Glowforge referral code

[br...@synapseschool.org]

Hi Everyone!

Apologies if this is not appropriate or has been covered before, but I wanted to throw it out there in case any of you in your spaces are considering going the Glowforge route. We have one and absolutely love it. Once you purchase, Glowforge gives you a referral code that you can send to others that gives them a discount ($500 off the pro version!) and then referrer gets free money for proofgrade materials from Glowforge. Win-win! If you have any questions about the Glowforge system, feel free to start a discussion in this thread or refer to others already happening in the group.

Link: https://glowforge.us/GCRWNHXK

Thanks!

Brian

Synapse School

Menlo Park, CA

[Julie Darling]

Brian,

I am very interested in Glowforge. I am meeting with my technology director next week and we are going to be discussing a new 3D printer vs. a Glowforge (in a perfect world both, but I doubt that will happen this year). Can you tell me a little more about how the drawing a design and getting it to cut/engrave works? How long have you had yours? What kind of troubleshooting have you had to do with it? 

Thanks!

Julie Darling

Media Specialist and Makerspace Coordinator

Creekside Intermediate School

Dexter, MI

[Mark Loundy]

Julie,

If it's one or the other, I strongly recommend getting a laser cutter. 3-D printers are great (I have two) but they are a major workflow bottleneck.

Mark Loundy

Instructional Technology Specialist
Google Certified Educator, Level 2
De Vargas Elementary School
Cupertino (Calif.) Union School District

[Brian Louie]

I agree with Mark. If you have to pick one or the other, laser cutter will be much more versatile.

+1 on the workflow bottleneck comment

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Brian Louie

Maker and Design Educator

The Hamlin School

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[Brian Bicknell]

Agreed with everyone else chiming in. Laser cutter on its own will be more versatile and useful long term. Also, if your school is going to drop $4-6k on a machine, that would be overkill on a single 3D printer and at that point I would recommending getting multiple cheaper 3D printers.

We've had ours since mid-last year and are just now starting to use it for projects. 

We have the pro version which is quite expensive, but it has a "passthrough" slot and more powerful laser, so "big" projects are easier to manage. 

Most design works happens in graphics programs and different file types are interpreted differently by the Glowforge software. One of our most favorite features is how the software is web based, so anyone with the login or permission can load files and run them. 

The Glowforge is not meant to be an industrial strength system, but it can cut and etch a pretty wide range of materials. Another neat feature is that you can load multiple file types at once so it will engrave and cut at the same time. 

I've had most success looking at forums and youtube for tips and tricks, but a lot of tinkering is required. Also, precise work is pretty limited unless you spend the time to make jigs and really organize your cut/engrave files. The tolerance for the laser is something like .25", so if you need something perfectly centered on a piece, a little trial and error is required. That's my biggest gripe. 

Lastly, get the air filter system if you can afford it. They haven't shipped any yet (we've been waiting almost a year), but it will prevent having to have a dedicated exhaust system, as the fumes can be very toxic depending on materials being cut. 

There are a lot of inexpensive 3D printers out there that are sufficient for playing with, so if your budget has any wiggle room, I'd see if you could get the Glowforge and a 2 or 300 $ printer just to get kids started. 

Hopefully that helps! Good luck!

Brian

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Brian Bicknell | Makerspace Coordinator, STEAM Teacher, and 7/8 Advisor Six Seconds, Synapse School brian@synapseschool.org  M: 603.380.0714 O: 650.294.4570