Glowforge launched today

[Bert Kemp]

My Point is their using a lot of advertising trying to make you believe this is something more then what it is, a cheap laser engraver.Its not a 3d printer, it can't make leather purses by it self. Come on its a 40 watt engraver and nothing more. It might sell to unsuspecting mommies and daddies that want to make a few cool things for there kids, but any one who knows laser engravers isn't gonna fall for it.

added note I guess there entitled to try to make a buck and advertise it anyway they want. Jamie is kinda right. That we who have real laser engravers are taken back a little by this glowforge thing

Bert, what is your point? All products are marketed to one degree or another. It's how the sales world turns.

[Jamie Humphrey]

If this forum/website is for professionals with 60W+ lasers only then I agree that this product shouldn't be discussed here. It's totally geared toward sheet goods as it only has 1.5" of z clearance and home workshop use. I learned a bit by watching this video (Tested.com). They talk about the tube a bit, but it doesn' mean much to me. I'm just looking for something to play around with in my home workshop and I didn't want to go with a Chinese only company (I'm sure these are made in China but at least it is designed and supported by a US company). I think they've added some great new technology to bring an easy to use product to the home user. The 3d printer marketing line isn't really a claim but it sure creates a lot of controversy. I think they're trying to get people to understand what laser cutters/ engravers are capable of, but they sure are pissing anyone off that already knows what they are.

[Scott Shepherd]

Jamie, you're missing the point that many have made. It has nothing to do with coming up with a consumer level laser cutting, whether it's 5W or 500W. Doesn't matter. The issue many people have is that there's a lot of things said about it from the people running the company that are just utter non sense. Many of us raised a lot of concerns about the safety (what's going to happen when a 13 year old puts PVC in it and runs it without venting it, and fills the room with the fumes from PVC?), but now the marketing is just insanity. It's money over everything else. Saying "it's as safe as a DVD player" and then telling people in the video "don't use things like PVC" just doesn't add up. You can't just "tell people" not to do something, and then call it as safe as a DVD player. That's like telling people "don't put your fingers near the blade on a band saw" and then proclaiming your bandsaw is as safe as an alarm clock to use.

I have no problem with the machine, it looks pretty cool. However, it's a huge step backwards and forward at the same time. 14:55 seconds run time on the pieces in the video? And you call that a "breakthrough"? That's 4 minutes on a 45W machine anywhere else. In the videos, they keep mentioning all the things "that are so difficult" or "you can't do" with pro model lasers, yet the examples they use aren't true. They talk about material settings being kept in notebooks and managed by users. What? All of our lasers have material databases and you pick it from a list. They talk about not easily being able to move objects around on the table. Not true. We do it on our Trotec all the time. It's VERY easy to do.

Epilog has a camera system that looks at the work too. It's mounted in the lid as well.

So it's just a little disheartening for some users to watch things be said that just aren't actually reflective of reality in order to make people think that other lasers are just so complex and this is the only machine for you, because it's just so simple and does so many things no other lasers will do.

It's not about the laser itself, it's about the ploy to make everyone else's machines look so complex in order to make theirs look so simple, when the facts are that others lasers are really easy to learn too.

[Bert Kemp]

Scott watching that video of it cutting that flar up was whoa! no air, man thats a fire hazzard plus.It also looked like the flame was going to burn up the laser head.Fire yikes.jpgyep let the kids play with it in the kitchen

[Bill George]

I watched the first one or two minutes, so much BS anyone who has worked with CNC and or lasers knows its all Blue Sky.

If you think the "Cloud" can run a laser, try running one of Autodesk's new Cloud based CAD programs as 123D or Fusion 360. 123D can be ran on your own machine but they encourage you to work online.

[Scott Shepherd]

In fairness Bert, that was the prototype and it wasn't enclosed and they were showing it in it's infant stage. In the later video, you can see the suction pulling it out.

However, on their website, it says if you run stone or glass, you don't need any exhaust at all. Again, that couldn't be a more inaccurate statement. Anyone that has done much glass are well aware of the "white dust" it makes and what it can do to optics.

