Glowforge

The glowforge is the smaller laser cutter next to the electronics station. It's mainly used to make quick, low-power cuts. The main area the glowforge shines is how simple and quick it is to use.

The glowforge

Safety

The glowforge is generally safe, but there are a couple of things to watch out for.

1. If you notice excessive smoke or a flame while cutting, push the button again to stop immediately. Always watch it while cutting to make sure nothing catches fire.

2. Don't stare directly at the laser for prolonged periods

3. Various materials release harmful gases when burnt, so beware of what you are cutting. Some things not to cut are PVC, ABS plastics, and fiberglass. Very flammable materials are not recommended as well, like polystyrene. Generally, if you are uncertain if something is safe to cut, look it up or ask someone more knowledgeable before trying.

4. Ensure that the ventilation switch is ON before starting your cut.

How do you use the glowforge?

1. Get the file for your cut. Depending on the job (cut or engrave) this file can be in various formats.

   1. For cutting, your file needs to be an SVG or DXF.

   2. For engraving, the file can be a JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF, etc.

2. Open the glowforge website and click "Create a new design"

1. When you click the button there will be a dropdown asking if you want to create a blank design, upload a file, or trace a design. You can either upload the file directly or make a blank design first.

1. Put the material in the laser cutter so it appears on the camera. This is necessary to ensure your cut is positioned correctly.

This is what it looks like when you open a blank new design.

This is an example of what it looks like once you have the material in the laser cutter.

1. If you opened a blank design, click the plus icon in the top middle to upload your file or add shapes.

This is what you'll see when you click the plus

1. Position your cuts on the material by dragging them

2. Select the material at the top left or manually adjust the cut settings.

Search your material here

If you click you design in the left sidebar, you can choose what type of cut you want to do or manually change the power and speed.

There are also some custom power settings so check if your material is one of those before manually adjusting. It's good to test power settings by cutting a small square.

1. Click print in the top right

You'll see a top view of the laser cutter instead of just a black background.

1. Wait for the laser cutter to finish its pre-cut calibration and push the glowing button.

2. Sit back and watch it do its work.

What do you do after it's done cutting?

Before opening the glowforge or moving anything inside, try to confirm whether or not it cut all the way through. If it didn't, adjust the cut settings and re-cut.

Don't worry if the design looks slightly off on the camera. Leave everything the exact same. It will trace the same path even if it looks different.

Otherwise, wait for the head to reset before taking out the finished product.