Laser cutter/printers

[Dana Smith]

We are planning to buy a laser printer for our makerspace and seeking assistance. We have limited space and a budget of $7K or under. At this time, we are considering a Glowforge Pro, FSL Muse, and OMTech. If you have experience with any of these or any other recommendations, your thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Dana

[Katie Topper]

Our makerspace is using a Full Spectrum Laser

We've had very few issues with it. It is relatively easy to use, coming from a laser newbie. The kids love it as well.

The only shortcoming is workflow. The software is browser based and doesn't do a good job of queuing up jobs, so the students have to visually monitor when the device is free!

-katie

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[Devon Barker]

Hello!
We have had a Glowforge for many years and it has been a champ.

It is reliable, great quality, and just works. 

Have a great day!

Best regards,

Devon

Devon Barker M.Ed Technology & Innovation Manager Pronouns: He/Him/His Six Community Road Marblehead, MA  01945 781.639.2880 x113 Follow Us: Website  Facebook  Instagram

On Tue, Jan 11, 2022 at 8:50 AM Dana Smith <dana...@greensboroday.org> wrote:

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[elizabeth...@sssrome.it]

Has anyone tried the Emblaser 2 from Darkly Labs as a less expensive version?

[Harmony Jones]

I have a glowforge in my class, an Omtech and full spectrum at home. I had an Epilog at one point in another class. The easiest to use is an Omtech but It is really big. We use Lightburn with it. As long as you have a Ruida controller, it is soooo easy ! I like my glowforge (size, color, fits in a small space) but I hate that it has to hook to the web. I also liked it better when I had their premium service- now that I don't I struggle a little. Not knowing exactly what your space looks like, the Omtech is a little more industrial. The Glowforge is great for my classroom. You have to have good ventilation for either. Good luck. We love our laser cutters! 

[Jeremy Mularella]

Hi Dana,

I was in your spot about five years ago and did similar research. I leaned toward the Glowforge, but I ended up getting one from Boss Laser. It’s much bigger and powerful for around the same price as a Glowforge. It’s also much cheaper than the other big name brands like Epilogue. It uses Lightburn software and is easy to use. 

If you go this route, I highly recommending venting it outside (which is what we did) and getting a decent air compressor and water chiller. 

Jeremy

Sent from my iPhone

On Jan 13, 2022, at 11:05 PM, Harmony Jones <ha...@students.uwf.edu> wrote:

I have a glowforge in my class, an Omtech and full spectrum at home. I had an Epilog at one point in another class. The easiest to use is an Omtech but It is really big. We use Lightburn with it. As long as you have a Ruida controller, it is soooo easy ! I like my glowforge (size, color, fits in a small space) but I hate that it has to hook to the web. I also liked it better when I had their premium service- now that I don't I struggle a little. Not knowing exactly what your space looks like, the Omtech is a little more industrial. The Glowforge is great for my classroom. You have to have good ventilation for either. Good luck. We love our laser cutters! 

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[C Mytko]

We have a Glowforge and an Epilog. I didn't catch what grade-level you are teaching, but I'll say that our Epilog is great for the older kids (8th grade) with patience to learn the software and how to work with machine settings. Our Epilog is much better for big jobs (like prototyping and building structures) and it uses less expensive material.

Our Glowforge has been a WONDERFUL gateway laser cutter for younger or less experienced kids. Since the Glowforge can scan their hand drawings and the profiles are set automatically using the (very pricey) glowforge materials with QR codes, it is a very easy entry to the world of laser cutters--it was always a hit at our public-facing (pre-COVID) events. The Glowforge has also been more approachable for our teachers and easier to implement into cross-curricular projects. 

Christine 

middle school STEM

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/k-12-fablabs/A2F2130E-AE93-4BB8-A025-47BAD3AA4B9E%40shrewsbury.k12.ma.us.

[Kristin Burrus]

I agree 100% with Christine's comments.  I work in a K-12 lab and we have both a Glowforge and Epilog.  The Glowforge cannot handle cutting all day - it needs "cool down" time and it has a much smaller Z-axis range for engraving (in other words the Epilog's bed can lower farther to put in bigger pieces for engraving).  However, you cannot beat the Glowforge's easy workflow and interface.

[Michelle Scilingo]

We also have the epilog and glowforge and like both for different reasons.  The epilog has a bigger bed and seems like a faster cut.  The glowforge is nice with the camera to see the material on the screen, but with a smaller bed and slower cut, it's seems to take longer to run larger class projects.  We usually run both machines when 60 students have been asked to complete a project.  Students in middle school are able to run both fairly seamlessly.

:D Michelle

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