration code, the software is trash. Those kinds of programs-- and the whole idea of cloud-based software-- make purchasing this machine a no-brainer no-buy for me. Granted this video was (at this time) made 2 years ago, pre-production. Maybe the company has upgraded its system by now. If so, maybe they need to have this video upgraded as well. As it stands, it's a major "DO NOT BUY ME!" flashing red light.
Good news. As I've recommended Glowforge to many that have placed orders and been waiting for ages, that unit will soon be shipped to these people. In the meantime, as excited as I am about Glowforge, I can't recommend it to anyone till official units are released, shipped and customers are happy.
I think a recommendation, good or bad, can be made with the caveat the person giving the recommendation has, or does not have hands on experience. I do have hands on experience with a variety of electronic cutters. I've followed on your press releases for Glowforge and recommended it to people whom I know would be your target audience and would enjoy it. But sadly, thru them, I've heard about communication issues and delays in shipping. Thus, my recommendation to any interested person, thinking of placing an order for a Glowforge, would be to wait till products are officially shipping, and hands on reviews are showing positive feedback. Sorry that I was not clear. My recommendation to Glowforge would be to 1) work on improving your communication with customers that have placed orders and waiting, 2) stop taking orders till you can deliver, 3) treat your first pool of orders as "beta units" and given you've made those customers pay in advance and wait so long, find a way to build a relationship with them that makes the situation positive (not currently).
Can this ENGRAVE metal? I am looking for an engraver for keys... trays of keys, up to 30 at a time to cut my time on building master key systems. Engraved images must be cut deep, so image does not wear off. Etching is not good enough.
I was an early backer of the Glowforge but ended up bailing on the project due to me coming to the conclusion that, while it seems like it would be super easy to use, it wouldn't be large enough or powerful enough for many of the projects I have in mind. I ended up purchasing an enormous 100W laser cutter from a manufacturer in China for around the same price as the Glowforge pre-order (though, what you save in price, you pay for in time spent reverse engineering the machine to make it work correctly). That said, I'm excited that they're finally getting Glowforge units rolling and I hope they become wildly successful--I also wouldn't mind playing around with their Proofgrade line of materials.
+Tested If you really want to put that machine through it's pace, you should have Adam design and build a dollhouse. Design parameters should include working doors and windows with casements, and it should include materials other than wood (like plexiglass or glass inserts for the windows). Style isn't as important. Sure, a victorian house would definitely put the machine to the test, but everyone builds victorian doll houses. Any Craftsman house would work fine, as would a Frank Lloyd Wright style house.
Jack Linde +
OMG! Yes!!!
Fallingwater could work.
definitely can't cut glass with this laser.
A 40watt laser also can really only cut 1/8" soft woods (baltic birch, balsa) and some plastics. In the world of lasercutters, its one of the weakest lasers you can buy that lets you cut through some materials....
Also, 40 minutes!!!!! on a regular machine, this would take between 3-5 minutes... jesus its slow.
As a guy with a business revolving around my laser cutter, this makes me happy but also very nervous, haha. Pretty soon our 10 year olds are going to get a $300 laser cutter for Christmas...
If you want something cool and groundbreaking, take the chance. My Glowforge is totally amazing and worth the wait. Shipping to the UK was expensive, but worth it. It's very well built, well supported and a great tool for the creative mind.
thank you much, Tested! I'm a backer for the pro model and been on the fence with a cancellation due to lack of updates from the company. I guess Star Citizen's constant news streams have spoiled me a little. Good to see one in the wild, slower than I was expecting, but still, it's good to see that it's not vaporware. By the way, you guys should do a frequent questions about the glow forge vid. oh, by the way, the company said that the non cloud drivers will be available, but will void the warranty, not a problem if the company goes under. Thanks again
YESSSS can we please see more of this machine. I'm really interested in its full capabilities when they become available
This... Norm... The last image is just wonderful. Congrats
Adam & his buddy Jamy are such smart geeks that they made being a geek cool. By the way, the "Glowforge 3D Laser Printer" is awesome.
The fact that it is cloud-based worries me. If the company goes belly-up or decides to stop supporting the device in a few years, you've got one very big, expensive paperweight.
