Introducing Glowforge - The 3D Laser Printer. Video.

WORK AREA

Working bed: 12″x20″ (300mm x 500mm)
Maximum thickness of material with tray installed: 0.5″ (13mm)
Maximum thickness of material with tray removed: 1.5″ (38mm)
Focus range: 0.5″ (13mm)

MATERIAL CAPABILITY

Thickness: Varies by material; can cut most 1/4″ plywood and acrylic on one side; twice as thick by reversing and cutting from both sides with optical alignment

Cuts & Engraves

• wood
• fabric
• leather
• paper
• cardboard
• plexiglas (acrylic)
• deirin (acetal)
• mylar
• rubber
• fiberglass
• cork
• sandpaper
• silicone sheet
• corian
• foods
• …and more

Engraves Only

• glass
• marble
• rubber stamps
• stone
• ceramic tile
• anodized aluminum
• stainless steel
• brass
• titanium
• …and more

SOFTWARE

Trace mode scans material with a drawing on it, then cuts and engraves over the top
Compatible with JPG, PNG, TIF, SVG, AI, DXF, PDF, and many more file formats
Drag-and-drop with live preview to position designs on the material
Catalog of premium, customizable, ready-to-print designs

ONE BUTTON PRINT

Plugins available for common software including Adobe Illustrator and Inkscape
New features continually being added

CAMERAS

Wide Angle Camera — View of the entire laser bed
Macro Camera — Able to view one square inch with resolution of 0.002”
Camera can record stills and video for documentation and sharing of projects
Optical Thickness Measurement — Optical system measures the height at various points across the material to 0.005”

AUTOFOCUS

Completely Internal — Lens moves internally up and down inside the head by 0.5” (13mm)
Continuous Autofocus — Laser focal point can be changed as the head travels, following complex curves during cuts and engraves
Multipass — Focus can be shifted between engrave passes, allowing detailed depth engraves.
Focus Override — the laser can be defocused to experiment with a range of techniques that require less intense heat including acrylic bending and cooking

LIGHTING

RGB internal illumination with dual high power LED strips and camera light ring
Near-UV illumination under the laser head for invisible QR and barcode detection

LASER SYSTEM

Custom Laser — Custom CO2 laser tube operating at 10,600 nm averages 40W for Standard Model and 45W for Pro Model
Laser Quality — TEM00 tube produces smaller spot size and greater power density, increasing engraving precision and cutting speeds
Fixed Alignment — Factory calibrated optical system does not require user calibration
Sealed Optics — Enclosed optical path with cleanable and replaceable windows protects the laser optics to avoid cleaning, replacement, or realignment

MECHANICALS

Case — High modulus injection molded plastic
Linear System — Custom extruded aluminum linear rails with belt driven v-wheel carrier
Motion — Dual hybrid stepper Y axis; single hybrid stepper X axis
Cooling — Closed loop self contained internal cooling.
Air Assist — Internal air assist, no external compressor hookup required

MISCELLANEOUS

WIFI Connectivity
Basic model is a CDRH Class I Laser Device
Pro model is a CDRH Class IV Laser Device
Positioning precision to 0.001”
Engraving at 1000 DPI with 256 power levels

PRO UPGRADE

Passthrough slot allows the use of material that’s 20” wide and as long as desired
Passthrough software uses the camera to maintain alignment as long material is pushed through
Laser tube is upgraded from 40W to 45W
Higher quality optics provide for more beam power at the head
Upgraded solid state thermoelectric cooling

Glowforge

Glowforge has launched a new desktop laser. It's lower cost, easier to use, faster, and more affordable than traditional 3D printers and CNC laser cutter/engravers. Learn more at www.glowforge.com.