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Engraving revolution

3K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  BillDeShivs 
#1 ·
Not sure the extent of the capabilities but it looks like you could do custom work to a slide or other metal components, perhaps plastics as well. It would definitely pay for itself very quickly!

https://glowforge.com
 
#5 ·
And the problem with the price is that so far, the folks that ponied up the money have received........ excuses about why their printers are not being shipped.

And Bill is right about power limitations. I had a customer that built stainless steel auto car wash systems- cut out stainless with a laser cutter. Power cables diameter of a hot dog.
 
#6 ·
One of the biggest problems companies have today is the technology is expanding so rapidly they cant keep up. A 6 month delay can mean the product is outdated when it comes out. If they update the technology the delay gets longer which means the technology gets ahead again. This is also one of the reasons so much of our manufacturing went offshore. The write off time on new machinery is way too long.
 
#7 ·
That is a CO2 laser. They won't cut metal. You can "mark" metal with a special, expensive paint in these, but it is far from permanent.
You need a fiber laser to do real engraving on metal. They are about 6 times the price.

It states aluminum and titanium, I'm guessing some metals it can etch but probably a short list. Hopefully the technology is fully mature sooner than later.
 
#8 ·
The technology is mature. CO2 lasers are for certain jobs, and they are relatively inexpensive.
Fiber lasers are for more robust jobs-like engraving metals, but they are much more expensive.
Think of it as the difference between woodworking and metalworking tools.
 
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