I agree, I've 2 software programs now on the cloud and they suck. Besides being SLOW (my inter net is fine) the unscheduled update is very time consuming. 2 out 0f 5 time I use the product I have to update it and you have no choice, you have to update to use the product and sometimes the update breaks it.
I don't understand the point of the software being web based. Why not just ship the software with the laser so you can use it at home and tweak it exactly how you like?
Doug Johnson Productions cloud based is a deal breaker for many including me.
it's gcode based, It's not going to be a paperweight worst case scenario.
@Rasheed Abdul-Aziz : It's obviously you really know your stuff! Thanks for the explanation. But the comments about the company "going bust" and not being there in the future does worry me. What do you think about this scenario?
that camera system is really neat, the final ornament looks absolutely incredible also!
As soon as I saw the purple design at (approximately) 11:30 I knew what you were printing although I was only half right. I knew what the left side was for but I didn't realize that the right side was for a different item. This cutter might be inexpensive for what it is but I bet the price of it is still in the range of a few thousand of dollars.
Which you do you prefer Adam? The GlowForge or the already on the market FSL Muse?
I'm in the pre-order group, i can't WAIT to receive it this month. I've been waiting for a little more than a year.
In the cloud? So when company goes bust all of a sudden machine stops working? Being there, saw that. No. Thank. You.
exactly what i thought. Or maybe they release an improved version in 5 years and stop supporting the old one then. No thank you.
That's my one real gripe about it. I love the form factor, looks like it works really well, and I'd pay a premium for such a nicely constructed package. But I can't do it if I don't know it will run for 10 years, and we don't know that Glowforge will last that long as a company.
gnzh My thoughts exactly
they allowing for stand alone if you don't want to use the cloud but prefer cloud
Oh good. That was pretty much my one worry when I saw this before.
All the other laser companies need to get this camera idea and software in their system if they want to be up to date. It make it so easy to work with images and objects on the bed.
Other compnaies dismiss it because they don't have this feature.
Thanks for the update. I was very much interested in how fine or or thin a cutout could be, and the border coming from Adam's test seemed to be very promising.
I'm a high school student who loves to tinker and build my own machines, I love mechanical engineering, I am ready for this
This feels weird. I want the Glowforge to be good. I am interested in tested's opinion of it. But I'm not convinced that there is an opinion here. This feels a little like a commercial to me. I'm not saying it definitively is but knowing they are getting paid by Glowforge definitely doesn't rule it out.
Yeah, feels like sponsored content. I pre-ordered the Glowforge Pro and am soooo tempted to get a refund with all the delays and further research.
Oddly expensive considering you can buy 40w laser cutters for $280 and 100w for $2k. External appearance isn’t worth the added expense and any decent controller can be upgraded into a preexisitng $300 laser if one wanted to optimize it.
Pretty cool! I cant help but notice it offset the etch/cuts from the original sketch drawn on the board. So it isnt 1:1
What if you don't have an internet connection? Is it effectively a paperweight without the internet? What happens when glowforge goes out of business, or the "cloud" service fails or is taken offline? Is your unit now a useless brick? Will there be any support for local system software support? This is a huge futureproofing issue.
If they didn't add a local system I'd be extremely surprised!
Just saying, not everyone is like Apple in removing old things because something new is available!
It would be using google cloud so that will not go out of business. The company glow forge has about $30mill of backers on these device
draggonhedd it's the same case for a lot of products now, it's just where we are heading
It doesn't look to have air assist which has been a must for my laser cutter, just curious how much impact that would have on cutting depth. Thanks for the info!
6:35 it's a touch off of the drawn pattern. Shifted left and up from the original
Boy I still want one!
Do you ave control over the order of operations? Generally you'd want to do your engrave before the cut pass. [If you cut first, the part could drop and shift, resulting in the engrave not being exactly where you wanted]
This is exactly what we are looking for, We could use 3 maybe 4 in our production model shop. I will tell you why we will not buy this for our company. This unit is not stand alone. We have poor to spotty internet service in our shop and the industrial park is not on the top list by the internet provider for upgraded. 2nd we do not feel comfortable sending our digital property out on the web to a cloud computer to be rendered and returned back to us. Granted it is not TOP SECRET or SECRET digital models, but still this is our Digital Property and it should not be out on an uncontrolled server in the cloud.
