I dont mind it, but if I didnt have to shim up my bed every time to get it the right height, that would be wonderful. its something Im looking forward to.
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I don’t have a laser cutter but I do have auto level on the 3d printer and Z tap off on the cnc router. Both of them are great for accuracy and time saving.
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Ive also noticed that focal length is not overly critical. Its good to be close but ive have parts vary by 1/8" or more over the length of the engrave, and I haven’t noticed any real degradation of quality.
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Yeah it won’t be too bad as the deeper you cut the less focused it’ll be. If it’s a cut and it’s out of focus it’ll just be a little wider kerf. Fine detail engraves/ vector engraves are where I always make sure it’s on
All these things can be done manually, it’s just one more step to interfere with flow and one more thing to forget.
I have…and I have…and no it’s not really worth the extra bucks. In fact, manual focus is a good thing - some acrylic etches in fact benefit from being done with a slightly defocused laser as it smooths the engraving.
The GF’s autofocus bennie should really come into its own when applied to focusing on the fly for seriously irregular shapes or 3D engraves. Until then it’s more like push button start on the car vs turning a key - just not that big a deal.
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I guess I like it because I want to do a lot of irregular surfaced things, but if you do a lot of flat stuff, it’s no big deal. 
Thanks for the reality check… - Rich
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I asked for some more information and finally got a response. Mostly the same info as above.
Performance Package
- Muse
- Radiator Water Chiller
$5,500
Clean-Home Package
- Muse
- Small Fume Extractor
$6,000
All-in-One Package
- Muse
- Radiator Water Chiller
- Small Fume Extractor
$6,500
New info I haven’t read yet.
- The laser class is 3R. This means it is going to be safe under proper use, but has a red dot diode that makes it a 3R system. Without the laser diode, it would be a Class 1 system.
- Alignment and tube replacement would be about the same as our current H-series system. We have documents and videos on each. It may take more time the first time you do it, but gets easier the more you use it.
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Just got my little FSL wood engraving of the Aztec (or maybe Mayan) calendar. The detail is really good but the actual engraving seems to all be at one level below the surface, possibly two in one area. Maximum cut depth of 1/32" or so as best I can guess.
There’s also a Basic package for $5000. Then you start adding “options” like the chiller, fine extractor, etc 
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A friend stopped by the booth and sent me the attached picture that lets you see the linear system. I think Tom may have swung by too - I’ll let you know if I find out anything else interesting!
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Looks like a solid machine.
From what I have seen and read of both, they are of comparable power, they both employ computer vision and physically look very similar, but the similarity ends there. The Glowforge feature set separates them, and the price blows em’ out of the water.
Rah! Rah! 
That stack-able option is a solid innovation that allows greatly expanded Z axis, significantly expanding it’s ability to handle a much wider range of material sizes. with a pass thru you could do fence posts. 
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It sure seems unethical to copy someone’s work so closely though. 
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Agreed. But the concept of “inevitable invention” or “multiple discovery” occurs all throughout history. Good ideas are always good ideas. So it’s likely that extremely similar designs will happen at virtually the same time. This happens because a need is discovered and the time is right (technologically or otherwise) to respond to that need. And when smart people, working completely independently, start thinking of best solutions, there’s no reason they wouldn’t come up with the same (best) solution.
And then, of course, there’s straight up theft from nation states that can mass-produce at a cheaper rate and flood the US market. Eff those guys.
- Tom
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Beat me to it. Amazing how much it resembles Glowforge…
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The Muse gives you a warning if the water isn’t pumping?! Crap, for $5000 that water pump better work all time. I don’t want to be messing around with a tiny water pump on this thing. @dan, you think this will be a concern for us?!
They do a little ‘loop’ at each corner? I wonder if that’s what the 
does and why the corners are so large (which IMO stinks right now but I know they said they’d fix that and it’s currently due to not adjusting the power when decel/acel around a corner).
EDIT:
But…they don’t operate over the cloud…that’s kind of a plus! However, that also means that it’s harder to push out new software updates!
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Looks almost identical from certain angles, right?
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I have to say that it is refreshing to hear details of how they use their camera for alignment, and how head motion is choreographed to avoid defects like hot spots at corners or overlapping lines. Wish we got more of that from @dan .
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