Beamed down and forged it! & questions =)

After thorough deliberation, I finally had the courage to fire up my glowforge!

At First, I had a problem with the plug and auto voltage but as people answered promptly like @jbmanning everything was made clear and I just went and plugged it in!

Apparently, 110-220v is no issue and it is supposed to be 15A but the plug that comes along only has a 10A rating so it made me pause for second if its safe, but hey it came with the box so why not?

I followed the step by step learning how to use it using this link:

and it was a breeze, all the while I thought this is not as easy as advertised but it was!

so…i know you guys have watched and seen a lot of A gift of good measure videos but, I just wanted to share the sheer joy of my first forged item!

For those wondering where I put it, I placed it on top of a lifetime table, it is the only widest table and the most stable one that I have in the office. :blush:

There she is lying there in triumph after her first forge, basking in the glory of being fawned over by my staff and me. :heart_eyes:

I still can not believe that it was able to travel internationally and arrived here safely in the Philippines.

I will keep on posting my succeeding forged items =), and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the people who were patient enough to guide me and answer my questions before I fired up my forge.

@jbmanning5
@Jules
@rbtdanforth
@brandtmeister
@marmak3261
@rpegg
@PrintToLaser

support staff of Glowforge and to @dan and his team for making this awesome product, the wait was all worth it.

Questions:

Is it safe to put materials in as long as it does not hit the “eye” of the laser? Is there a minimum clearance? can anyone please enlighten me on this.

I remember I saw a height from the tray as a clearance but it is hard for me to measure the item and see underside the laser box thingy that moves around.

Is it safe to assume that when it fits under the laser box thingy is fine? haha (laughing nervously) :sweat_smile:
Is it safe to remove the tray? to get more clearance?
Is there any maintenance I need to do on the laser?
What parts need replacing eventually? (tube, tray etc) ?
When do I know that I need to replace the laser tube or something?

if anyone is in the Philippines please feel free to drop me a line or visit my office anyone on the Glowforge community is welcome.

advance thank you for the answers!!!

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Is it safe to assume that when it fits under the laser box thingy is fine? No. Behind and underneath the black laser head is the air assist bracket. It hangs down considerably lower than the bottom of the head and will strike material higher than about 0.57" above the crumb tray.

Is it safe to remove the tray? to get more clearance? Yes you can remove the crumb tray. But the height of the material needs to be raised up to the cutting zone as if the crumb tray was still there.

Is there any maintenance I need to do on the laser? Just make sure you regularly clean the two laser window, the laser lens and occassionally check the mirror inside the head. Instructions on how to do so are contained in the Support section. https://glowforge.com/support/topic/cleaning-service-and-moving/cleaning Also should clean the rails, and after a lot of use you will need to remove the vent hose and clean the exhaust grill as it will completely clog with debris and gunk.

What parts need replacing eventually? (tube, tray etc) ? I’m guessing the windows and lens will someday need to be replaced. It’s a function of failure to clean properly. The laser tube itself will need to be replaced at a significant cost after a couple years. It wears out but should not do so for a long time. More than a thousand hours of use, less than several thousand.

When do I know that I need to replace the laser tube or something? You will probably notice that no amount of cleaning gives you the original power. Or the tube could fail completely.

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You are most welcome. Glad your machine made the long journey safely. The Navy introduced me to your beautiful country and culture. We look forward to seeing what you make with the glowforge you waited so long for, enjoy your adventure!

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That’s a perfect Gift of Good Measure! Congratulations on having it arrive safely, you have got a lot of good times ahead! :grinning:

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Depending on what you are cutting you may need to clean the exhaust. I cut a lot of oak and it far more dirty than maple which is more dirty than acrylics, and tile and other etching hardly makes any dust at all. You will see the lid window build up and need cleaning frequently, but that is a hint of the dirt building up everywhere else, that will also need cleaning.

Watch how the smoke moves when you first start using it. when it does not move that way something is dirty or blocked.

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The first time I read this I got a little confused, so I just want to add some clarification: the top height of the material needs to be within the cut zone. This can be done a number of ways, and searching the forum for removing the crumb tray should yield plenty of results on how to go this.

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So glad it’s working well. Any further questions just ask.

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Very happy for you! The more you make … The more ideas you get!

this community is the best! thanks, guys for all your advise, replies and encouragements. I am already tinkering around and looking for local suppliers that are close to the sample materials =)

Btw anyone here had an experience with plastic? I have a defective polaroid snap touch case that I want to experiment with…

advice anyone? laser settings?

been reading up on the focal and distance of the laser, what is a safe setting to use?

Plastics can be tricky…you don’t want to laser anything with chloride in it. (Long story short - it can produce a caustic chlorine gas that will damage the machine, and you.) So unless you know what’s in it (no vinyl or PVC) it’s a good idea to avoid lasering on plastics. You can damage the machine over time.

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Congratulations!! I never tire of reading ecstatic new user posts. Enjoy the creative destruction.

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hoookay, i am not touching this one then I have a bunch of them i might just outsource them to someone else who does it regularly :smiling_imp: thanks for the save jules!

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