You should look at a Voccell DLS then. I have one (they are close by to my business) and its great and easily 10-15 times faster than the Glowforge for engraving so you would only need 1 instead of 3 or 4. It doesn't require an internet connection and it can run all day without overheating. I had a Glowforge preorder until the delays and the misplaced hype machine; I cancelled and haven't looked back. This video just reaffirms why I jumped ship.
Thanks, I will check it out. Speed is very important to use. Running 8 hours a day it looks as if the Glow forge will cut about 4 to 6 kits a day. I would like to get 15 to 20 kits cut a day. Thanks.
I use an Epilog 7-12 hours a day, 7 days a week. Find a used Zing or Mini if you don't need a really big bed and you'll probably be just fine.
I have the same concerns as you about digital property, which is why I bought my own NAS. It has cloud functionality so I can work on designs when I'm on the road, but everything is stored locally in my shop. No way I would use a cloud based app for actually sending files to the laser.
This is not a machine suitable for production work. It's a hobbyist product. I have a laser with twice the cutting area and twice the cutting power and it didn't cost me more than the Glowforge. It will run 10 hours a day, day after day.
It is way over priced for the averagescrap booker or someone doing crafts. You would think at the price it would be good for real production work.
Never walk away from a laser in operation. FIRE!
Hey Norm, I expect the unit has been shipped off to the next reviewer already but if it hasn't I'd like to see Aluminium being cut and engraved.
Re: laser tube life, I've been using my Shenhui G350 50W with the original tube for a year now and it's still going strong. I don't know how much Glowforge is planning to charge for tubes, but replacing my tube looks like ~$250 so really it's on the order of replacing toner on a couple laser printers. Seems reasonable to me.
Those are pretty good machines for the money and are fine for production work. You can also fit a more powerful tube which will be near impossible in the GF.
I'm quite happy with mine. My only regret was buying one with an irregular rotary attachment device instead of a motorized z-bed.
How is the ventilation set up? When setting it up in your home, what do you connect it to? Do you just route the pipe to a window?
finaly! I was waiting for this vid 11 months! I love glowforge (I dont have it tho)
This is so awesome! who wouldn't want one for Christmas! you can easily get a kid into making things with this technology or be selfish like me and want to keep it to yourself! haha! that is one gorgeous machine! Nice job Tested:)
"without revealing what it is..."
meanwhile there's a clear stencil of a tiefighter and a X-wing on screen
I guess the editor didn't get that memo!
5:20 That etching process is as slow as molasses in winter.
This laser mostly works on the cloud. What do you do if you don't have internet availiable. My internet access is spotty at best. Is there software I can install on my computer to run this thing? I have CAD software.
Frickin' laser beams! :)
8:51 Did he say 40 minutes? That's a long time for such a small piece. I have only used a 60w epilog laser, but I didn't think 40w would be that much slower.
Great video norm! First time I hear about this but it's amazing!
Since it has a wide angle camera, wouldn't the scanned image be distorted? Where accuracy is important, such as doing marquetry or inlays, I am wondering if this camera will cause inaccuracy which cause the pieces not to fit properly. This is the case where you would want to use Adobe Illustrator vs. the browser base software. Question, if you just use Adobe Illustrator, can you bypass the internet requirement and print (send the artwork) directly to the laser, similar to sending a print job to a printer?
There seems to be a difference between the actual design, and the laser path used to cut or engrave. The two don't match. The laser path looks shifted a bit. Is this something that will be resolved?
i wanted one so bad. but that waiting period and 5000 dollars man. got a full spectrum and even though weve had some problems with the psu the customer service was great
You could use this to make plates for an offset printer.With this in your shop copying multiple bills with different serial numbers is not as COST prohibitive.Considering the anti-counterfeiting measures in the larger denominations makes one and five dollar bills more attractive to the cautious (and frugal) felon.
So if the interface is web based and your internet goes down or even the company goes out of business, it becomes useless?
Welcome to the cloud age - where your tools don't belong to you and you need an internet connection just to read a QR code sticker from a sheet of plywood.
