After about a year of trial and error, it’s time to post about our most recent tool, the Glowforge laser printer.
The wait to get one was long – years. The record-setting 2015 crowdsourced fundraising was a smashing success, and I jumped on with a pledge for a Glowforge plus. Months of waiting became years of waiting. Delay followed delay.
I eventually gave up hope that I would actually see my order. It seemed that despite Canada being a major trading partner with the United States, shipping here was a stretch too far.
And then one day while I just happened to be working at home, a knock came upon the door. At long, long last the Glowforge had arrived.
Unboxing
The Glowforge ships in a really big box. Unfortunately, mine seemed to have been dropped, shoved, and generally handled quite roughly; indeed, the built-in case handles were ripped-out, replaced by dog-eared holes instead.
With no help from the delivery guy, I managed to lug, persuade, and pivot the box inside. Upon unboxing I did discover some damage. A few things had shifted and the front handle had come apart from the glass top, but other than that everything seemed to be solid and in place inside the machine itself.
Setup
The Glowforge is an internet-based device. The user interface is a website that you log onto with your Glowforge account. Once you receive the machine you need to connect it to your wi-fi and get it connected to the internet. This is not a stand-alone printer; it must be connected to the internet when in use.
Connecting everything is straight-forward. There is an easy to follow set up manual and the online documentation is well organized; Glowforge also hosts a robust user community forum full of tips and tricks. The one benefit to waiting for my shipment was that the community (of mostly US-based early adopters) had time to grow and share what has been learned using the machines.
I was surprised at how large the footprint is once everything is out of the box, even though I knew the dimensions beforehand. My biggest problem was finding appropriate exhaust since the place I had prepared was suddenly too small and not near a window to the outside. Glowforge offered an air filter unit as an upgrade at the time of purchase, but it has yet to ship. As a result, exhaust must go through a regular dryer hose straight outside. It’s also important to make sure that the exhaust hose is less than 8 feet (2.4m) and doesn’t have many turns in the hose.
First Run
Thankfully, there are some simple templates that Glowforge provides to help run the first few test cuts. The online instructions are written very clearly and even someone who has no experience can start using free tools like Inkscape to create files to use in the Glowforge.
The machine calibrates and auto-focuses in about 2 minutes. Mine shipped with samples of Proofgrade wood, which is specially made to be calibrated for the Glowforge. Proofgrade materials have a QR code that automatically lets the machine know what the material and its thickness is; the user interface is then automatically configured with default settings for that material. Changing any of the parameters (like speed or intensity) is as easy as moving a slider. These are especially nice features for anyone new to using a laser cutter.
Glowforge offered a discount on Proofgrade materials in compensation for the delayed shipping, but sadly, they do not ship to Canada. This baffles me, but I guess I just have to wait. In the meantime I found some laser-ready materials from Trotec, which is only a short drive away.
The first run was a success, printing and cutting out a fun little measurement tool.
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The second and third runs weren’t successful – they didn’t cut all the way through the stock. So, I shut the machine down and started going through the troubleshooting guide and the Community Forum.
The lens that focuses the laser in the gantry-mounted head was somehow gorked. It must have jostled during shipping and I didn’t notice it during unboxing and setup. Despite the successful first cut, the lens gained an occlusion and probably wouldn’t have been functional thereafter. With some good documentation and a little time spent posting to the forum Glowforge shipped a new lens, which arrived pretty quickly.
Cutting, Etching, and Engraving
Ever since the new lens the machine has been working fine. It cuts. It etches. It engraves.
A few favourite projects have been the leather keychain, the wooden coasters, the cottage closing list transcribed from a hand-written piece of paper, and the custom magnets, and the slate coasters. And, of course, engraving the iPad.
These custom fridge magnets are made of maple plywood. To make them really feel great, finish with 220 grit sandpaper, some steel wool, and a bit of mineral oil.
