Well I have a filter now

As my Glowforge filter is due 6 months after the Glowforge and I do not want to wait an extra 6 months for the Glowforge and I need to do something as pumping outside did not seem like an option I took the suggestion of others and bought the one on Amazon for $700 (after tax).

The trouble with buying from a picture is that you can totally miss the scale of a thing. Worried it would be too small for the job, it turns out not to be the problem I was expecting.

The intake (the black circle) is ten inches, and the exhaust is 5 and it will do up to 500cfm.
I am going to try to make it do enough of a job not to need the much more elegant Glowforge one, but will not be rejecting it until I am sure this is an at least equal way to go. Otherwise I may just have the cleanest household air in the neighborhood :slight_smile:

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Hopefully that works well for you. Do you plan to adapt it to the laser’s output beyond pointing the exhaust at it?
I have been skeptical of any filter’s ability to completely remove fumes. Particulate is not a problem for mechanical filtration, but I think activated charcoal is limited in its ability regarding chemical fume removal. I know respirators designed for hazardous environments are specifically designed for the contaminate and are not just charcoal.
If you can’t smell acrylic when cutting it, I will be very impressed! I’m really interested to hear your assessment of it!
Happy Forging!

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It has both a HEPA filter and an activated charcoal filter and claims 500cfm possible, I was going to do an additional gross filter that is washable to catch all the big bits first. Since the choice is that or smoke-filled rooms I will be impressed if it manages to have minor smells. I am playing with a design that will centrifuge the air first even at that but don’t know yet how to get that built. What I was thinking it was is far more minor than it turned out to be so I hope it will be the last needed, It is certainly bigger than those in-line filters.

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I think a pre-filter is a great idea.

I was thinking post filter but I need to find or design something to fit that 10"_hole. The Fan is 24" radial blades if I put wheels on it would make one hell of a shop vac!

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Yeah, I was thinking a pre-filter may extend the life of the media.

Oh yeah, the cadilac!

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Hmm if you put dry ice powder in the bed, it would lower the oxygen content inside the Glowforge, and while expensive and stuff would still char it would not burn as redily?

And the Glowforge would run cooler.

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ROFL! I think that’s a first for the dry ice idea. :smile:

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My GF is scheduled to ship in February, but I live in the North East and will not be able to vent the unit out the window or anything due to the cold weather…I’m debating on waiting for the filter to have them ship my GF…but after waiting so long I’m not sure if that’s a good idea. The reality is that I’d receive the GF and then not use it until the filter arrives…

I’ve been reading the filter ideas, but I’m not sure I want to spend an additional chunk of money on something I’m not sure about it…

I am in the Northeast too, and don’t want to wait until warmer weather to try our PRO (arriving in six days!). I am planning to vent it outside while it’s running and then remove the vent hose from the window when not in use. I really hope that works out, because I am giddy to get going with designs and creations!

While it is a chunk of money it is less than the one I will be waiting for. I will be reporting here on how the experiment worked out. But I figure that at worst case I will have fewer complaints from neighbors about smells and fewer visits from the fire department about smoke.

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I am curious how it will work out for you.

I’m in CT (northcentral - near the Watkinson School in fact) and have had mine vented out the basement window since April (PRU first). And yeah, it’s been wicked cold this year.

I replaced the window with a sheet of foam insulation board and cut a 4" hole in it to slide a dryer vent through. Attached a blast gate to that and the vent hose to the back of the blast gate. I leave it all in and just close the blast gate when it’s really cold and the GF is off. Works like a charm. (But yeah, I’m waiting for a filter too - mostly for travel use at mini-makerfaires, etc.)

You won’t get either from a vent out the window. The smells dissipate within about 10-15 feet and there’s no noticeable smoke - invisible even.

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