Mooferoo Yep, it's called planned obsolescence
This was my main concern when I bought the Cricut pen and die cutting machine (It's browser based only). I hedged my bets and got it anyway. I figured someone will have reverse engineered the communication protocol with the machine to work with other apps long before Cricut goes out of business, should that ever happen.
they allowing for a stand alone according to their kickstarter
+Thyshallsmite As this post indicates, they had better...
Etch something into that surface book ;)
The surface book is made out of magnesium, depending on the alloy may not be the best idea since it might burst into flames!
Looks really cool, I desperately wanted one during the pre-orders a year ago but just couldn't afford it. There were a few things I noted, the first being that originally I recall it being mentioned that the detail camera in the cutting head would be used for scanning drawings put into the glowforge, but it appeared that this was not the case with this model. Will this be in software shipped on the final version, or a future update? Or has the plan been scrapped? Also I was surprised that the laser cut the vector first before etching the raster. Is this intentional? If the material were to slip after the first cut the raster would then be off position. Is the order of operations changeable, or is there some other reason for it being done this way around?
I wonder, since the laser tube is attached to the stepper motors, if that's what's causing the rastering to be so slow? Like most hobbyist laser machines, my tube is stationary. I've had material jams before, so I'm curious what happens when you jam that moving laser tube against something?
Seems backwards to cut and then engrave because the workpiece you're about to engrave will have moved.
You can order in the software to engrave before you cut. That's pretty much the standard procedure. (You can choose the production order of all elements in your design.)
if you look close it did move
The Tie fighter looks cool in natural wood finish, but I'd like you to paint one in the right Star Wars colors. And I want to see the X wing too.
Woah, that's one noice printer. Can anyone tell me the music at 11:30? just wondering if it's copyright-free.
at 11:21, what is the name of the makerspace in Seattle? "Super lab"? he says it so fast the closed caption doesn't help
C4 labs. www.thingiverse.com/thing:603237
Hah, I downloaded it, noticed the (1) after the DL and did a sort by name. Turns out I already had the file, from 2 years ago. Maybe I should purge my downloads folder a bit more often.
relishgargler thanks! I live in Seattle, so I'm especially interested
I've been working with it, and wow is that file junk. For something allegedly drawn in CAD, there is nothing neat or precise about it. I couldn't even assemble the X-Wing. It broke 4 times in the attempt because all the measurements were terrible. I got it to work now, but I literally had to redraw and remeasure every single part. The TIE fighter was a bit better, but still required a fair bit of work to get a good fit. I'm glad I tested it on cheap hobby wood first. I'd have hated to waste any of my exotic hardwoods on that.
I'm experienced with both the Epilog laser (120w) and my personal Full Spectrum laser (90w). Both laser machines do not require CAD files, although they both will accept them. I use Corel Draw on both machines and they both recognize the files automatically. As for the Glowforge being able to cut through 1/2" material with a 40w laser tube, I would have to see it to believe it. All in all, however, the Glowforge is a cool entry level laser for those who like to play around with a laser cutter.
I also have the Full Spectrum and I've cut through 3/4" pine, 1/2" cherry and alder. It just takes a lot of passes and you have to monitor the temperature of the wood. After so many passes the wood will hold the heat and create the possibility of ignition. Before that happens I just let it cool down for awhile and then continue the cut. Now if Golwforge is claiming to cut through 1/2" with one pass, I'd have to say BS on that one!
Holy crap! That is huge! How is that desktop? Its as big as Adam's other laser cutter. I'm confused, that thing will need a dining table to sit on, not a desk.
I was thinking the same too. Perhaps they could take inspiration from Krammer's coffee table book and put a leg in each corner to make it an actual desk :-)
Yeah desktop is a bit of a misnomer. Benchtop is a more app description. It does look like if will fit on a full size desk , nothing else though.
I kind of feel like I am taking crazy pills, because I thought when I saw a promo video, it looked smaller. That's way too big for my desk. Nothing else will fit on it...I'll need a SECOND desk to hold the computer that's needed to put files on it. Desktop should be it will fit on your desk and still let you use your desk, not completely take over your desk space.
1:50
"Phased Plasma Rifle in the 40 watt range."
