Selectively quoting someone will do that…
It was qualified by the statements “From a machinist perspective” and “precisely”.
Cardboard cutouts != Precision, in my book at least. Again, depends on what you are using this for.
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I quoted you, after reading the entire post, which I suspect everyone else will do, to show you which part of your post I was trying to respond to. I’m pretty sure that’s the point of the quote function. I saw a possibility with that statement that there was a chance you may not have been aware that there was a way. I attempted to make a helpful statement on the chance that you did not know.
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And I appreciate your, and most of the other forum users’, helpfulness in that regard.
I’ve primarily been using Inkscape for DXF conversions. But, I’ve started to use Illustrator more frequently, as I grow comfortable with it.
The errors haven’t been so much from the files, it seems. They are more just odd things. I’ll click somewhere, and boom - error. It’s random, and typically hasn’t been repeatable.
The frequency is also random. Sometimes it happens a lot, and I just give up for the night. Or, it works just fine.
I assume most of it is just the infancy of the software.
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I’ve been using corel draw and converting bitmaps or creating from scratch, executing in svg. I have found that if I export an svg with only one color, so that I delete all the negative or white nodes and only have the engraved portion or the cut lines, it rarely fails. This only matters when I import a bitmap and do a trace to convert to an svg. This fix also makes files a lot smaller which speeds up the processing time significantly.
Another issue that sometimes caused a fail was if I saved a file with multiple layers or groups with the same name. Corel draw gives a potential error warning for the naming convention problems which drew my attention to it. I never have a layer or group named exactly the same thing anymore. If I copy a group called stitch lines, I rename the copy as “stitch lines 2” which doesn’t happen natively in Corel draw. Not sure if that’s an issue in other software.
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I may have missed it (since I’ve muted so much of the forum LOL) but far as I know, I’m the only one that has publicly posted about muting the Support section. My muting is not limited to that section alone and it’s not because I don’t want to hear about or help with issues that people post there. It’s because certain folks realized that P&S being an official support pipeline, is the only section of this forum that staff has to read, thus guaranteeing their remarks will be seen by those folks and they take advantage of it.
An ever-increasing volume of threads on this site devolve into pissing matches as more and more folks join up. Happens with every internet forum but the nature of this site being tied to a product launch makes it more pronounced.
As far as the software goes, I havent seen the problems that others have. However, I have not ran any complex large jobs that fill a sheet of material or huge engraves. The problems I’ve had are few and usually because I forget steps in file setup. When I am working on projects I do not leave the GF running if it is not actively used. I’m an energy miser, so my GF is booted/calibrated 2,3,4,5,6,10 times in a day LOL and that likely solves issues others have posted about regarding “drift”. On the other hand I have 25 years in technical fields including setting up files for CNC equipment and so there is basically no learning curve for me, where someone new to this sort of stuff is just going to hit some walls. What they perceive as janky work-arounds are pretty much par for the course and SO much more simple compared to what they would encounter with dumber equipment.
“Missing” features/capabilities? Yeah not everything promised is there at the moment. But that’s why those missing features are outlined in the email they send asking whether you want your GF now or if you want to wait. If the missing features are important, you can opt to wait. If you don’t want to wait for the GF then you’re agreeing to live with the missing features. No sense complaining about something you agree to accept. Even without all its feature set, it surpasses the capabilities of other, more mature lasers out there that cost way more.
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As my experience is with the common tools of woodworking and woodturning, I’m used to making jigs to perform repetitive tasks. For this reason, it probably wouldn’t have occurred to me that these issues might be handled another way with a laser cutter. I completely understand that my perspective would be different if I had any experience with cnc machines.
(I can’t tell you all how much I wish I had that experience. Never had the space for a cnc router in my shop. I’m upgrading a bit this year, so, maybe someday soon.)
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That’s good info, @emilycarolinemiller1. I’ll have to explore some of that in Illustrator (for example, duplicate layer/group names). Illustrators default behavior when a layer is duplicated is to rename say, Stitch Lines, to Stitch Lines Copy.
Having an actual 0,0 position for setup has been something users have brought up in the past and GF has that in the feature hopper.
