Laser tubes are a consumable item and everyone will eventually need to replace theirs to keep their machines running.
I’ve been trying to get support from Glowforge to replace my laser tube that got damaged in a move (water is inside the outer tube) without any success. They said they no longer offer tube replacement services or offer laser tubes as a part. They offered me a discount on a new machine, but I didn’t feel like I should have to spend $4000 and replace my machine when the only thing wrong with it is it needs a replacement laser tube.
I spent the last few months trying to find a suitable replacement tube from many other tube manufacturers but none are really a good fit. Literally, the Glowforge tubes are 5mm larger diameter than most other tubes and the coolant flow direction is the opposite direction as well. I’ve been unable to find out who the original manufacture was either. I thought it was Flextronics (Milpitas, CA) but they told me they only assembled the units and no longer are working with Glowforge, have no more parts on hand, and that new units are being made in Mexico.
I also contacted the third-party repair company recommended by Glowforge but they told me they also have not been able to source replacement tubes from any source.
How are we supposed to keep our machines working if replacement laser tubes are not available to us or any repair companies?
As far as I recall, the promised $499 replacement tube program never materialized, and I’m not aware of anyone who has ever publicly stated that they were offered this option, just the one to purchase a refurbished replacement machine. Due to the factors you mentioned, and the non-user-serviceable nature of the tube assembly, the chances of a DIY replacement are extremely low. It’s just something to factor in to your purchase decision.
I also do not recall anybody ever getting theirs replaced. I didn’t expect to get more than two or three years, but I ended up getting much more than that. In the end, the whole machine is pretty much a disposable item with a limited lifespan an expensive toy for those that have the means. They have been known to offer substantial discounts on replacement machines.
Well some of us didn’t buy these machines as toys but thought we were buying tools. Our non-profit was using this for teaching and now we are stuck with a very expensive paperweight. If GlowForge isn’t going to offer replacement tubes or a service to have them replaced, then they need to make all the marketing materials clearly state something like, “Your machine contains a laser tube that is a consumable item that cannot be replaced and will eventually fail.” We would not have bought this unit had we known that was the case, just like we wouldn’t buy a vehicle that had tires that were not able to be replaced.
I am sorry that your machine was damaged in a move. It is hard to understand how water could have gotten inside the outer tube without the tube being cracked. Are you certain that the tube needs to be replaced?
The tube is cracked. The inner tube cracked allowing water into the outer tube, but the outer tube is not cracked. What’s stupid is that support should have known immediately we needed a new tube by the description, photos, and video of the water in the outer tube. However, they refused to believe us and made us jump though all the hoops only for them to tell us they don’t have any option for tube replacement and offer us $1000 off a $5000 machine. It was beyond insulting and another company gave us a matching discount on one of their industrial machines that has user replaceable tubes. We won’t be buying anything from GlowForge and want everyone to be aware that the products are designed to be disposable and not end up in the same situation as us.
We expect this thread to be deleted by GlowForge once they are aware of it. They don’t appear to be a company with any honesty or integrity. They still claim to be a USA based company even though their assembly is in Mexico, all parts are made overseas, and they fired all the support staff in Seattle and outsourced it to India.
I am still on my first machine, but even so after watching things happen over the last few years I do now have a new rule of thumb:
…if it can’t use Lightburn, then don’t buy it.
…and if it doesn’t use an RF metal tube, then also don’t buy it.
That latter point is perhaps controversial (there are reasons to stay with glass DC tubes!!) but IMO, for my uses, RF would be better as well as more durable.
They will not delete this thread. I have been an owner for nearly 8 years. I disagree about the integrity/honesty of the company. There was an announcement recently that all production is now in the US, but that won’t change your mind. February 2025 Update
To be fair, the cloud software that GlowForge has made is great for hobbyists and people that don’t want to learn how to use professional solutions. The cost of the hardware though is out of sync with that market. There are now other manufacturers that offer similarly as easy to use products but that also support moving to LightBurn or running a machine without an Internet connection when you’re ready for it in the future.
What I don’t understand is the amount of influencers and “reviews” that don’t even bother to mention the limitations and costs of GlowForge. If we had known, we wouldn’t have gotten one for our makerspace and wish we could find someone to buy our unit for parts and get some of our money back. We even offered it to both GlowForge and Wiregrass but neither wanted to offer anything for it. We even have the original box and orange bits (now) to properly ship it.
There are groups on Facebook for selling parts (optics, carriage plate,printhead, motherboard, lids, cables, etc.) Have a look and I suspect you can sell parts.
We don’t want to take the time to list parts and part it out slowly. Just want one person to buy the entire working printer, minus it needing a laser tube. We had hoped to find a place to get a tube then get it fixed and sell it to finance buying another cutter from a different company.
If the part you need is the part you cannot replace is the problem then you are unlikely to find someone with a tube that needs the rest of the machine. I notice that your machine did not die of long use but of rough handling. That is not so rare as shippers are frequently guilty of this, but I presume that Glowforge has a standard way to deal with the shipper.
If your maching was broken by a shipper, it might be a nightmare to deal with them but at least it is a path. Otherwise the cost of a machine is the same as the cost of a broken tube.
Btw, the machines are no longer made in Mexico, for they would have had problems with tariffs, but the tubes may have been from China and all the grief that would have caused. I do not know this for sure, but have a vague memory that many parts came from there.
After Glowforge proved the market existed, many other builders jumped into the market, Including many from China or using Chinese parts and will also be subject to the crazy tariff game currently underway so many other companies likely have similar issues.
You are correct. I know of no other consumer CO2 laser where you can’t replace the tube. GF’s is a custom design and they originally made that a non-issue by promising a user replacement kit. Then they decided not to do that but offered an inexpensive factory replacement process. They then broke that promise as well but provided reasonably priced refurbished machines instead. Now that’s been tossed aside as well. (They said it was because they were moving the refurbishing operation so it would be temporary, but that was a couple of years ago now so it seems another abandoned intention.)
That’s why many owners simply move on to other, more standardized offerings and put GF in their review mirror. It’s also why many, like yourself won’t ever recommend GF to others. They are a high priced niche product that is living off of slick marketing and recurring revenue streams. They’re fine for new to the tech crafters but serious work will run into precisely the problem you have. That extends to other bespoke parts as well. The GF is a 10 year old design. The rest of the industry has moved on and improved.
There are a number of better priced and built alternatives in the market now for less than even the discounted GF replacement. If you use mostly catalog designs then you have to go with another GF. But if you make your own designs, those are useable on any other machine. It will take effort to establish new settings but that may be worth it to be unlocked from the GF bespoke hardware. If you can afford the time to move your designs to Lightburn you won’t have to deal with this again (& it will happen again, the question is how deep you want the hole you’ll have to dig out of to be then).