I like how the guy who works for them is so surprised and seemingly clueless about some of the most basic features of the only product they sell
The two MAJOR problems are 1) You need to be online to use it. Therefore it will stop working as soon as they stop building new ones. and 2) They still have not shipped them out yet. People who ordered them in October 2015 are being told they will get them mid 2017. If you really want a laser cutter get either a China Laser or a Full Spectrum Laser. Much more for your money and none of these problems.
Does it come with the Black glasses. I notice they kept falling off your head
I'm kinda hoping there'll be an SDK available to make drivers accessible directly from Illustrator.
somewhere around 11:05 the noise gate is too high
fyi norm, small mistake
Thanks for the video! Do you think this would cut through 1" wood?
You should have changed cut order so that it cut last. Also, what are the fume extraction options?
This I need to have! So exciting with so many things to be made.UPDATE: Oh, my, reading reviews on Amazon and not good! Especially that you have to buy all the cutting materials from THEM! Plus cloud-based software. Well, I guess I will have to look elsewhere.
Will it etch on glass or highly reflective materials?
I want to see your comparison of the Gowforge vs a Universal laser or Epilog system.
You had to change the outside cut line off camera!
Does it cut and engraves on clear acrylic?
What key or combination of keys did you push to make the cut path?
Do you have a link to the vector file for the "ornament set based on a popular franchise?"
Can this etch and cut metal? Would be sweet to be able to produce your own photo etched brass parts for model kits!
No it cannot. It can mark metals that have coatings on them like paint or anodizing but no engraving or cutting.
03:37 what's up with that Charlie Brown music? XD
i have the FSL muse. i have to say the glowforge looks better and looks better built. but i think FSL planed it to be like that. having the laser for some time i realized that there will come a time you have to fix your laser. change tube, belts etc. FSL muse was designed for you to be able to fix it yourself. this does not look like something you can fix yourself and may require you to send it back if something goes wrong.
First turn off is that it’s cloud based meaning if the company is sold or folds you now have a $1200-$5000 paperweight
Adam is the consultant but it seems like Norm knows a lot more about it
I finally figured it out.. Norm moves like a Marionette! I can't see the wires yet, but I swear they are there.
11:40 where did Jeremy get that Death Star computer t-shirt? I want it sooo bad
There is an weird offset while etching check 7:50
'cloud processing' is a huge turnoff, this usually leads to subscriptions and other reoccurring intangible charges.
Is it as loud as a vacuum? Or does it just sound like one?
Bitter sweet; apparently shipment is delayed again. We were supposed to receive the unit in December (now). Now in December they say there is another delay...between March and July 2017. Man...I am fighting to keep that thing. How am I supposed to justify another delay :(
"Without revealing it" that was funny!
It looks like the camera calibration is not perfect, judging from the offset between the etching pattern and the actual drawing. The error is smaller at the center and increases as the distance grows.
Would it perhaps be possible to remove the laser in order to mount it to the head of certain aquatic predatory animals?
Have you done a follow up video yet Tested? It's been 4 months!
The Glowforge is awesome in concept. I pre ordered one of the pro models. I will be canceling my pre-order based of the performance seen in this video and the fact that they have now missed 3 delivery windows, I REPEAT MISSED 3 DELIVERY WINDOWS. These folks at Glowforge have done a horrible job of delivering on their promises, and have had 4500$ of my money for over a year now. I can't stand by anymore, I will no longer be vouching for this company. I urge you all to strongly consider what you are getting yourself into before jumping in with this company. I have zero confidence in their ability to deliver a working product, not to mention the sizable flaws, like the web based interface and inaccurate cutting/engraving that seems to be present in the current version of the product. They supposedly have over 30 million dollars in venture capital, and around 27 million dollars in customer money, but have repeatedly failed to deliver. RIP Glowforge. You were a cool idea, but unfortunately your creator seems to have failed you.
Can it do balsa wood?
You ABSOLUTLY need to make things in SVG.
When this comes to market, in a ball park figure, around how much would this unit probably go for?
Currently $2,995 for the basic model as of Dec/2016
Warren Bailey thank you for the reply.
I want to invest in one just not sure which too get.
What are those tiny people doing next to that standard sized inkjet printer?
