Laser safety... Wifey is concerned.... HELP!

I have mine in the garage. Would not bring it inside due to fumes

If her concern is just radiation and death rays, then the only risk is exposure to refracted/reflected light from the beam hitting the material, and even that takes pretty deliberate effort to be exposed. Wear laser glasses for pass-through, and don’t deliberately try to peek through the pass-through slot, and your risk is gone. You could tell her that the “radiation” risk is essentially the same as staring into the sun, and requires the same deliberate effort to cause damage. (Technically, peeking through the pass-through with the laser glasses on should be perfectly safe for your eyes, but you risk laser injury to skin by doing that.)

Not a lawyer, just studied the materials carefully.

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Sorry, I thought the name was in the screenshot. It’s a FooBot. http://amzn.to/2hKRVOW

Others have addressed the particulates and vapors, plus a bit on the danger of the laser beam.

You say radiation (not taking into account that you made a distinction later on in the topic about radioactivity as a form of radiation) and that means two things in connection with this laser, the two forms of electromagnetic radiation that might possible be a topic of concern to some people. [I am not talking at all about the wired EM radiation that makes up the circuit boards, power supply, lighting, and the generation of an electrical pulse to excite the CO2. If that is a source of concern, then that is beyond the scope of my abilities to offer a response.]

  1. It is the very narrow beam of EM that is the pew pew factor of a laser. That is a concern. You have to insure that where that beam interacts with anything is controled. Hence the pass-through slots shields and goggles. A simple lesson on the transmission of light through materials will suffice to alleviate this concern.
  2. The Glowforge is a wifi only device. Now this can be a big red flag to some people. I’m not judging, but if your wife is worried about wifi signals, then this is beyond the scope of what I am able or willing to address.

I certainly agree that a concerted and methodical effort is needed to understand what real dangers are involved in having a laser in your home. Education is the key here. Glowforge is marketed as a laser that can be used in the home, office or classroom. It is not marketed as a tool that must reside in an industrial setting with controls in place that require highly trained and skilled professionals to use.

I have been with this effort for two years. I have read every post (except the ones they archived before I could get to it.) It is my opinion and my experience that the Glowforge laser, Pro or Basic is a tool that can be in your living room. It poses no threats that can’t be managed in the way an oven or a microwave can be managed. If you do not have a microwave at home because of the fear of electromagnetic radiation, then by all means, your Glowforge must reside in the garage, because that’s probably the best indicator of a feeling of well-being and trust.

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Thanks all for the discussion. I recommend that you go to app.glowforge.com, click “Add User,” and invite your wife to use your Glowforge. That will give her an opportunity to read the manual, including the important safety information there.

As for the garage, we have a description of operating environment factors for your Glowforge here.

I’m going to close this thread - please post again if you have additional questions!

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