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When 3-D Printing Won’t Do, This At-Home Laser Cutter Will

posted by cmn32480 on Friday June 26 2015, @06:20AM   Printer-friendly
from the look-out-hewlett-packard dept.

Phoenix666 writes:

For all its promise, the 3-D printer is not perfect. Sure, it's great for creating prototypes or small personal items or parts, but it simply cannot do everything. Those who want to dive into design or embellish their DIY creations, or even use materials like leather, wood, or cloth need something more refined, more accurate and versatile. They need a laser cutter.
...
Though Glowforge's abilities will be virtually identical to most laser cutters on the market, it sets itself apart by focusing on the average consumer. The Wi-Fi connected "3-D laser printer" (as the company calls it) will be compatible with a range of digital design software, including Photoshop, Illustrator, and AutoCAD. (The less artsy among us can buy or download a design rather than mocking up their own.) After that, the process should be as easy as placing material on the bed, securing the top, and pressing a single button. If you try to open the machine while it's running, the laser will disengage before unlocking.

The lasers can cut nearly anything up to ¼-inch thick, from paper and seaweed to wood and leather, except metal, glass, and stone, which it can only engrave.

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  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by hemocyanin on Friday June 26 2015, @07:21AM

    by hemocyanin (186) on Friday June 26 2015, @07:21AM (#201419) Journal

    Wake me when they have a product and a price. Right now on the website ( http://glowforge.com/ [glowforge.com] ), as far as I can tell, all they have are cut objects -- no pictures or videos of the cutter and no specs (like bed size; based on what it can cut and what it can only engrave, I'm guessing around 40 watt laser). As for price, all it says is "revolutionary" -- so what does that mean? The article does mention a $2500 price point, but that doesn't sound all that revolutionary. And then there is this:

    Glowforge just announced a $9 million Series A funding round, which includes participation from two former MakerBot CEOs, Bre Pettis and Jenny Lawton.

    Thanks, but no thanks. I'd rather support an opensource project.

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  • (Score: 2) by hubie on Friday June 26 2015, @01:54PM

    by hubie (1068) Subscriber Badge on Friday June 26 2015, @01:54PM (#201498) Journal

    I saw a story about them several weeks ago [optics.org], but it was more along the line of wondering whether it was vaporware.