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They’ve never paid ME. I own my own optimism and eagerness for when I receive mine. The results and testimonials from those who already have their Glowforges are validation that my optimism is justified.
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Reliable repeat-ability on CNC router machines also requires jigs and methods to secure the materials. It’s really not much different in my experience.
The issues Scott is negative on is how the glowforge uses the head camera to determine homing instead of physical switches or proximity sensors like most other machines (laser, CNC, etc.), and precise (as in exact numbers) job placement relative to that home position. I haven’t had any problems with the homing on my glowforge, but others apparently have.
I believe these things can be addressed with software. The homing via camera can improve, and the software can get a precise positioning feature relative to that added. Maybe it won’t be enough for Scott, though. He seems to want an industrial level machine for a tiny fraction of the cost. All the truly precise and reliable stuff costs hundreds of thousands or more.
That said, the machine still delivers on what it promised based on what I saw being promoted for it over the last couple years. I think perhaps some people made assumptions about what it should be and do based on their experiences and not based on what was actually shown of it’s features and abilities. The only promised feature that hasn’t delivered yet is the add on air filter, and I opted to get the machine now and wait for the air filter, so I don’t hold that against them.
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Yea limit switches and an actual machine 0,0 that is repeatable is not an industrial feature that takes $1000s of dollars to add. The $1000 shapeoko cnc machine even has them. And not having that or very accurate camera placement creates an insanely large inconveniance for certain operations.
For instance, i want to use mine to make custom board game tokens. This requires a sheet of printed stuff being glued to the top of chipboard and then cut out. If I had a way of knowing where the glowforge would cut before I hit go I could simply put two straight edges on the table to make a corner and put my 11x17 combo on the table, load my file and hit go. Without either of those I need to use 8.5x11 sheets, laminate those together and make a new cardboard template every time I turn the glowforge on to know I will get proper cuts.
And in the vein of jigs; i would 100% prefer to make acrylic ones and reuse them every time. But without a physical machine 0,0 you cant (if they get the camera home accurate enought to be +- 0.005 each time that would also work) I cant use acrylic and keep them because I cant position them properly
If they had released it with this version of software in early 2016 I would have zero issues honestly, it would be expected it would be rough. But this far along and basic things are not worked out? That is very dissapointing
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Exactly.
Particularly since the software is clearly stated to still be beta.
I am one of those who is completely new to CNC and lasers. To me it’s all magic. Personally I have had no real problems getting this machine to do what I want. My ignorance of design has been mitigated by the helpful people like @marmak3261, @Jules, @mpipes and many more.
I have completed 2 large jobs that required precision placement totalling 2,000 pieces. Thanks to @marmak3261’s guidence all perfect.
I have not been limited by the machine at all, just the opposite. I have been empowered by it.
On top of everything, improvements are in the pipe.
All a matter of perspective. Rah-Rah! 
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There is no reason to believe that Glowforge pays people to post complimentary things on this forum, as that has always been the job of George Soros. Or maybe it was the Koch brothers. Pick your boogeyman. 
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Dang it! My check is late again. 
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Mine bounced. Perhaps you were all right that they couldn’t afford you!
/ sarcasm
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The only time I have been paid to say something was when my brother paid me $20 to lie to our parents about where he was one Friday night. Might be the only time I’ve lied since puberty. But you gotta do what you gotta do when you’re a paid employee.
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No it certainly does not. It is a best a very buggy basic laser cutter. It was sold as a very advanced laser cutter. Here is the list of missing features: Glowforge Features promised / delivered
As for precision homing needing high end industrial machinery costing thousands, rubbish. Even cheap Chinese laser cutters have repeatable homing.
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Bingo.
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Umm, not quite.
Cheap limit switches on my home built CNC mill have a demonstrated repeatability of .001". I’m not even looking for something that close from this laser.
If I could get .010" out this machine, that would be sublime.
And the homing isn’t the only issue. The list is too long to repeat here.
Again, this is just my view in its current state. I do expect it to get better.
For everyone else, it may be perfect just like it is, and I have no argument with them.
Not sure why everyone has to argue with me about “my” view of this as it applies to “me”.
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