I’m trying to grasp the concept of automatic rotation within the Glowforge. From what I have been reading I don’t think a user has much control over the X or Y axis. For the rotary devices I’ve observed either the X axis moves or the Y axis moves while the A axis rotates, not both. Or, are you suggesting rolling an object across the bed while the head is moving in the X & Y direction?
I’m only speculating since I have not had a Glowforge in my home (I have pushed the button though), but I don’t think this is possible without the added ability to control an axis while printing.
Now don’t get me wrong, there are some very clever people out there that can do anything. In response to the OP’s question; I personally don’t see this as an option based on the examples you’ve shown as to what you are expecting to do. I’m not suggesting you cancel your Glowforge order either.
Well, it seems like a lot of information is coming out in this discussion.
Nothing yet that makes me want to jump off the bandwagon or that solidifies my original decision.
[quote=“mdcoley5, post:23, topic:7760”]
I’m only speculating since I have not had a Glowforge in my home (I have pushed the button though), but I don’t think this is possible without the added ability to control an axis while printing. [/quote]
Its doable =)
It is an option, it just takes a bit of trickery. Ive actually found a couple ways to make it happen, and potentially some ways to do some things beyond simple single axis rotary.
All that to say, I wouldnt cancel your order for fear of being unable to engrave pens. Its possible.
If it were something larger it would be understandable, as the machine cant physically fit something that large between the bottom of the unit and the head unless you cut the bottom out. As mentioned previously, it might be possible to do some larger objects with mirrored trickery, but I wont be able to give you a real answer on that until down the road.
I had yet another rotary device idea, after glancing at a broken tupperware tank that I hacked together from a Tamiya kit sometime in the last decade. Not this kit, but very similar.
(sorry for the single-take, no script, throat-clearing, vague thoughts)
Not really relevant to the whole rotator engraving thing, but I bet you could do awesome things engraving or cutting thin veneer and then bending it around objects. I know you can do rings with veneer, and a pen is probably only a little tighter of a bend than that.
Oh! What’s that material people make out of layers of paper and resin? I wonder what sort of results you could get with intricately cut paper and resin. And paper wraps around eveything. Not an easy one step thing, but could be something fun to play around with.
Now back to your regular scheduled program on spinner things and lasery capabilities.
You could still do the writing like your “2nd amendment” pen by lasering 1 line at a time then manual (measured) rotate, then another line… and so on … couldn’t you ?
For sure. Actually, for a cylindrical object, you wouldn’t need any more of a jig than a thin rectangle cut into a sheet of plywood to do that. The rectangular slot would just need to prevent the object from moving while the job was being run. Place the cylindrical object into the groove, run step 1 (the first line of text), rotate the object, run line 2, etc.
That would be enough for anything i’d want to do. And when they get the variable focus sorted you you could probably engrave around a third of the diameter at a time!
To my point of view, I think that your choice is not a choice between two different machine but a choice on what will you do with your laser machine.
If pens and rotary engraving will be your only use of the Glowforge, I am agree with you, Chinese laser seems to be more adapted to your need.
I don’t think that rotation option is a priority for glowforge developpment team now. So I won’t be optimistic that this option controled by the glowforge hard-and software will be a possibility soon. Buut I don’t have any contact with GF team and I have no PRU so I can be wrong.
And I can’t imagine experiment myself a way to control a rotary jig with the glowforge. But with a 100 dollars chinese laser, you can clearly consider the risk to do a diy adaptation like the one in the youtube video.
So you have two extreme choices
your search is for pens (with rotory controled by the machine) and nothing else and you need a machine as cheap as possible => chinese with diy jig. To comparewith car, you buy an utility vehicule.
pen is just one of your project but you have so much other ideas for laser cutting/engraving => glowforge. To compare with car: it is your passion or you planned to to some off-road trip and you buy an expensive SUV or racing car.
Now, it’s up to you.
you don’t know yet => the choice is a question for you and your wallet. will it be a hobby and the price is secondary (as if you buy a beautiful and expensive car) or will it be
If my business goes well, and I get asked for this service, I will buy a Chinese laser specifically for doing things like glass etching and etching onto thicker object, keeping the GF for the more arty, fun stuff.
Some of the examples people have shown suggest that that’s plausible even without variable focus. Half inch out of focus is something like 2x the spot size, which is still ridiculously small. So you’d likely need some practice pieces to dial things in, but you could still do it as is.
