Glowforge Pro 3D Laser Printer Review

The Unboxing Experience

Let’s be clear here, no matter which Glowforge you buy, it is going to be an expensive purchase. Not many people have over three grand burning a hole in their pocket, and that means that those who are investing in a Glowforge should expect a premium unboxing experience. Thankfully, Glowforge is able to impress here.

What we have here is a large box that features thick soft foam padding, reinforced corners, and a Glowforge with plenty of foam holding its moving parts in place. We couldn’t ask for a better packaged product. Even the most careless of delivery workers shouldn’t be able to damage a Glowforge in transit.

Glowforge recommends that owners of their units keep their packaging for warranty purposes. Additionally, it is recommended that users keep their packaging for future use when transporting their Glowforge to new locations, be it when the users moves house or acquires a larger workshop. This makes a lot of sense, as the Glowforge will be well protected if it is returned to its original packaging.

Once removed from its original box, users will see that their Glowforge unit remains protected by foam inserts and other protective tabs and stoppers. These parts prevent the Glowforge’s moving parts from shifting during transit, protecting the Glowforge’s CO2 laser assembly, electronics and laser focusing unit. These protective components must be removed before users turn on their Glowforge.

All of the Glowforge’s setup processes are detailed within the product’s manual. The entire process should take less than half allowing users to start laser cutting product shortly after the arrival of their Glowforge.

Next up, we have the Glowforge’s laser head, which must be removed from the foam below and installed. This is where most of the Glowforge’s most important lenses are, so be careful not to put unwanted fingerprints or dirt onto this component’s vital areas.

After all of the parts of your Glowforge are correctly located/installed, you will need to supply your Glowforge with power and properly ventilate the device. When you are laser cutting or etching a material, you are effectively burning away parts of it. Burning produced smoke and smoke is not a good thing to have in an indoor space. Glowforge users should vent the unit’s exhaust fumes out a window or into a filter.

We will be talking about the Glowforge’s Air Filter Unit Add-on in page three of this review.

Connecting your Glowforge to Wi-Fi

Once you are ready, you must turn on your Glowforge and log onto the device using a Wi-Fi enabled device. This can be your smartphone or any modern laptop. Your Glowforge’s instructions should discuss this in further detail. Users will log into their Glowforge as if it is a Wi-Fi router, allowing them to connect their Glowforge to their Glowforge account and to their Wi-Fi router.

Glowforge users must locate their device within range of their house or workshop’s Wi-Fi source, as their Glowforge requires internet connectivity to operate. Once this is done, Glowforge users can then connect to their Glowforge using the Glowforge web app.

In total, a Glowforge should take around 30 minutes to set up. This means that Glowforge users could have their laser cutting cutting within an hour of receiving it. That’s the perks of a laser cutter/engraver that can self calibrate.

Contents

– What is a Glowforge?

– Unboxing and Setup (This Page)

– Proofgrade Materials – What are they, and are they worth it?

– Glowforge Air Filter Add-on – Is it worth it?

– Using the Glowforge Pro – Early Creations

– More Makes – Engraving and Experimentation

– Creating More with the Glowforge Pro (Custom Designs)

– Conclusion – Is the Glowforge Pro Worth it?