If you do, they will.
If you wait, they won’t.
Just like buying a new computer.
11 Likes
For sure, for sure
There are quite a few of us that would like a bigger deeper bed, and more power.
That company rebrands Chinese lasers I believe. Wishing to copy glowforge’s success, and aside from a couple of innovations, they copied the product and did a poor job of it. They badmouthed the company’s product and offered $100 discount to anyone who would cancel their glowforge order and buy theirs. FS eventually sold their failed effort to Dremel if I remember.
Glowforge builds a quality US built laser, and is run by a CEO who’s business ethics I admire.
IMO, there is nothing about FS glowforge should emulate.
9 Likes
There have been a few folk with post-warranty machines that did major modifications in that way but even the ability to get repairs is lost when that is done.
This made me LOL for real. So true!
Big man Dan CEO! You all have to be with me on this!
I don’t want Glowforge to make larger machines, or machines that are more like industrial lasers. That market is already well served. I want more stuff that fits into a small crafter’s home workshop. More print head options for the Glowforges we already own (diode laser, router, pen/marker holder, blade cutter, inkjet printer, 3D extruder). Maybe a compact rotary diode laser, half the size of a Glowforge, just big enough to do tumblers and other cylindrical objects. Whatever they make should feel at home in a Michaels or Joanns IMO, and cost less than their current lineup. Let the giant 4 foot wide CO2 laser be their top end product.
3 Likes
That actually sounds pretty awesome! I wonder if that is possible in the future?
1 Like
The carriage plate having a magnetic attachment and pluggable data/power cable implies that the print head was intended to be swappable from the start when they designed the machine. We’ve got this great CNC platform that could be moving around any number of tools using that plate.
5 Likes
Neither the cable to the head nor the distribution board it ultimately connects to have the power to run a dremel hand tool, let alone a productive router.
The X-axis mechanism is already close to its limits with the weight of the head alone.
Could such a machine be created? Sure! But it’s not the Glowforge as we know it, and would be significantly more expensive.
1 Like
Could still do knives and markers.
A cricut is a really good pen plotter, and the entire rig is probably less than Glowforge would charge for a pen head.
Alternatively you can get something like an axidraw or a more dedicated pen plotter. They are compact and capable machines.
That being said having a hot swappable pen head would be slick because you could do plot+laser ops on a single material in the Glowforge.
Anyway it’s all a pipe dream, my gut says that they aren’t even thinking of pursuing alternate heads.
2 Likes
Historically, Dan mentioned the possibility.
2 Likes
He also said they’d release all the designs in the trailer. Things change. I feel like he weighed in on interchangeable heads and said they backed off but I may be wrong there.
From Dec ‘16:
“Shortly”
Hmm can’t seem to find a direct reference where it was addressed, so maybe I’m nuts.
1 Like
I think you’re right, nothing about any further development since.
Pretty cool.
3 Likes
I like your idea, that would be nice.
Am I the only one who detects lots of negativity in these threads? Ugh.
The mechanicals in the glowforge are not nearly robust enough to move around a router spindle.
I look at the magnetic head as an easy way to clean/maintain the unit. NOT for changing capabilities.
1 Like
This topic was automatically closed 32 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.