I remember when I was younger, 3D printing was still a dream that technology was striving to achieve—and even a few years later, when the first 3D printers were made, they were so inaccessible it was ridiculous. Who has thousands of dollars just laying around to spend on experimental technology? When I heard about Glowforge, I was really excited because I finally found a 3D “printer” that’s affordable, does everything I could ever imagine a printer could do, and it looks great!
The Glowforge is built on laser cutter and engraver technology, so it can both cut and engrave things without any problems. It operates using a light beam that’s smaller than a human hair, so the amount of fine detail you can get out of this thing is amazing. The printer works on leather, wood, fabric, cardboard, paper, and acrylic, and the examples I saw on the website looked great! But what sets the Glowforge apart from other 3D laser printers are features like its live camera preview that allows you to position and see your design on the object before you print it; the ability to draw directly on your materials and being able to print; and the short setup time… and those are only a few of the features.
I’ve seen people all over the internet gushing about the Glowforge, and some of the things that people are creating using the technology are absolutely amazing. Glowforge lists some crafting highlights that people have used the printer to help create—people used the Glowforge to make leather messenger bags, wedding invitations, stunning laptop cases, terrariums for their succulents, floor lamps, and even drones! Etsy artists are all over the Glowforge, using it on everything from wedding favours to home décor, too!
The Glowforge is an affordable 3D laser printer that lets you print everything from toys, artwork, drones, jewelry, and even lighting fixtures. You don’t even have to be an artist to use this, and the printer comes with some designs that you can use to test out your printer. The Glowforge comes in three models, with the cheapest being the Glowforge Basic at $2495. With all the things that this printer can do, and all the support from the creators themselves, this printer is going to set the new standard of what affordable 3D printers are, and I can’t wait to get my hands on one.
