Glowforge shipping date, beta releases, and bonus materials

you can drop an SVG or vector shape in there and it will cut it perfectly

I apologize but I’m a total noob when it comes to computers ha. So I would create that from scratch?

Just figured it out actually. Thanks again!

I guess I am still not quite following you.

“Laser engrave on untreated metals” Makes it sound like you want to put bare copper, aluminum, steel or similar in the Glowforge and cut chunks or layers off of it.

But “that can then be color matched” leaves me thinking I am lost in the discussion. The only metal I know of which has a color shift from laser application is titanium.

But… only a fiber laser (which Glowforge is not) can cut or engrave metals. The Glowforge cannot even cut the thin aluminum foil that sticks of gum are wrapped in.

So, the reason I spoke up is because I am concerned you may be buying something incapable of doing what you are counting on it doing for you. I assume I am one of the people you are complaining about as defending the GF company in your closed thread. But I am trying to defend YOU from wasting a bunch of money on the wrong device.

@DeadCrowCustoms, this would apply to you as well. The only thing that the Glowforge can do with metal is to remove anodizing, paint, or other finishes applied on top of a metal surface.

FSLaser H series is a nice machine, and comparable in many regards. It is also superior in some (rotary, and removable floor). The main thing you need to be wary of is ventilation. The removable floor being removed means you have nothing pulling fumes out if you are cutting (Engraving will leave smoke/fumes above the surface, where the ventilation in the unit will still work fine. But cutting will primarily drive the smoke/fumes below the surface, and out in to your room). You can minimize this by not having any air assist, but there will still be quite a bit of fume build up. Work outdoors or in otherwise well ventilated spaces and that is not an actual concern though.

Though your later post does seem to indicate you are well aware of this limitation.

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So the Carvey works in theory just like the Glowforge except the zeroing is by hand rather than the camera doing it for you. The irregularity of the outside of the shape isn’t important. Of course the Carvey can of course round that up for you as well.

First, please forgive me for getting behind in replies; with the livestream, I’m afraid I’ve probably missed a good many questions.

For now, this link will work: Topics tagged beta
I’ll see about making a new category, but I’m also cognizant of keeping the top level hierarchy clean. Tags are a nice compromise.

I am so very sorry. We are writing a seven-digit check for the “freebies” you describe - that’s the actual cost to us to provide them which we’re adding to our financial plan, not the retail value - and it was a tough decision about how best to allocate that money so that it helped people the most while having the smallest impact on our ability to ship a quality product as soon as possible. I know the decision we made isn’t the perfect one, and may not have been what you were hoping for. Ultimately, I can only thank you for your trust and support, and come in to work every day working to not let you, and everyone else, down again.

If another product would be a better fit for your needs, we’ll get you a speedy refund so you can take advantage.

The engraving possible with a CO2 laser modifies the surface chemistry but doesn’t remove material, so there’s no gap to be filled. (you can find many examples of the effect if you Google ‘co2 metal engraving’ for images). If you need material removal, you’ll need either a higher power laser or a fiber laser.

Glowforge employees have “Staff” next to their username.

Please let us know if you need a refund and we will take care of you as quickly as possible. I’m so sorry we let you down.

I’m so very sorry, @koos42. We did everything we could to accelerate production to hit our date, until we determined we couldn’t do so further without sacrificing quality. Once that became clear, we rescheduled from scratch. We could have bumped the calendar a month or week at a time as we hit small challenges, but we would rather be forthright once and not miss our obligations again.

I apologize.

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@sdevadas Well if you bought the $2400 version, it does NOT come with built in ventalation. You’ll need a big hose and and window.

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So… it’s been so long since I ordered, the debit card has expired. Now that is going to delay refund. Plus the “just shoot us an email and we’ll refund your money” is NOT true. You have to go to a link on the site where there are enticements to stay and lots of questions about WHY??? This is a big fat hassle.

To anyone claiming the materials have no value: I will BUY those worthless items from you!

How does some CASH MONEY sitting in your pocket sound? Much better than those dumb old laserable materials, right? You bet!

OK, here’s the deal. Send me a message as soon as you’re ready to commit to the sale. Once you have the material in-hand I will give you $40 PLUS 10% annual interest (starting from the date that you contact me) to ship me those insultingly valueless materials. WHAT A DEAL!

Although I’m certain there will be hundreds of people posting about just how little they want the freebies, I’m also certain that absolutely nobody will take me up on my offer.