[Dave Sheldrake]

I lasted as far as "You don't need the hundreds of dollars worth of red dot alignment" so an $11 mount with beam combiner and a 50 cent diode pack is hundreds of dollars?

aware of the "white dust" it makes and what it can do to optics.

hehehehe Scotty now imagine what that dust will do to their lungs

In effect it is yet another jumble of Chinese parts put together in a nice case marketed for people that believe hype. NOTHING that machine can or does do hasn't been done before but that won't stop it selling...it will sell by the boat load to people that think you can buy a machine and make money like Bill Gates when in reality it's no more than an accident waiting to happen.

This is what happens when marketing gurus get involved in subjects they don't actually know much about and sell stuff to people who wouldn't normally be trusted with plastic scissors !

[Jamie Humphrey]

I don't think I'm missing any points. I'm not really interested in marketing lines so choose not to talk about them. I can't even say I've seen that line regarding DVD players. Was it in the video? I'm interested in whether I should be relooking at the Zing 16, anc cancel this order. Is that a fair comparison, pricewise it doesn't appear so to me? If not a fair comparison what machines are? The flare up point made in an earlier post seems valid to me as they don't have an air compressor line. You mention that other 45W can do the same thing so point noted in my comparison, although as it's just in my shop for fun use it doesn't effect me as that kind of time delay would if I was comparing manufacting level machines.

[Matt McCoy]

...They talk about not easily being able to move objects around on the table. Not true. We do it on our Trotec all the time. It's VERY easy to do.

Please fill in the blank:

Trotec = $__________
Glowforge = $1,995

Epilog has a camera system that looks at the work too. It's mounted in the lid as well.

Epilog w/ Camera = $__________
Glowforge = $1,995

The question of whether or not this will be a product that sells:

As of 8:10 PM CST on the first day of their campaign.

"$857,958 pre-ordered
of our $100,000 goal (857% funded)"

I'm not sure why this laser gets folks so worked-up, but it looks like it will be a thing.

[Dave Sheldrake]

Laser Quality — TEM00 tube produces smaller spot size and greater power density, increasing engraving precision and cutting speeds

No it's not...if a $25,000 SLC Tube from GSI won't give a pure TEM00 wavefront then I'm pretty sure a $100 chinese tube won't either!

[Dave Sheldrake]

I'm not sure why this laser gets folks so worked-up

Because last year I spent close to $1.5 M on making sure I complied with safety regulations and ensuring my staff don't get hurt or killed by the job they do so that when a kid who shouldn't be left home alone buys this thing and trys cutting PVC and ends up in the ER my day job will get harder and more expensive yet again to ensure people are safe all because a new supplier decided that they could make a lot of money from people based on marketing hype.

That is why I get worked up...

[Scott Shepherd]

Matt, do you read what I said? I said it's a pretty cool machine, the problem is with the marketing that's just not true. My point is that they could sell millions by telling the truth, there's zero need to hype it. It's that part that rubs people the wrong way. Why do the compare it to a DVD player? To make people fell like it's safe. Period.

If you want to play the comparison game, we can do that. They keep talking about how profitable the machine can be for you, so if you want to compare a $4000 MSRP machine to a Trotec that's $25,000, we can do that, and the Trotec will bury that $4000 machine in every single metric you want to measure, as well as the amount of money you'd be making by creating your purses, satchels, and wallets.

If they would scrub the site from saying things that aren't accurate, most all of would be saying "cool".

[Matt McCoy]

Because last year I spent close to $1.5 M on making sure I complied with safety regulations and ensuring my staff don't get hurt or killed by the job they do so that when a kid who shouldn't be left home alone buys this thing and trys cutting PVC and ends up in the ER my day job will get harder and more expensive yet again to ensure people are safe all because a new supplier decided that they could make a lot of money from people based on marketing hype.

That is why I get worked up...

Lots of lasers are already in schools, libraries, and homes.

[Matt McCoy]

...Why do the compare it to a DVD player? To make people fell like it's safe. Period...

"11. Safe for schools

Under US Food & Drug Administration regulations, Glowforge Basic is categorized as a Class 1 laser, like a DVD player, so no special precautions are required to use it. The Pro model is Class 4 device like other lasers, and requires additional precautions."

Sounds straightforward to me.

[Scott Shepherd]

"11. Safe for schools

Under US Food & Drug Administration regulations, Glowforge Basic is categorized as a Class 1 laser, like a DVD player, so no special precautions are required to use it. The Pro model is Class 4 device like other lasers, and requires additional precautions."

Sounds straightforward to me.

Except it's not true. You can't kill someone with a DVD player that's sitting in the same room with you, minding their own business.