Discussion of July Update, Part II (latest)

I get you.

I think there was some discussion on this after proof grade was introduced but I’m not sure if it was conclusive.

Perhaps Dan should define ‘unsupported’. I don’t think anybody will go complaining to GF if their local hardware ply does not cut exactly the way proofgrade cuts with same settings. I also get that some materials have toxic substances and GF cannot take responsibility for indiscriminate usage. That’s on us as users.

But… what if we use a material that is not proof grade, and yet does not fall in the ‘Darwin awards’ category, and something goes wrong which causes damage to the lense or whatever. Does GF simply play the ‘you used an unsupported material’ card - you’re on your own?

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generally speaking.

i think this would be relatively difficult to accomplish, though; anything that’s laser safe shouldn’t really be able to damage a lens after a cutting.

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Ugh…sorry to hear I was the reason you got your first amber button today. Thanks again for cutting those, and yes, having a physical product will really help. I didn’t even think about the temps at NY Maker Faire. They said there is a chance some people will be outside in a tent, if there is not enough room. I said I was with “Glowforge” so maybe they will group me near that area. (If I’m chosen)

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As for this “unsupported” talk I think it’s being overblown.
Quite simply, Glowforge supports the use of its own products with pre determined settings. This does not mean you cant or shouldn’t use nonproofgrade materials.
Now, as for the privacy screen, I think its great but why has nobody questioned why @dan looks like he’s cut off at the knees? :laughing:

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Who defines ‘laser safe’?

Can we laser hairs instead of splitting them?

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My Dad is 84 and just a few years ago he moved an upright piano down a full flight of stairs into their basement. By himself. I told of him he should have videotaped that because either it was going to be impressive bragging rights, or a spectacular fail with a heck of a story. LOL

(for the record, I live 2000 miles away :wink:)

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9_9

when in doubt, the manufacturer of the material, and no one else. but a good msds and a scientifically inclined mind will you there most of the time.

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+5 man points for him!

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Completely what I was thinking and why I suggested to @dan that the new firmware was a tad too aggressive.

There’s a few hundred megabytes of temperature sensor data being analyzed right now to set the updated limits, but since you said you have a pro, you’re in good shape at 75 degrees.

Also, if you call in to our customer success team and say “Why doesn’t this material I found work the way I want it to”, they won’t be able to help you.

I believe it does cost us more but we’re not planning to change the cost to you.

If the damage results from your choice of non-Proofgrade material (e.g. you cut a vinyl record and it damages your unit), it is not covered. If you have a problem unrelated to your choice of material, it doesn’t matter if you were cutting non-Proofgrade material.

As mentioned we’re analyzing a lot of data to refine the limits - but we’re also looking closely at customer-reported failures. More improvements are coming.

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I’m picking up what you’re putting down! I believe there are emotions deep within that have been released by this entity known as a GF. :joy::open_mouth:

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Good to hear! Since the sky isn’t falling, those privacy screens look great! Between the passthrough and the extra cooling, I’m certainly glad I went with the pro. :+1:

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Yours was just the first project since they did the software change. :slight_smile: Not your fault. Until now the PRUs didn’t have anything with regard to temperature management except for failed cuts or ultimately a shutdown. Now it appears it’s looking at temps and stopping things at the start.

It will be an issue at Maker Faires like NY. Much of that one is outdoors - in tents but not inside buildings with A/C. That means if 72 degrees is required, usage is going to be very weather dependent. Most tents don’t come with A/C. There are a couple of buildings there, but by & large you’re on pavement under enormous tents. There are also outdoor options like most street festivals, crafts fairs, etc where the vendors/participants put up their own EZ-Up canopy shelters.

Beyond that, it’s going to be an issue for much of the world (and lots of the US). Not everyone has the obsession with A/C that Americans have. Although the environmental specs have been known, I think most people thought it would be more flexible or soft warnings - not that you’re shutdown in temps that they might feel perfectly comfortable in.

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Yeah, that worries me a little. I’m even pretty hot natured and we keep the AC on 75 during the summer…maybe 74. (Well, at night)

Do you have hope that they will be able to revamp this to work better in a multitude of situations?

I have to admit that this temperature discussion has me a little worried. I cannot afford a Pro and the Basic does everything I need, but I don’t recall any mention of ambient temp requirements and it honestly never crossed my mind. Maybe it was talked about but I must have missed it. I live in hot and humid SW Florida and keep my house at a frigid 77. Compared to outside, 77 is damn near arctic and I can’t imagine putting it lower.

Seeing people getting temp warnings at ambient values around that has me now worried that I’m going to need some kind of setup to cool the Glowforge down to use it, which was not something I ever considered, so…hmm… :thinking:

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it’s been discussed a few times on the forums, but it’s coming up now because a recent update appears to have tightened the tolerances. worst case scenario, not that i want to minimize the cost, is that you could use a little used window AC unit and just blow the air over the glowforge - just need to cool the little area around it, after all.

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I think they’ll have to. There’s nothing about the fundamentals of a CO2 laser that won’t allow it top operate correctly (and not seriously tube life shortening) at 80. The Redsail has a commercial chiller unit and a temp cutoff of 30C (86F). So other commercial units are running fine at more “normal” room temps than 72F. If it’s a tradeoff of power effectiveness vs temp, then there’s likely an algorithm they could apply in the software to ramp up the power (or slow the speed) vs input by the user based on temps above 72F (which I assume is what they calibrate PG settings at).

Not likely to get active cooling but should be a software solution.

I haven’t looked to add active cooling to the GF Basic since it’s a PRU and I promised not to do things like that to it, but I could see that it’d be possible to at least blow air across the heat exchanger even if you have to leave the front door on the unit open (although that does have magnetic interlocks). Heck something as simple as one of those freezer packs in a ziplock (or two or three) sitting on the exchanger might work. I’ve got a Pro coming so it’s not a big issue for me and since I have other lasers I can carry on, but I think the current temps are too conservative to be viable in much of the world for a fair segment of their customer base.

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not a bad idea though that might be a lot of condensation (i obviously can’t tell if that would be a problem since i’m not sure how enclosed that area is).

You are a wealth of knowledge, my friend. What you said was kind of my gut…that the current temps are too conservative to be viable in much of the world for a fair segment of their customer base.

I ended up having to go with the basic…wished I could have gotten the Pro. This is my first foray into lasers, so I wanted to dip my toe in, not do a cannon ball. ha