Glowforge named best product of the year by Norm from Tested

At the 53:15 mark

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Thanks for the spoiler. Iā€™m 30 mins into the podcast then decided to check the forumā€¦ :slight_smile:

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Oh haha! Sorry!! I wonā€™t say anyhing else. :wink:

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ā€œsalt in the wound of thousands of peopleā€ Ouch.:grin:

Awesome to hear how someone experienced with laser cutting technology, and access to other models is still excited and loving a machine that is still going to get better. Makes me excited for the early Christmas in 2017 when mine will finally arrive.

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They still have a week left to get in my top product of the year slot! :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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Wow, declaring it before the year has even started. Thatā€™s bold!

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Ok all caught up. My favorite of 2016.

Movie - Captain America: Civil War
TV - The Expanse
Product - Nikon D5500
adding tool category cause thatā€™s who we areā€¦

Tool - Digital Protractor

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Funny. You hear ā€˜salt in the woundā€™, I hear Norm saying with enthusiasm that he really loves using the Glowforge even though itā€™s not yet a completed product. Canā€™t wait.

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Yeah, this guy sees ideas/gadgets/tech come and go. His endorsement carries weight.

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I assume it is ā€œsalt in the woundā€ because Norm likes it already but apart from he and two others we all have to wait at least 7 months.

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Yeah, that was clear, just kidding a little. The other guysā€™ statements were to be expected given that the unit is not yet in production. But I was truly surprised that Norm was that enthusiastic. Expected him to say something like the Glowforge has the potential to be a great product, but he jumped right in to saying he loves using the unit even though it is not yet fully capable.

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Yes, as I said in another thread, it seems to have got to the stage of being a very good basic laser cutter at a good price on pre-order. I.e. the form factor, ease of use, integral cooling, etc. But most of the revolutionary features seem a long way off.

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My thoughts exactly. Heā€™s usually a bit more on the cautious/calulated side. :slight_smile:

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He meant of the decade!

Yep salt in the wound norm .salt in the wound oh how it burns!

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So. This is a desktop laser. With the filter it will sit there not taking up much space compared with all the other things needed for a 40 watt laser. So it can be an office fixture rather than a workshop fixture and look pretty cool. The air assist and the exhaust just work and I donā€™t have to think about it. Cooling? You mean these things have to be cooled?

Granted, I have not tried to engrave a full sheet of material in one print so I donā€™t know the cooling off requirements. But this is a fine piece of machinery.

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Most laser cutters need a chiller to cool them. Some people get by with a bucket of water if they donā€™t run it for long, or a radiator and fans. Glowforge is the only one I have seen that doesnā€™t need external cooling, other than big industrial ones that have room for a chiller inside.

CO2 lasers are only about 20% efficient, so for 40W out you need to put 200W in. 160W will heat the tube and 40W the work piece. You donā€™t want to allow the tube to get much above ambient, so getting rid of 160W with only a few degrees rise in a small space is not easy.

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Ha! Yeah I have a sealed bucket of water. Works well enough

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I get the impression that aluminum and ceramic tubes are typically air-cooled. I also get the impression that these kinds of tubes are a big reason Epilog, Trotec, and Universal engravers (and prolly others) cost so much.

My lilā€™ 30 watt Trotec is air-cooled.

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Yes the metal ones are RF excited and cost about 10 times more than glass DC ones. I donā€™t think they are any more efficient, probably less, but I imagine it is easier to get the heat out with aluminium.