Ha Ha LOL. I actually laughed out loud. Lucky little Leprechauns! Thanks:)
so are we gonna have "cut the mystery object" every Friday now?
Yes please! :)
Wouldn't it be more efficient to etch an area or shape which is all joined up (like one of the little triangles), then move to the next shape? It seems to have a lot of unnecessary movement by moving all the way across each line of "print", but only burning a few dots at a time like an inkjet printer. Take out most of the "blank" moves and that 40mins is probably more like 8-10mins, maybe less?
Probalaby, but you would have to design a slicer like they have for 3d printers, dunno how much work that would be and the way its setup now you can just use a printerdriver
Omg!! I want one for jewelry making!
I have to agree with many of the comments below. One presumes Glowforge will respond to customer feedback and work out the kinks... but this is a competitive industry. I like the cut & trace feature, being able to use other than vector files etc... but other cutters have had (for example) jpeg & bmp to vector file conversion software for some time. This considered, the trace function isn't all that impressive-- especially since the end result was visibly offline from the original drawing.
The comment about cutting before etching is also true: etch, THEN cut rather than as shown in the video. Then add the final blow to the process: 40 to 45 minutes to etch and cut one single piece? That has to be the slowest laser etcher on the planet. They weren't etching stainless steel there; they were etching 1/8" wood. I would consider 3 minutes excessive, 60 seconds more reasonable. Can you imagine trying to manufacture a logo with this machine at 45 minutes a pop? There are $500 "hobby lasers" that do a better job than seen here.
Then the final blow: cloud-based software. I currently have a piece of software that is useless because the registration system tries to access an online company that's no longer online. So although I have a valid registration code, the software is trash. Those kinds of programs-- and the whole idea of cloud-based software-- make purchasing this machine a no-brainer no-buy for me. Granted this video was (at this time) made 2 years ago, pre-production. Maybe the company has upgraded its system by now. If so, maybe they need to have this video upgraded as well. As it stands, it's a major "DO NOT BUY ME!" flashing red light.
mmhh. but what is so exciting? any laser cutter with visicut and visicam can do the same. and do they move the laser tube??
When will they release this?!
Good news. As I've recommended Glowforge to many that have placed orders and been waiting for ages, that unit will soon be shipped to these people. In the meantime, as excited as I am about Glowforge, I can't recommend it to anyone till official units are released, shipped and customers are happy.
How can you recommend a product you have never even tried yourself?
I think a recommendation, good or bad, can be made with the caveat the person giving the recommendation has, or does not have hands on experience. I do have hands on experience with a variety of electronic cutters. I've followed on your press releases for Glowforge and recommended it to people whom I know would be your target audience and would enjoy it. But sadly, thru them, I've heard about communication issues and delays in shipping. Thus, my recommendation to any interested person, thinking of placing an order for a Glowforge, would be to wait till products are officially shipping, and hands on reviews are showing positive feedback. Sorry that I was not clear. My recommendation to Glowforge would be to 1) work on improving your communication with customers that have placed orders and waiting, 2) stop taking orders till you can deliver, 3) treat your first pool of orders as "beta units" and given you've made those customers pay in advance and wait so long, find a way to build a relationship with them that makes the situation positive (not currently).
Can this ENGRAVE metal? I am looking for an engraver for keys... trays of keys, up to 30 at a time to cut my time on building master key systems. Engraved images must be cut deep, so image does not wear off. Etching is not good enough.
This Is AWEsome
You guys should do a indoor diy ventilation system
can the laser be removed and used for evil purposes? asking for a friend.
I'd like to know if there is a bracket included to mount it to a shark.
No it won't fit on sharks. it will fit on sea bass tho, if they're horribly mutated.
Try a pigeon instead, no one will see it coming and the laser doesn't like saltwater anyway.
Dorian Gray are they ill tempered?
The laser can be removed and mounted and yes, possibly on a pigeon. However it's that 20lb power supply and long cord that is the problem...
without revealing what it is....we are all nerds here yo, we say that was a Tie fighter in less then a second
This can make a truly permanent tattoo :)
Or make a permanent eye correction :)
This can make your eye-sight truly disappear :)
This can permanentaly cut off limbs :)
This can truly make small animals dead :)
This can truly cut designs into different materials :)