Suggestion: PRO SAFE and BASIC PLUS

as long as we’re asking for customization can I get a flux capacitor and a 1.21 gigaWatts tube?

With luck I’ll never have to fire it but the ransom demands will surely make me rich :slight_smile:

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I have ordered a PRO but am hoping to get more info about the pass through slot before it ships. I do have young children, and I would like the functionality of the pass through slot. However, if there is any reasonable likelihood that the pass through can be accessed accidentally, I will have to downgrade to a Basic.

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I’m pretty sure there is no harm while opening the pass through slots when the laser is not operating.

But even the basic I suspect is a supervised time activity.

If I recall the many a safety tip thread. Even your own personal lasering projects should be supervised by you in case of flaming mishaps.

All that being said some sort of lockout would be nice on the passthrough slots.

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My understanding is the passthrough slot is covered by a silicone flap. A child could conceivably stick an object or their hands through the flap while it’s running. I don’t think I would trust it around very young children even with supervision (under five or so). But it should be ok with older children as long as you are there while it’s running (which is something you should be doing anyway).

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I understand that, for legal reasons, the Glowforge team has to err on the side of caution in providing information and warnings. Of course, I would never leave it running unattended due to the fire risk alone, and certainly not with my kids (4 and 6) around it. We have created a lockable space in the house for it, and I tend to think that the risk is fairly low in the situation as I foresee it in my house.

I would just feel more comfortable if I had more information about the specifics of the pass through. At the same time, I see many more uses for it with the pass through slot available, so I hate to downgrade my order if I don’t have to. Looking forward to more info as it is available.

It is indeed covered by a flexible flap.

Exactly this.

Right - like a gas stove. Don’t let it run unattended.

What information are you missing? (Might want to start a separate Q&A thread for it so it doesn’t get lost)

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That would be easy enough to remedy. Even the cheap chinese lasers usually use a keylock on the slots. First GF project could be cutting an acrylic shield that you could slide in place and lock it in using a couple of cabinet locks on the end :slight_smile:

I prefer a door to a flap.

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Now now. We all know that that was a special jumping jigawatts tube!

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I think I’ll likely do this on my Pro.

If there were an option for a “Pro Safe” (horrible name as has been pointed out) I might have been tempted to buy it, as I don’t anticipate using the passthrough much, but if I ever need the passthrough slot I’ll obviously be happy to have it. But some way to close up the passthrough and lock it seems like a Very Good Idea.

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Given that infeed and outfeed tables would be useful with the pro, it may be worth figuring out a way to mount them so they swing up and then slide down into a slot to block the slots when not in use. Even an especially mischievous munchkin would have trouble lifting it up and folding it down out of the way while the laser is running, since a responsible adult would be there to stop them.

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Is it possible to have sensors on the pass through slot and when not using the slot have a setting in software that will shut off the laser if something pushes in on the slot? (Same idea as the safety checks you probably have on the lid being lifted)

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If you just put the hinge/pivot point back from the edge of the infeed/outfeed, then when it swings down the inner edge will swing up to block the slot. And you can make that inner edge thicker (with a radius) so that there won’t be a gap. (And maybe even some interlock switches to discourage hacking)

Initially, the pro without the pass through slot would’ve really appealed to me, because I don’t know much about lasers and the lack of understanding about what it meant to have a different class of laser was pretty scary to me.

That said, it was already confusing enough to someone who didn’t know anything about lasers to figure out the differences between the two and decide on the best option. Had there been four or five different glowforges, I’m not entirely sure I would’ve been able to pick one. Sometimes too many options is a bad thing for a company. It’s great, as a consumer, when there’s exactly what you want, but you also have to remember the customers who really don’t know exactly what they want or need – are you scaring them away by offering too many choices that they can’t decide between? Given glowforges target market, I think fewer, very distinct, clear cut options is a better approach.

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I love the idea of a lock, and I’m open to the idea of making one, or something that functions as one. I had thought about making a simple tray for the GF to sit in when I don’t need the pass through, with sides high enough to block the flaps.

I will start a Q&A thread with my questions about safety, once I have them organized enough to be useful. I guess in the end that my being a novice, coupled with the potentially devastating consequences of some types of misuse or accident (even coupled with a small likelihood of their occurring) gives me pause.

I was very pleased to see that GF will supply so many materials with readable codes.

I was surprised to see the Pro had a more powerful laser. It’s not THAT much more powerful than the Basic, and it has to be a hassle to create another tube, or tube and power supply variant.

Unless it’s all the same hardware and you’re changing output power in software? That would make more sense to me.

I’m thinking of a simple acrylic plate with these pretty standard cam locks on the ends to hold it in and keep people from poking stuff in the slot (I remember the kids making the VCR eat some amazing things :smile:).

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Duty cycle :slight_smile:

The Pro is supposed to be more of a work machine vs. the occasional use consumer machine the Basic is intended to be. So different tube with different cooling (and maybe power supply but that’s something I’d just oversize for the Basic and go with a single sku).

It’s hard enough for me to cut something without standing there watching it all the way through, much less leave it unattended. Watching them cut is entrancing.

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I’ve had my lasers for along time and I still watch them cut…lol

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Sometimes adding more variants actually makes decisions harder - the paradox of choice. Even with software, this becomes an issue but doesn’t also carry inventory forecasting, obsolescence… SKU proliferation is costly. Better to get a few units out with very clear feature separation and watch sales and the feedback loop. After that data is in, the second generations can adapt. Early adopters will buy the first anyway. Remember the first iPhone and the onslaught of feature suggestions? Eventually, the best ideas were incorporated.

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