Glowforge Forum (2024)

1. Glowforge Owners Forum

  • About

  • Discussion of the Glowforge 3D laser printer, free laser designs, help and support, tricks and tips, and other laser cutting and engraving information.

Glowforge Owners Forum

2. Glowforge Community Chat

  • Welcome to Community Chat! Where thousands of Glowforge owners share tips, find inspiration, and get help — all while printing!

  • Meet Glowforge, the 3D laser printer that makes magical things at the push of a button.

Glowforge Community Chat

3. Learn & Discover - Glowforge

Learn & Discover - Glowforge

4. Glowforge Community - Facebook

  • Check out the Glowforge owners' community forum for free resources like tutorials and inspiration for your own projects.

  • See posts, photos and more on Facebook.

5. FrankenForge ... a Glowforge salvage project - Lasers - Maker Forums

  • 19 mrt 2021 · A thread to share how to salvage a nonfunctional Glowforge. The machine didn't function from new. Left “Y” axis motor was dead which caused ...

  • A thread to share how to salvage a nonfunctional Glowforge. The machine didn’t function from new. Left “Y” axis motor was dead which caused erratic, nonsensical motion. Company had no interest in problem solving or having the machine returned for forensic analyst. So rather than send the machine off to the recycle it was dismantled in an effort to build a machine from the scraps. It turns out one wire wasn’t fully seated into a connector that plugs into the “Y” motor. Most of the Glowforge...

FrankenForge ... a Glowforge salvage project - Lasers - Maker Forums

6. Don't talk bad about a GlowForge or they will sue you…(see article ...

  • 29 feb 2024 · A Glowforge Pro 3D laser engraver. The Seattle startup stands by the safety of its machines in a dispute that led to a lawsuit last fall.

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Don't talk bad about a GlowForge or they will sue you…(see article ...

7. Glowforge laser - Laser Cutting - Inventables Community Forum

  • 18 okt 2015 · If anyone here is considering buying a Glowforge laser, they're 50% off for their pre-sale for a few more days - I think pre-sale ends 10/22 ...

  • If anyone here is considering buying a Glowforge laser, they’re 50% off for their pre-sale for a few more days - I think pre-sale ends 10/22 or 10/23. Plus you can get another $100 off (and get me $100 too) if you use my referral URL - Your At-Home 3D Laser Printer | Glowforge. GF people must be friends with Inventables somehow - they drop their name a lot when talking about where to get materials to cut. Looking forward to adding the Glowforge to my tool collection along with my X-Carve!

Glowforge laser - Laser Cutting - Inventables Community Forum

8. Glowforge laser printer - Page 7 - MakerGear Forum

  • 4 okt 2015 · The Glowforge depending on their cloud hosts makes it a total nonstarter for me, and I agree with Ed that just because they open source the ...

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Glowforge Forum (2024)

FAQs

How precise is the Glowforge? ›

The Glowforge specs state that camera alignment is warranted to within 1/4". Most of us get much better accuracy than that. The best visual alignment is directly under the lid camera and the poorest is in the far corners. Always use the set focus tool where you intend to place your design.

Why is Glowforge cutting twice? ›

Almost always because you have 2 lines defined. It may look like only one but if you delete one you'll see another one still there. The Glowforge will never add passes on its own. If you didn't tell it to make multiple passes in the cut settings, then it's following multiple paths in your design file.

How do you score deeper on Glowforge? ›

For deeper scores, you would want to decrease speed and/or increase power. You can also do multiple passes.

What is the difference between score and cut in Glowforge? ›

The difference between the two is just the speed and power assigned. A single pass with the laser that is not strong enough to cut through material will score it. Conversely, a score line with too much power will cut the material.

How long will a Glowforge last? ›

There are 8760 hours in a year. So a tube rated for 10000 hours would run continuously for about 1.2 years. So a tube rated for 10K hours, that's used for 8 hours/day, ought to last 3.6 years. Except the laser isn't on all the time.

Does the Glowforge need to be calibrated? ›

To my knowledge, the lid camera calibration does not affect anything except alignment - nothing whatsoever to do with cutting. You are much better off cleaning the optics and fans and adjusting the speed and power. All of those things do enter into the performance of the Glowforge.

What can you not cut in Glowforge? ›

Unsafe Material for Laser Cutter
Material:Danger:
PVC (Poly VinylChloride) /vinyl/pleather/artificial leatherEmits pure chlorine gas when cut!
ABSEmits cyanide gas and tends to melt
Thick ( >1mm ) Polycarbonate/LexanCut very poorly, discolor,catch fire
HDPE/milk bottle plasticCatches fire and melts
4 more rows
Aug 18, 2021

How often should Glowforge be cleaned? ›

After every 40 hours of printing, you should clean the cameras, laser lens, and windows of your Glowforge with ZEISS lens cleaning wipes (available on Amazon and many other stores). This will keep your printer working properly and help prevent damage.

How long can you run a Glowforge? ›

How many 1 hour engravings can the glowforge run without a break? You'll likely need to clean it after about 30 hours or so. (I know they say 40, but if you're running constantly for thirty hours, stop and clean it.) If it overheats, it pauses itself.

How to engrave faster on Glowforge? ›

By changing it to minimize margin, the on-screen grey zone will shrink allowing for a larger printable area. This can make your engraves much faster, especially at high head speeds! Because accelerating takes a while, engraving in the margins can drastically decrease the time it takes to print.

Can you score on aluminum with Glowforge? ›

Glowforge makers interested in metal will have to use what we call non-Proofgrade materials. As mentioned, anodized aluminum is suitable for use on Glowforge, but galvanized metals are not laser compatible.

What is the difference between cut and engrave on Glowforge? ›

Cut - cuts all the way through your material using the laser. It's high power than engraving and scoring – you will likely see more smoke with this. It works along lines. Engrave - Bitmap images can only be engraved.

What is the thickest material a Glowforge can cut? ›

The Glowforge can cut some 1/2" (13mm) hardwood and acrylic; for best results, 1/4" (6mm) or thinner materials are recommended.

What is the largest cut on Glowforge? ›

The Glowforge bed can accommodate materials measuring 12 x 20.4” with the maximum printable area of 11 x 19.5”. It can take space for the laser to decelerate so it may be reduced somewhat when the laser operates at high speed.

What is the kerf on Glowforge? ›

Kerf is a term used to describe the amount of material removed by the beam of a laser as it cuts. Generally this measurement is around . 005.” However, this number may vary depending on materials used, the speed of the laser, and the thickness of the materials.

How precise is a laser cutter? ›

Ideally, laser cutting can focus on about 25 microns, which is about ¼ of the width of a strand of human hair. Additionally, the cut width can be extremely small, at less than 0.001 inches. On the other hand, the dimensional accuracy is typically quite precise, at about ± 0.0005 inches.

What is precision power on Glowforge? ›

Precision power, as the name suggests, is precise and consistent. It does not use the full power of the laser. It's ideal for cutting and engraving delicate materials such as paper, or when you want a very detailed print. Full power uses the full power of the laser, while sacrificing some consistency.

Can you look at Glowforge laser? ›

Just so you know, almost all materials are opaque to a co2 laser beam, including glass and acrylic, so unless you are peeping through the passthrough slot there is no way you will be getting eye damage from the beam.

What is the frequency of the Glowforge laser? ›

Compare Models
ModelGlowForge ProAeon MIRA 5
Input Voltage120V AC Single Phase120V AC Single Phase
Frequency60 Hz60 Hz
Laser ClassClass 4Class 4
Engraving SoftwareGlowforge PrintLightBurn, RDWorks
39 more rows

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