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This looks like a decent laser but I thought I'd post a few thoughts about this package which might give a potential buyer pause. First, the main unique featur

This looks like a decent laser but I thought I'd post a few thoughts about this package which might give a potential buyer pause. First, the main unique feature I see is the built in camera which apparently gives you a preview of cut/engraved finished part on your computer screen with the material as it's positioned inside the machine. This also (apparently, it's not clear), allows you to correct for misaligned material inside the machine. These are nice features, but it's perfectly possible to cut and engrave without them. One big problem with operating this inside your home is the fumes. Now, they do mention that the base unit needs to be vented to the outside. What this means is that your neighbors (and you, if the wind is right) will have to smell the exhaust from this machine. It's not a nice smell if you're cutting acrylic. Though I personally got used to the scent of vaporized acrylic over time, your neighbors might not be so inclined. So they also offer a $500 add-on ($1000 regular price) to filter the air so you can exhaust inside. The add on is smaller than the already small laser cutter. This is quite a feat and I would really like to know how they got it to work. You see, the fumes/smoke from a laser cutter can really clog up a particulate filter pretty quickly. Wood produces wood smoke, and acrylic vapor is quite sticky when it settles. So you have to have a powerful pump to draw the fumes through the filter. Then you need a good amount of activated charcoal to get rid of the smelly stuff. If you look at the professional model air filters, they're $2000+ and you have to buy filters and media regularly. Laser cutters get messy inside, so if you buy one, be prepared to clean it out regularly to keep the optical and mechanical components clean. Problems with operation can START A FIRE, so be prepared to watch the machine 100% of the time while it's cutting.

noobermin 11y ago
Every issue you mentioned apart from the terrible fumes are problems that already exist in one's home with cooking in your own home, and people, seeing the convenience of cooking in their homes, have adapted to it. Regarding fumes actually, the smell from my neighbor's cooking isn't always to my liking either, but, perhaps, burnt plastic might be worse and equally undesirable to all people.
- pierre 11y ago
  Actualy laser cutter tend to start a fire pretty often.
  - elecengin 11y ago
    Yes. And depending on the material, the fire may spread very rapidly.
- elecengin 11y ago
  I think one thing that was not clear are the fumes are extremely toxic. Rarely do you cook where the fumes could make you go unconscious or cause long term health effects. If you dont believe me, check out: [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1475175/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1475175/]
  - noobermin 11y ago
    I guess that makes sense. I thought of the smell as nauseous but being dangerously unhealthy (than breathing the same concentration smoke from a fire, I'm assuming is the comparison) makes it involve different levels of health issues. I'd suppose they'd have to make the buyers sign waivers, huh, otherwise they have a number of civil class-action suits waiting--from which they lose anyway since a waiver would make the cutter much less attractive.
danshapiro 11y ago
(founder/CEO here) I vented a 60W chinese laser out my window for a year in the suburbs, but I've learned never to underestimate what neighbors may complain complain about. The air filter is definitely a good idea. If you do the math on the volume, and compare it to the actual volume of the filter of e.g. a Purex, you'll find it's similar. Almost half of the volume of the Purex is in the fans or open airspace; we have the advantage of a ton of airflow from the Glowforge itself, so the filter needs proportionately less. We also have a sealed (basic) or almost-sealed (pro) case so it's easier to build up negative pressure and move the exhaust through. Cleaning stinks, and wrecks alignment - the tube and turning mirrors are completely sealed, including the tube output, so there's just one flat window to wipe clean (and it unscrews for easy replacement). The head has a window and purge air to keep it clean too. We're mitigating a lot of the risk of fire by avoiding trouble situations in software (e.g. not cutting a piece of material where the dimensions make it an effective wick, detecting obstacles on the bed, accelerators to detect problems quickly) but you're right that you don't want to run it unattended.
- Drdrdrq 11y ago
  Curious: why not mitigate fire danger by measuring temperature in beam vicinity using thermal camera?
  - arama471 11y ago
    Wouldn't that be too slow? By the time you see the temp spike on the cam you may have already started the fire
    - comboy 11y ago
      Have some cartridge of CO2 inside that is getting released in such scenario? There's not much volume inside so it should do the job. IANAF, just wondering.
      - leoc 11y ago
        For a while I've been wondering if you could flood the chamber of a laser cutter with CO_2 routinely, not just to prevent fires but to prevent the scorching that laser cutting leaves on wood. If that would consume too much CO_2, would it be workable to instead spray it topically onto the point of the cut, a bit like the inert shielding gases that some forms of arc welding use?
nivla 11y ago
I personally think its a pretty cool product. However, their insistence on having everything routed through the cloud doesn't seem appealing to me. If they close down or even if Google has some sort of service interruption, this thing becomes nothing more than a paper weight. After watching their video on tested, I think you are spot on with the concerns. It looks like the laser printers does generate some nasty fumes [1] and there is the section where you actually see the wood catching on fire [2]. Not sure if plastic should have been the choice for the enclosure. Regardless, cool product but could have been better. [1] https://youtu.be/0R3mMUsHFvU?t=16m5s https://youtu.be/0R3mMUsHFvU?t=16m5s [2] https://youtu.be/0R3mMUsHFvU?t=13m15s https://youtu.be/0R3mMUsHFvU?t=13m15s
- Apofis 11y ago
  Yep, was about to shell out for a Pro, but now I'm going to wait for #1 version 2.0 for them to work out all the kinks and #2 this cloud connection business. I refuse to buy any equipment that doesn't work if it's disconnected.
userbinator 11y ago
Problems with operation can START A FIRE I suppose one way to solve this problem is to make sure that as much of the machine as possible in the cutting area is made of non-flammable material. Even if a fire starts it won't spread. Not possible with this one though, as the housing seems to be made of plastic.

