I am not 100% certain how you remotely print to a specific GlowForge. But it will have to boil down to acquiring the IP Address of the GlowForge target. This would then be either with a serial number through the GF servers, or with a URL through general internet. The serial number seems the most likely with the cloud based software aspect.
I would like to have a feature where we can give people limited access codes. Either by time limit or print limit.
Most people whom I authorize to print on my GlowForge will be authorized to do it anytime, and will typically be in the same room as the printer. But I can see how some other people may not run things in such a manner. Random people who do not have their own GlowForge may use our owner’s map to locate one in the area, and cold-call to ask to get something cut.
Or, going even more wild… we could invent forum based games/activities where we all collaborate on a cut project. (This would be seriously awesome BTW)
For these cases… I don’t want the people whom I have passing acquaintance with to be able to send random things to my GlowForge (most of the time probably by accident) in the future. This leaves me with a random glowing button and no idea what will happen if I accept (BTW… how do we refuse a print from the GF itself, if we do not know why the button happens to be glowing, or otherwise don’t have access to the computer which sent the request anymore? ie - requested a cut from home computer, then drove to work and decided not to do it afterall).
So yeah… let us have temporary codes to let people cut on our GF without giving them lifetime access.
Honestly I’d rather not give someone control over the print. Since the servers can handle so many file formats. From Glowforge - the 3D laser printer under software:
Trace mode scans material with a drawing on it, then cuts and engraves over the top
Compatible with JPG, PNG, TIF, SVG, AI, DXF, PDF, and many more file formats
I would rather someone send me one of those files and I can do the placement and keep my Glowforge safe.
I can’t imagine how bad slowest speed 100% power for a full 12"x20" would be.
@dan: Is there a print Queue which can be viewed from any computer to see what job is currently running or waiting start on the GlowForge?
I would think that it shouldn’t be hard to set up, allowing anyone with access to a specific Forge to open up their Forge control and see the currently loaded job exactly as it had been in whatever browser generated it.
Ideally, this would give you the ability to modify the job waiting for a START button press, as well as cancel it. And of course show you the time estimate for cutting.
I admit there can be trolls, and that would be unfortunate. But I would absolutely love to see a forum section developed after shipment starts, where people who have an idle printer can start a various forms of collaborative creation. I imagine chaos most of the time, but taking the standard “One Word Per Post Story” forum idea and instead making it a “One Line Per Job” cut, would be pretty cool.
Outside of that fancy… honestly not sure how often such a feature would get used. Though in my case it could come up, since I run a class at a University and would want to give my students access through the semester, but not after that. Forcing them to transfer files onto a dedicated computer would be a nuisance though.