We are replacing an old laser cutter with the glowforge. For our old laser we have an external fan that we would turn on when it was running. Should we use this with the glowforge or not?
It’s not required if your ducting meets the GF requirements, but it won’t hurt as long as the CFM is as high or higher than the built-in fans…
An eternal fan would take some beating, and I don’t think mine come close .
It is a fairly loud squirrel cage fan. (I don’t know past that because it is on the other side of a wall that requires waling on rafters to get to.) I know we always had to watch out on smaller stuff or it would suck the pieces out the back of the laser.
May be overkill! lol…
The GF exhaust is a standard (common clothes dryer) size 4", and they provide a short (and cheap) hose. I have one of these inline, and then vent thru a filter - the CFM is a close match to the GF fans, and I’ve got nothing “leaking” out of the ducting or machine.
Wondering if the laser you are replacing had an exhaust fan at all?
It did not. (Epilog legend 24tt.) And our exxhasut fan seems to be at least twice as powerful as the glowforge fan.
Your Glowforge is designed to operate with the included exhaust hose connected to the outside with a maximum of two 90 degree bends. If you configure your exhaust differently, the Glowforge unit may not be able to expel enough air, and it could cause smoke and fumes to enter the room. Because ventilation is complex and poor ventilation could cause smelly and even dangerous results, we can’t advise on exhaust configurations other than what’s described in the Glowforge Manual.
I’ve moved this thread to Beyond the Manual so the discussion can continue there.
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I’m thinking of adding a 10" exhaust fan to the GF vent where it goes through the window. Larger fan, more volume (variable to 600cfm) and probably quieter too.
i don’t know if running a 600cfm fan on the GF is the best idea. that’s much higher than the internal fans are designed to spin.