noobermin 11y ago

Every issue you mentioned apart from the terrible fumes are problems that already exist in one's home with cooking in your own home, and people, seeing the convenience of cooking in their homes, have adapted to it. Regarding fumes actually, the smell from my neighbor's cooking isn't always to my liking either, but, perhaps, burnt plastic might be worse and equally undesirable to all people.

pierre 11y ago
Actualy laser cutter tend to start a fire pretty often.
- elecengin 11y ago
  Yes. And depending on the material, the fire may spread very rapidly.
elecengin 11y ago
I think one thing that was not clear are the fumes are extremely toxic. Rarely do you cook where the fumes could make you go unconscious or cause long term health effects. If you dont believe me, check out: [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1475175/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1475175/]
- noobermin 11y ago
  I guess that makes sense. I thought of the smell as nauseous but being dangerously unhealthy (than breathing the same concentration smoke from a fire, I'm assuming is the comparison) makes it involve different levels of health issues. I'd suppose they'd have to make the buyers sign waivers, huh, otherwise they have a number of civil class-action suits waiting--from which they lose anyway since a waiver would make the cutter much less attractive.

danshapiro 11y ago

(founder/CEO here) I vented a 60W chinese laser out my window for a year in the suburbs, but I've learned never to underestimate what neighbors may complain complain about. The air filter is definitely a good idea. If you do the math on the volume, and compare it to the actual volume of the filter of e.g. a Purex, you'll find it's similar. Almost half of the volume of the Purex is in the fans or open airspace; we have the advantage of a ton of airflow from the Glowforge itself, so the filter needs proportionately less. We also have a sealed (basic) or almost-sealed (pro) case so it's easier to build up negative pressure and move the exhaust through. Cleaning stinks, and wrecks alignment - the tube and turning mirrors are completely sealed, including the tube output, so there's just one flat window to wipe clean (and it unscrews for easy replacement). The head has a window and purge air to keep it clean too. We're mitigating a lot of the risk of fire by avoiding trouble situations in software (e.g. not cutting a piece of material where the dimensions make it an effective wick, detecting obstacles on the bed, accelerators to detect problems quickly) but you're right that you don't want to run it unattended.

Drdrdrq 11y ago
Curious: why not mitigate fire danger by measuring temperature in beam vicinity using thermal camera?
- arama471 11y ago
  Wouldn't that be too slow? By the time you see the temp spike on the cam you may have already started the fire
  - comboy 11y ago
    Have some cartridge of CO2 inside that is getting released in such scenario? There's not much volume inside so it should do the job. IANAF, just wondering.
    - leoc 11y ago
      For a while I've been wondering if you could flood the chamber of a laser cutter with CO_2 routinely, not just to prevent fires but to prevent the scorching that laser cutting leaves on wood. If that would consume too much CO_2, would it be workable to instead spray it topically onto the point of the cut, a bit like the inert shielding gases that some forms of arc welding use?

nivla 11y ago

I personally think its a pretty cool product. However, their insistence on having everything routed through the cloud doesn't seem appealing to me. If they close down or even if Google has some sort of service interruption, this thing becomes nothing more than a paper weight. After watching their video on tested, I think you are spot on with the concerns. It looks like the laser printers does generate some nasty fumes [1] and there is the section where you actually see the wood catching on fire [2]. Not sure if plastic should have been the choice for the enclosure. Regardless, cool product but could have been better. [1] https://youtu.be/0R3mMUsHFvU?t=16m5s https://youtu.be/0R3mMUsHFvU?t=16m5s [2] https://youtu.be/0R3mMUsHFvU?t=13m15s https://youtu.be/0R3mMUsHFvU?t=13m15s

Apofis 11y ago
Yep, was about to shell out for a Pro, but now I'm going to wait for #1 version 2.0 for them to work out all the kinks and #2 this cloud connection business. I refuse to buy any equipment that doesn't work if it's disconnected.

userbinator 11y ago

Problems with operation can START A FIRE I suppose one way to solve this problem is to make sure that as much of the machine as possible in the cutting area is made of non-flammable material. Even if a fire starts it won't spread. Not possible with this one though, as the housing seems to be made of plastic.