I’m a space geek, and for a long time I’ve wanted to make a set of space capsule Christmas ornaments. Without having my own laser cutter to do the prototyping, it wasn’t worth it.
When I got my Glowforge I was able to dive in and try out designs, see how they looked on the materials, etc. I moved around the loop so it would balance right. I added details. I was able to iterate and hold the results instantly! I love being able to do this!
The brass ones are done by Ponoko, who I used to use for laser-cutting before I had my Glowforge, and who also do photo-etching. They’re a great bunch.
just a thought/marketting idea. Ornaments are a pretty niche occasion but if you also design a desk stand for them then they become an ornament AND a task personalizing item.
On the laser-cutting side, so I’d have some gauge of the popularity and how much material to order, so I could save by doing a bunch at once rather than doing a few boards at a time and having to pay shipping more often.
But more so on the brass side, because that runs almost $300 a sheet (I can fit multiple sets of ornaments on a sheet), which is a bigger chance than I wanted to take without the pre-order commitment that Kickstarter provides.