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Shoot! I wish I’d thought of this before you did! (Cost of materials for me when “The Forgerie” arrives is going to be baaaaaad.) :relaxed:

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I want to respect that everybody would rather have their Glowforge now rather than later. I really do understand that there are business ramifications, shipping concerns, duties to consider, and questions of confidence. I get that completely. I am not overburdened with lots of extra money, either. Fortunately, I could rob my emergency savings for the glowforge, and fortunately I haven’t needed that money back. I’m lucky, and I do feel for those who didn’t have cash or whose needs have changed.

I also get that several people have a very specific use planned, and don’t intend to branch out. For some people, a pack of materials isn’t of huge value.

I think it’s poor manners, however, to complain about a gift. I don’t consume alcohol at all, but was once given a very nice bottle of vodka for doing some translating. I said, “Thank you,” and took that bottle home. Re-gifted later. I might have preferred a different gift, but it certainly would have been rude to demand something different.

Nobody has ever heard of a crowdfunding campaign that gave you an additional gift to apologize for a delay. Many of us have heard of delays in crowdfunded campaigns. Many of us have heard of gigantic fails in crowdfunded campaigns. People have lost investments. Many times, people have had interest on credit cards, waited for another year to get what they paid for, given interest-free loans to the campaign organizers. Even just given the money and never seen the product.

I understand that many of you are disappointed. You can complain; that’s your right. I can be satisfied. That’s my right. I can question your manners, and you can question mine.

I’ll echo @Hirudin and offer to buy anybody’s gift materials if you don’t want them. I’ll pay $50 plus domestic US ground shipping for your complete pack of materials. (I can’t work out 10% interest, so let’s call it $10.) It isn’t a filter or an upgrade; but it might be useful to you.

I’ll pay you $20 for your design catalog credit, too, because I’m not actually very artistic, and I’d love to have more access to all y’all’s designs for sale.

One or the other or both. If you don’t want them, those are the prices I’ll pay for your gifts.

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:joy::joy::joy::joy:

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Wondering if the design catalog credits get tied to the accounts we already have, but if not, I’m with you in that I would love to pay some people for theirs.

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Looks like a seller’s market is appearing.

I wonder what the final value of these materials that so many people can’t stand the thought of receiving will be.

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@DeadCrowCustoms, this would apply to you as well. The only thing that the Glowforge can do with metal is to remove anodizing, paint, or other finishes applied on top of a metal surface.

I am going to use Titanium, guess I should have said that. and my definition of “engraving” is marking (i.e. a faux Damascus pattern, mathematical patterns, initials, logos, etc"…

Not talking about “deep cuts” that would be able to accept another material as a filler that @sdevadas has referring to. I’m tempted to spend a little more and go with the fiber laser route given the delays.

edit: and BTW, I appreciate your dialogue here, I’m definitely not defending anything either way, so please don’t take my replies as argumentative if the text of the interwebs comes off as such :wink:

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It turned out to be “just shoot us an email, then we’ll find that it isn’t the email you ordered with, then you exchange three more emails with customer service…” we built the online tool so you could do it quickly and simply.

If the four questions we ask are frustrating, I apologize - you can just skip to the bottom, they are not required.

The titanium we’ve experimented with looks amazing when engraved. Fiber lasers have a very different appearance, it’s worth comparing both to see what you’re looking for.

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How many STEM teachers out there went out on a limb to requisition the funds from their schools to purchase a Glowforge and now have to explain this delay which will change their curriculum for the next school year? There was a buffer in there for you to be a little late on delivery but 6 months is hard to swallow…

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You’re correct, Simply. Truth be known, I’m holding off on buying the ventilation base because I’m not sure how well it will work. I know something about venting shop hoods and I’m not sure whether this option will achieve the effect I want for an indoor unit. So, I’m waiting for others to use and report back. If it doesn’t work, I’ll end up keeping my dryer hose.

If the current education system is allowing tax dollars to be used in crowd funding campaigns, and development of curricula without having the units in hand and someone expert enough to teach them, we have a serious problem, and it’s time for an overhaul.

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How old are your kids?

It will be four or five months of school, right? You could buy or borrow a used digital cutter for the first semester you’re without to teach them how to design SVG files, think from 2d to 3d, prototype, etc. If a digital cutter is out of the question (used would be about $100), they can accomplish the same thing cutting out the designs by hand, which would be time consuming but not a waste if time.

It would be super cool for the students to be able to take a design from concept to prototype to execution with different materials.

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