Laser cutting machine has existed for long enough, but unfortunately
there's no laser cutting machine that's really designed for the home consumers.
Simply put, this machine allows you to cut and make engraving on flat
materials, such as wood, acrylic, cardboard or leather.
Now there is a laser cutting machine called Glowforge that's
intended for home consumers. The developer calls it as a 3D laser printer, but
this is not a regular 3D printer you commonly see lately. The technique that's
used by Glowforge is different from the regular 3D printer. If the 3D printer
will form an object from zero, the Glowforge will form certain materials to be
the object you want. Simply put, you can consider the Glowforge as a sculptor.
To cut a variety of materials provided, Glowforge utilizes
very precise laser, equivalent to the thickness of human hair. Not only
materials that are commonly used by craftsmen, you can also use the Glowforge
to cut and carve foods like chocolate or nori sheet.
Glowforge doesn't need special design software; you can even
create a design on paper with a marker, and then stick it on the top of the desired
material. Glowforge will cut and carve it following your sketch. However
Glowforge is also equipped with camera that can recognize an object in three
dimensions, making it possible to make engraving on the surface that's not
completely flat, such as the MacBook Air which has slightly curved edges.
Glowforge will recognize that the object you put is the MacBook Air, and then
you only need to select the desired carving designs and let Glowforge work.
Simply put, Glowforge allows everyone to become a
professional craftsman. You can create a wallet, purse, or various other
accessories from a variety of materials. The Glowforge is also much easier to
use than the regular 3D printer.
Glowforge will be available in two variants: Basic and Pro
variants. Glowforge Basic is priced at $ 4,000, while Glowforge Pro is priced
at $ 8000. However, if you pre-order it from the official website, glowforge.com,
you can get a rebate of 50 per cent.