I am curious too. I am on the 12th floor of an office building, can’t crack the window to let in any air.
I am concerned about this as I have a baby i bring to me basement studio with me. I purchased a pro and want to be sure that when i bring baby in after I use the laser in this space that it will be safe for him.
If you have a GF pro, I believe that is a class 4 laser product, and it is a good idea to have protective eye wear when using it. I think I read elsewhere on this site that the reason the normal GF is a class 1 laser product and the pro is a class 4 is because of the side ports on the pro.
Laser shrapnel is what happens when you shine a laser on something reflective, and it can be quite dangerous, which is why you want to be wearing protective eye wear. If you are going to have a baby (or anyone) near a GF (presumably not wearing eye protection), you might want to make sure that the side ports are completely blocked or sealed to prevent any laser shrapnel from leaving the machine. It seems like a small risk, but better safe than sorry until humanity learns to grow replacement eyeballs in vats.
Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer or laser expert, the above suggestion is just the opinion of an unqualified idiot.
Hey Dan, you want a brilliant idea for a great free community project to give away plans for on the site? Design some port covers for the pro if the GF pro doesn’t ship with them already. (Also encourage people to use them if they aren’t actively doing ‘infinite’ cuts.)
Failing that, create a pattern for a replacement eyeball…
Could we get an official answer to the question @Duality posed: does the air filtration add-on have an output vent that could be used to direct the filtered air outside? I see that as a way to protect both myself and any neighbors that are downwind from my exterior vent.
I’ve noticed at trade shows that I can smell the laser cutter vendor’s booth from 30ft away, despite the large air filtration systems they use. I personally don’t mind the wood-smoker aura, but I can imagine there are people (bird owners?) that could form a more contrary position.
The filter pack vents to the bottom of the unit. Not to a discharge duct.
The filter pack is built for 100% re-circulation (same room air), not exhaust air.
Here is a quote from Dan on 11/15.
I did ask if they might be willing to engineer a single vent option into the filter plastics, but got no response, so don’t think that is going to be there day one, if ever. It might work to place the 'Forge onto a vacuum table of sorts to suck the filter’s output out, but anything easier will likely need to wait for a 2.0. I am hoping it works better than some people are saying it will, because I simply don’t have a good way to vent this thing.
I suppose if you are “handy” you could build an enclosure around the air filter to collect the effluent and vent it (via a negative air pressure source) out the window.
Mathias Wandel comes through again. Need to rework the filtration setup but if you’d like to build your own exhaust box, here’s a good place to start.
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After reading through this…I must have missed something because I’m uncertain on one thing now. I’m getting the Pro with the filter. When its in my office/manufacture room, I can vent it with my other lasers through the exhaust blower.
However when I plan to take it on site somewhere, I would need to use the filter as I wont have window access. Am I correct to assume that by installing the Glowforge onto the filter unit, it will cut off the back vent hole and force the airfliw through the filter?? Otherwise, when its not sitting on the filter, the airflow will go out the back vent…
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Yes, except we don’t know for sure whether it is an automatic redirect or whether you have to put a cap on the vent or maybe slide a louver. We haven’t actually seen the air filter unit operating as yet.
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Well, since you plan to use the filter when you travel, just leave the filter in your travel case. While in your shop, filter is not even on the Forge.
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I was kind of wondering if it may just end up being a custom periscope style vent pipe to route the exhaust from the Glowforge’s existing vent hole down and into the back of the filter. I am very curious, as in my case, I don’t have a remotely convenient way to vent outdoors, so will be largely dependent on the filter as long as I am in my current (rented) house, and would like to know whether I need to plan for additional rear clearance even without external venting.
Not sure I understand your question? You do need a bit of rear clearance to couple the Glowforge to the air filter.
I think what we didn’t know was whether the GF main unit somehow vents out the bottom into the filter unit or whether the exhaust still comes out the back and is then directed into the filter. I still hesitate to say that we now understand. Your answer implies that the exhaust port(s) on the back are used (maybe with the dryer hose?) but previous replies made it seem as if some automatic redirecting of the air occurred. Clarify?
I had a mental image prior to this which was (now that I think about it) impossible. I imagined the air drawn straight down into the filter which rests under the glowforge.
But, since you can freely remove the filter, and the glowforge is relatively air tight without the filter on… there cannot be holes under the forge to send air straight to the filter.
The only way it can possibly connect is by having a small adapter/connector which attaches to the normal dryer-vent connection, does a quick double-90 degree flip around, and then has everything in to the filter.
The down side of this is… the wear on the filter will be uneven. Most of the contamination should wind up depositing right at the entrance to the filter, rather than being semi-evently spread out.
Hopefully my image of the outlet from the filter being distributed all around is ALSO in error. Having a single outlet on the far opposite end of the filter would mean you can have quite a few layers through which the air passes. This would mean you can gradually reduce the filter size, and help prevent clogging for a fair bit longer than otherwise. As well as remove a TON of the smell/particulates.
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I don’t know, but if I were designing it there would be a molded-in manifold structure to distribute the emission from the forge across the entire filter face.
What I do know, is Dan has better engineers than I. 
There is going to be a degree of uneven distribution just by proximity, and that area of the filter is going to face load first, but that’s ok. The rest of the area will still be effective.
Yeah, my mental image has morphed a bit too. I was really happy to hear Dan confirm they are still on schedule. You know there have been a myriad of details that went sideways, and the contingency time he built into his projections absorbed them.
Nothing like reading a man’s book to get into his mind. Judging from the product of their union, the founders have a handle on it. I would be surprised if a major feature like the filter was found wanting.
Sorry for any confusion - there’s a coupler as @jacobturner describes that takes the air out of the GF and into the filter.
Particulate distribution across the media’s always a challenge. Fortunately we’ve got an outstanding engineer on it. We’re not just plopping a vacuum filter and a sack of charcoal briquettes in there. 
@rpegg, if I said anything to the contrary that you happen to recall, please do let me know and I’ll see about correcting or clarifying.
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No, it was just us making an assumption. In answer to a question about switching between using the filter and venting you responded…
We thought that the part about “If you use the filter, you can’t vent”, meant that you would need to physically remove the whole filter unit to place the vent out the window. It sounds, again assuming, that you just need to remove the coupler and then mount the dryer vent out the window.
There has been discussion of venting filtered air out the window, so as to minimize objectionable fumes reaching nearby neighbors. Now that we understand that the filter is coupled to the Forge via a duct, couldn’t the filter be mounted in a window and connected to the Forge by a longer duct? This assumes the exhaust from the filter comes out one side…