The interface on this machine is unusable. My files have to be in vector format with the cuts pre-set. When can they put a cut feature in the interface? My K40 is able to do that on the fly and it cost $500 with upgrades. And, it has generic Chinese software… Yes, the GF is able to align better/quicker but WTH is with the interface only really supporting Chrome (poorly). It is a greatly finished machine that is sort of useless. It can etch great, cant recognize its own (premium) material, cant create cuts in the interface, isn’t sealed that well, loads up with water if the output hose isn’t disconnected, and costs a fortune compared to machines its size.
Please tell me why it is better because Im literally getting ready to dump it.
Output hose? What output hose? Do you mean the 4" air exhaust duct? There is no water produced in or by the the GF…
And you you can use other browsers than Chrome. If poor signal, you will have issue with any browser.
And have you cleaned the camera lens? When it gets dusty, it can’t see the labels on PG materials well, but cleaning easily resolves that.
And any material must be pinned down flat (magnets or the free hold down pin pattern), else there will be issues getting a consistent cut. Lots of threads out there with suggestions if you’re having issues.
Yes, cut files have to be vector format. You can get many programs to create those, and Inkscape is free. The system is designed to upload files created in software, and the GF itself does not have design software.
Yes you are frustrated but none of us will able to convince you if you already decided it’s not a good machine. We all will try to at least address the concerns you have.
Are you cutting at all? Or are you frustrated that you have to change and tell the machine each cut?
The condensation / water issue, this is odd. Sounds like cold air is seeping in from outside. Can you send us a photo of the set up?
I use Chrome and do not experience the same issue. We also need more information on your experience to see if we can help you
Yes the price point is higher then the K40. For my own needs I chose to pay more for ease of use and that value was worth it for me after my own research on laser. The K40 may be a better machine for your needs
For vectors, wouldn’t you need that format for your K40? I’m trying to understand that part to try and provide a suggestion to help as well
I came at it from the other side - I started with a cheap Chinese K40 and dumped that and the Redsail gets little use (except for tall stuff that won’t fit in the GF). But I (& I expect thousands of others) found the GF to be very usable. But no machine is right for everyone and sometimes it’s best to just move on.
I appreciate all the comments! I really do. I am a original k40 guy that was looking for something that was an easy job setup, quick cuts and engraving. I got something that engraves at 1/4 the speed, and is a pain unless the file is setup to cut. I live in Florida and never had moisture issues with my k40. This machine apparently has those issues. I literally had water leaking out of the bottom of the machine. It was to the point that it recognized it was wet and wouldn’t run. Really used to getting my job done in a few minutes vs an hour. I honestly got sucked in by the pay monthly thing and now I am wishing I would have bought a bigger format China laser after saving up.
Sounds like you have files set up a certain way (for the K40) and GF has a file set up that it likes, and you are fighting it. You went from knowing one machine to not knowing another machine.
But we don’t know how your files are set up. The GF format is different but pretty simple: strokes are cuts, fills are engraves, rasters are engraves.
I bought a K40 while waiting for my Glowforge. I souped it up a little, added an air assist. When it worked it was the best $350 I’d spent. When it didn’t it was a 60lb paperweight. The single advantage I felt it had over the glowforge was its speed. The other advantage was a hard limit switch. Engraves were 2 or 3 times the speed of the glowforge. It was a real challenge to keep it running. Every once and a while it would get knocked out of alignment, requiring an hours worth of tinkering to get going again. I wasted a lot of stock trying to figure out where a cut or engrave would start. I figure I have saved a few hundred in materials costs with the Glowforge with the camera alignment.
If you are having condensation problems (which we are only guessing is warm moist outside air coming back in to the glowforge from the outside) you may need to install a blast gate. I don’t have condensation issues, but it’s about 20degrees out right now, and even with the dryer vent flap on the outside the inside of the forge will get very cold if I leave the blast gate open. They are cheap at Harbor freight, you can get better ones, even some that are automatic if you want to spend real money.
There is a bit of a learning curve for the software. I remember my first moment when I realized it wouldn’t engrave an SVG as a WYSIWYG, and getting used to colors instead of layers for operations was another hurdle.
The speed of the engraves is a bummer. I hear you. I almost cried when I realized how slow it engraves, even though I had sprung for a Pro with “Improved Optics” and “Faster cuts”. Maybe they can come out with a fixed focus head for those times you need the speed, but not the bells and whistles of the Auto focus head.
Not sure what to say – none of the problems you mention have ever happened to me. Yes – your file has to be properly prepared in some design software prior to cutting/etching/engraving but that is pretty true of any creation hardware – 3d printing for instance. As for only supporting Chrome – I use the interface in Firefox and Edge. Mine recognizes the PG material, cuts and etches and engraves beautifully and I have no output hose on the machine – and no moisture problem, and I live on the Pacific Northwest coast almost at the Canadian border and it gets a little damp up here. Not rlly surewhat to say to your problems – sorry you are having them…
Hot humid air from the outside is meeting air conditioned air from your home while the unit is off. Result is condensation. Just thermodynamics. Keep the hot moist air out. Install a blast gate or even a very cheap dryer vent with a flap. Though honestly, if it is so much water that it’s dripping I would be looking at where the rain is coming in the vent.
I am curious about the condensation/moisture situation. I had a little condensation on 2 occasions, but both of those were 85-90 days, with high humidity, and the Glowforge outside. I’ve run it summer and winter indoors with no other issues.
The Water issue makes me really curious about how everyone is dealing with their exhaust line. Since I first got it, I’ve physically disconnected my Forge from the line leading outside when I’m not using it. And when I am using it the in-line fan is always running so outside air never comes back into the unit. This was such a knee jerk activity for me that I guess I never considered asking: do most of you leave the Forge connected to a vent leading outside all the time? For those that do: do you do so even without a blast gate or at least a back-draft flap?
I have no way to take the Glowforge outside, and no place out of the weather if I did, this quite aside from the heat and humidity, so even the temporary moving outside for cleaning the fan and back in is not something I can accomplish, and if it rained in the meantime nothing but some sort of tarp could keep it from “le Deluge”.
I have the flaps on my exhaust port (typical dryer outlet). It still somehow gets warmer air I assume. I keep the shop at 78F and still in Tampa with the heat and humidity I have to unhook the exhaust hose. Im still wishing the interface had the ability to design vs just etch or cut.