The Glowforge Plus is an easy-to-use and feature-packed desktop laser cutter and engraver designed for small businesses, crafters, artists and hobbyists. With its unique 3D laser printing capabilities, built-in camera and powerful onboard software, the Glowforge Plus streamlines the laser cutting and etching process allowing you to go from digital designs to finished products faster than ever.
In this Glowforge Plus review, we’ll cover everything you need to know about this innovative machine including its features, specifications, user experience, and ideal applications. Let’s dive in!
Overiew of the Glowforge Plus Laser Cutter
The Glowforge Plus sits at the middle of Glowforge’s three laser cutter models (Basic, Plus and Pro). It comes standard with a 40-watt CO2 laser tube capable of cutting material up to 1⁄4 inch thick, a built-in 1080p top-down camera, onboard design software and robust wifi connectivity.
The enclosed cutting area measures 11 inches x 19.5 inches x 6 inches, which is large enough for processing typical small crafting and DIY projects. It’s also equipped with a 3.5 inch touchscreen display and the machine itself has compact dimensions of 24 inches wide x 16.75 inches deep x 8.2 inches tall, making the Glowforge Plus easy to set up in your home, garage, studio or makerspace.
The Glowforge Plus is marketed as an all-in-one desktop laser cutter that allows you to move from idea to finished project incredibly fast. Between its integrated design software and camera-based print preview system, it aims to simplify and streamline laser cutting. As their slogan states, it strives to be “3D laser printing made simple”.
Now let’s take a look under the hood at some of the key features and specs of the Glowforge Plus laser cutter/engraver.
Glowforge Plus Features and Specifications
- 40W CO2 laser tube – can cut material up to 1⁄4 inch (6.35mm) thick
- 11 x 19.5 inch (279 x 495mm) work area
- Built-in 1080p top-down camera for print previews
- Onboard design software for remote printing functionality
- Over-the-air firmware and software updates
- Built-in air filter with auto-cleaning system
- 3.5 inch responsive touchscreen control display
- Wireless connectivity via Wifi and Ethernet
- Compact machine dimensions: 24 x 16.75 x 8.2 inches (610 x 425.5 x 208.3 mm)
- Weighs 110 lbs (49 kg)
- 1-year comprehensive warranty included
The Glowforge Plus is compatible with a variety of materials including hard & soft woods, acrylic, delrin, mylar, rubber stamps, leather and some metals like anodized aluminum and brass. It can also engrave coated metals like stainless steel or titanium by removing the surface coating to expose the metal underneath.
Key Accessories for the Glowforge Laser Printer
To unleash the full potential of your Glowforge Plus, you’ll want to pick up a few handy accessories like:
- An active carbon air filter: This will help capture the smoke/debris from laser cutting materials like wood or leather.
- Laser engraving materials: Wood, acrylic and leather would be a good starting variety pack. You can find sample materials packs on Amazon or directly from the Glowforge website.
- Exhaust hose: For venting smoke outside instead of filtering.
- 3D modeling software: Such as Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape to design your laser cutting files. Many users even design straight from the Glowforge app.
Getting Set Up with the Glowforge One of the best aspects of the Glowforge Plus is how truly easy it is to set up and start using. There’s no complicated assembly required – just find a sturdy surface for it to sit on, plug it into a standard 110v outlet and connect it to your wifi network.
The machine walks you through the wifi connection process on first launch via the touchscreen display. You’ll create a free Glowforge account which gives you access to the Glowforge design software accessible via desktop web browsers or their iOS/Android app.
The built-in camera allows you to preview your designs right on the included display. When ready to print, you simply hit the start button or send your project to the laser printer queue remotely via the app.
The onboard air filter automatically starts up when in use and you even receive notifications when it’s time to empty the filter tray. It’s all designed to make laser cutting as convenient and hands-off as possible once your materials are loaded.
What You Can Create with a Glowforge Laser Printer
Thanks to its versatile 40W laser with a 6 inch cut depth, the Glowforge Plus can handle most small crafting, art and hobbyist engraving & cutting applications. It’s a great solution for resin artists needing custom molds, woodworkers printing custom etchings or inlays, leather crafters, model builders, electronic tinkerers and more.
Here are just some examples of what you can make with a Glowforge Plus laser cutter:
- Custom wood etchings and inlays for decorative boxes, trays, coasters etc
- Intricate woodworking joints like finger joints or dovetails
- Thin wood sheets for model building and architectural scale models
- Leather goods like wallets, bags, keychains and bracelets
- Rubber stamps and embossers
- Personalized acrylic signs, medals and awards
- Custom molds and forms for casting & molding materials like resin and silicone.
- Lithophanes – 3D sculpted translucent prints that display an etched image
- Circuit boards
- Paper crafts like greeting cards, invitations and decorations
As you can see, a benchtop CO2 laser engraver like the Glowforge Plus opens up lots of unique crafting possibilities from the convenience of your own workspace.
Glowforge vs Glowforge Plus vs Glowforge Pro
As we briefly touched on earlier, Glowforge offers their laser printer in three different models: Glowforge Basic, Glowforge Plus and Glowforge Pro. But what exactly sets each one apart and which is the best choice?
The chart below outlines the key differences between the Glowforge tiers:
Model Laser Power Cutting Depth Max Material Thickness Camera Pixel Count Price Glowforge Basic 40W 1/4 inch (6.35mm) 0.15 inch (3.81mm) 720p $2,999 Glowforge Plus (reviewed here) 40W 1/4 inch (6.35mm) 0.15 inch (3.81mm) 1080p $4,990 Glowforge Pro 45W 1⁄2 inch (12.7mm) 0.5 inch (12.7mm) 2K HD $11,990
The Glowforge Basic is definitely the most budget-friendly model but still maintains the convenient wifi-connectivity, print previews and a 40W laser. The jump up to the Glowforge Pro nearly triples the cut depth and quadruples the max material thickness and includes a higher resolution top-down camera but comes at more than double the cost of the Plus.
For most home crafters and small businesses, the Glowforge Plus hits the performance and value sweet spot. Its upgraded 1080p camera captures fine details for high quality engraving and etching while still accepting material up to 1⁄4 inch thick – more than sufficient for the majority of hobbyist projects. Plus all the same great onboard software and remote access features still apply!
Glowforge Plus Review – The Verdict
After taking an in-depth look at the key features, print quality and overall user experience of the Glowforge Plus, would we recommend it? Absolutely! For sub $5,000 it’s undoubtedly one of the best desktop CO2 laser cutters on the market currently for small businesses and hobbyists.
It removes a lot of barriers to laser cutting with its seamless wifi connectivity, real-time print previews and intuitive design software. No complex configuration, calibration or manual controls required. Just connect it to your home wifi network and you’re ready start laser printing.
While it may not match the raw power, cutting depth, speed or maximum material thickness of heavy duty industrial laser cutters, it provides great value for most small crafting and fabrication use cases. Yet it maintains a professional-grade build quality with metal chassis construction and robust internal components rated for hundreds of hours of use.
The bottom line? If you’re searching for an efficient laser engraver and cutter to take your DIY projects, crafts or prototyping to the next level from the convenience of your home office or makerspace, the Glowforge Plus delivers in spades!
