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How is this not on here somewhere

https://glowforge.com/

It looks amazing, but expensive as hell. It is basically a laser cutter that goes through anything and can sense alignment / scanning what it is working on.

Terrain, airbrush stencils, mdf paint racks, acrylic bases, etched brass

Anyone getting one or know why they're not as great as they sound?

I like it as it means we are getting somewhere with home versions but the 4.8k investment is a little high for me to get the fancy one and 2.3k is weeeeellll out of my budget price options

You could scan all sorts of miniature goodies into that!

Um.... that´s a normal laser-cutter and not a 3D-printer. No idea what gives them the idea.

For a cutter this size the price is little bit on the high side. Following informations are needed to asses whether the price is justified:

>optics-lifetime (when do you need to replace it)
>mesh-lifetime (when do you need to replace it)
>air-filtering (cutters do create quite some not so healthy gases and normally you use them together with a ventilation-system that transports those gases outside of enclosed rooms.)

It does say filter-system, but no details are given and built-in systems with no connection to the outside DO NOT do the job.

I think it is a combination of the software and the hardware that makes it 3D. Like that globe cardboard light shade thing.

It looks like a laser cutter on easy mode to be honest, but that ease comes with a pretty big price tag. If my design skills weren't so bad I'd probably consider it seriously

Their definition of 3D is "2D cut + assembly".

Also, regarding the OP's question, this has been in a few threads already, most in the Discussion forum.

kb_lock wrote:
I think it is a combination of the software and the hardware that makes it 3D. Like that globe cardboard light shade thing.

It looks like a laser cutter on easy mode to be honest, but that ease comes with a pretty big price tag. If my design skills weren't so bad I'd probably consider it seriously

Yep.

Software like 123D suite (free?) already has similar "3d to 2d+assemble" software available - basically similar to 3D printer 'slicing' a model into stacked layers - so that's where I'd start. In fact, I've been meaning to check it out as well, now that we have a FabLab nearby.

There's also a whole bunch of laser cutting services around who could make you the model. If you are in a big city, there's probably a local one as well.

Its not truly 3d it does nothing a decent laser cutter could not do. They just emphasize the we can cut deeper and less deep into the material then other printers. Nut there is noting new here.

To put it simply you could not make a decent space marine miniature with this thing.

 oldzoggy wrote:
Its not truly 3d it does nothing a decent laser cutter could not do. They just emphasize the we can cut deeper and less deep into the material then other printers. Nut there is noting new here.

The selling point is the ease of use for the consumer. And you don't make cheapo Space Marines, you make your own mdf buildings and scenery.

 Breotan wrote:

 oldzoggy wrote:
Its not truly 3d it does nothing a decent laser cutter could not do. They just emphasize the we can cut deeper and less deep into the material then other printers. Nut there is noting new here.

The selling point is the ease of use for the consumer. And you don't make cheapo Space Marines, you make your own mdf buildings and scenery.

Sure it might offer some advantages to the average user.
But the hard part of making your own mdf buildings is not learning how to use programs that use vectors, or learning to use colours as a measurement for how deep the laser will cut.
Youtube will learn any novice paint user this in 10 minutes.
The hard part is designing the stuff. If you can and would like to do this you can already make your own terrain using a plethora of laser cut services and or other more cost efficient laser cutters.

But that is not my point. The point is that using "3D laser Printer" in the name of this product is false advertising or highly misleading if you ask me, since there are real 3d laser printers out there and they do something else entirely.
This is what I expect when someone uses those words and what I was expecting when I clicked on this thread.

For clarity, those are my words and i don't work for the company.

I'm sorry you're so aggrieved and would like to offer you a full refund on your purchase of this thread

kb_lock wrote:
For clarity, those are my words and i don't work for the company.

I'm sorry you're so aggrieved and would like to offer you a full refund on your purchase of this thread

Don't feel sorry.

These are the first words you see on the site.
Glowforge™ The iconic 3D Laser Printer that made crowdfunding history.

laser cutters are powerful tools I love to use them and this one does have nice simple features such as auto detecting objects inside of it but it is no revolutionary 3d printer.

Ahahahah well then i suppose you're absolutely right to think it is deceptively advertised - it is

And judging from the reports of those that have seen this printer at fairs it will also make history in a not so nice way.

https://www.reddit.com/r/lasercutting/comments/3ms7ld/my_kinda_review_of_the_glowforge_3d_laser_printer/

Sawmill Creek has a good thread about the glowforge including comments from one of the devs. It's pretty big but can be found here:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?227685-Glowforge-3D-Laser-Printer

For my money, I saw this a while back and the ratio of buzzwords to substance left a nasty taste in my mouth. They just seemed a bit too desperate to ride the 3D printing hype train, sorta like the 3doodler pen that billed itself as a 3D printer. The cloud aspect is also completely pointless and actually makes it less useful.

Having had a look at their website just now the revolutionary part would be having the content delivery tied to the machine, that's something that's actually useful for a lot of end users who want to make things but aren't designers or software users. Sort of like if thingiverse was connected directly to your 3d printer.

On the bad side, there's an almost complete glossing over of any safety implications. Check the FAQ to see how it's a great product for kids! Also, while they may not be the first company to sell lasers without installation or training I think their marketing approach is going to put them in the hands of a lot of people who aren't going to take the most safety-conscious approach to using them.

Of course, maybe I'm a shill for big laser who is scared of these lasers putting me out of business.

Just a small side track what is currently the most affordable consumer grade laser cutter that can still reasonably cut wood.

A good laser cutter includes also a good ventilation system and is made of metal for security reasons. Hence somewhere between 2 and 5.000$ for consumer-printers.

The way this company conducts its media campaign and it's buzzword bingo advertising and shilling makes me not want to trust it.
Just my 2c. Haven't used it before

I'd like to see reviews of the actual production model.