3D laser printers are pretty popular these days because they allow you to engrave your designs on a variety of materials including leather and wood. Glowforge is the most popular 3D laser printer which is known for its precision and useful features. However, it’s not the only 3D laser printer and there are many other useful 3D laser printers available in the market, which we will share with you today. In this guide, we will discuss the top 6 alternatives to Glowforge and tell you about their unique features.
List of 6 Best Glowforge Alternatives
Glowforge is arguably one of the best 3D printers available out there but there are some worthy competitors as well which we will discuss in this section. If you are looking for some good Glowforge alternatives, keep reading because we are going to share the best ones with you.
➀ OMTech AF2028-60 CO2 Laser Printer
OMTech AF2028-60 is one of the most popular 3D laser printers available in the market and it’s a direct competitor to Glowforge. The printer comes with a 60W high-powered CO2 laser which is more powerful and better as compared to the 45W CO2 laser you get with Glowforge.
Another area where OMTech AF2028-60 outshines Glowforge is the engraving resolution. The former comes with a 4500 DPI engraving resolution whereas Glowforge only offers a 1355 DPI engraving resolution.
OMTech laser printer also comes with a passthrough feature which makes it easier for users to process large-size materials and they can easily engrave on them without any problem.
The only area where Glowforge is better than OMTech AF2028-60 is the assembly because it takes around an hour to assemble the OMTech laser printer but once you assemble it, it offers better performance than Glowforge in many aspects. Also, OMTech offers 2 years of warranty which is one year longer than what Glowforge offers.
Overall, if you are looking for a powerful Glowforge alternative with better specs and features, OMTech AF2028-60 is a solid option.
➁ FSL Muse Core Desktop CO2 Laser Printer
FSL Muse Core is another very worthy alternative to Glowforge. If we look at both laser printers, you will find that both of them have very similar form factors but the price difference between them is pretty significant. The entry-level FSL Muse Core starts at around $3000 but it comes with many add-on features which can bump the price up to $10,000.
If we look at differences, the engraving area of FSL Muse Core is larger even though both laser printers have very similar form factors. The engravable areas on FSL Muse Core are 20” x 12” whereas Glowforge offers an 11” x 19.5” inch engravable area.
FSL Muse Core also comes with a 7” touch screen on top of the machine which allows you to control parameters directly from the machine but this feature is not available on Glowforge.
The one area where Glowforge is better than FSL Muse Core is the engraving resolution. In Glowforge you get 1355 DPI of engraving resolution, and Muse Core offers the engraving resolution of 1000 DPI.
FSL Muse Core comes with tons of upgradeable add-ons which you can use to add more features to the laser printer and make it more powerful. FSL Muse Core is also very easy to assemble and has a good community as well which is a big plus. Overall, if you are looking for a Glowforge alternative with tons of add-on options, FSL Muse Core is a solid option for you.
➂ FLUX Beambox Compact (40W) Laser Cutter
FLUX Beambox Compact is one of the most popular laser printers in the market and it shares many similar features with Glowforge. If we look at the pricing, the prices of both machines are pretty similar but there are some other areas where FLUX Beambox Compact is slightly better than Glowforge.
For starters, the printable area of Beambox Compact is a bit bigger than the Glowforge. The former comes with 15.7” x 14.7” of printable area whereas Glowforge offers a printable area of 11” x 19.5”. Beambox Compact also comes with a 1024 x 600 pixels LCD Touchscreen on the top which allow you to control the important parameters directly from the machine. Glowforge doesn’t come with any display.
If we look at the shortcomings, Beambox Compact comes with low engraving resolution as compared to Glowforge. In Beambox Compact, you get an engraving resolution of 1000 DPI whereas Glowforge offers 1355 DPI of engraving resolution which is better. Similarly, both devices come with preview cameras but the camera in Glowforge is slightly better because it comes with the autofocus feature which is missing in Beambox Compact.
The lasers in both Glowforge and Beambox Compact are similar and both come with 40W CO2 laser. However, the company also offers a 50W Laser which is available in FLEX Beambox Pro. If we consider the assembly time of Beambox Compact, it’s pretty reasonable and you can unpack and assemble the device within 15 minutes.
Overall, if you are not a fan of Glowforge and looking for an alternative with similar features and a slightly bigger printable area, FLEX Beambox Compact is a great option for you.
➃ Nova 24 60-Watt Laser Engraver
Nova 24 is a premium laser printer that comes with more power and features compared to Glowforge. This printer comes with a price tag of over $7400 but it comes with a powerful laser and other useful features which justifies the price.
For starters, the printer comes with a 60W powerful CO2 Laser which is better and more powerful than Glowforge. It also comes with a larger printable area as compared to Glowforge. In Nova 24, you get a 23.6” x 15.7” printable area whereas Glowforge only comes with an 11” x 19.5” printable area.
Another useful feature of Nova 24 is that it comes with a passthrough feature which makes it easier for users to engrave on large objects which is not possible on Glowforge. On top of that, Nova 24 also comes with features such as a warning light and a 2-year warranty.
The only area where Nova 24 is not better than Glowforge is the engraving resolution. Nova 24 comes with an engraving resolution of 500 DPI which is very low compared to what Glowforge offers.
Overall, if you want a premium 3D Laser printer with a powerful laser and passthrough feature, Nova 24 is a great option for you.
➄ xTool D1 Laser Cutter & Engraver
If you don’t want to spend tons of money on a laser printer and looking for an affordable alternative to Glowforge for under $1000, you can consider xTool D1 which is one of the best laser printers in the budget category. It’s surely not as powerful as the Glowforge but it gets the job done and allows you to engrave over 100 different types of materials.
In a D1 laser printer, you get the 10W lasers which are equipped with dual laser technology allowing the printer to combine two laser beams into one spot. The printer also comes with limit switches that trigger the alarm if the laser is about to hit the boundary of the machine. Also, features such as a flame detector alert users on time to avoid any damage to the machine.
If we look at the engraving area, xTool D1 comes with 17” x 16” of engraving area whereas Glowforge offers 11” x 19.5” of the engraving area. Overall, if you are looking for an affordable laser printer under $1000, xTool D1 is a solid option for you.
➅ FLUX Beamo 3D Laser Printer
FLUX Beamo 3D Laser Printer is another powerful printer that can be a good alternative to Glowforge. The printer is equipped with a powerful laser and useful features such as an HD Camera and auto-alignment which makes it easier to use for engraving material.
The company has designed the Beamo 3D Laser printer for industrial usage, and it comes with all the bells and whistles which you can expect from a good 3D laser printer. For starters, it comes with an internal water cooling system which makes sure that the printer stays cool even after heavy usage. On top of that, it also comes with a safety switch that allows you to stop the printer by pressing a single button.
If we look at the laser, FLUX Beamo comes with an ultra-thin laser that comes with 1000 DPI resolution and it can engrave up to 0.05 mm depth which is very promising. Another nifty feature of FLUX Beamo is that it comes with mobile connectivity option and you can control the printer directly from your machine. On top of that, it also works well with a wide range of professional software including Adobe Illustrator, Autodesk AutoCAD, and Corel Draw.
Overall, if you are looking for a compact yet powerful Glowforge alternative with tons of useful features, you can’t go wrong with FLUX Beamo.
Bottom Line
These are the top 6 Glowforge alternatives that you can consider. We have shared the Glowforge alternatives in different price segments which will make it easier for you to pick the 3D laser printer according to your budget. We hope that you liked the guide and found the right 3D laser printer for you. Also, don’t forget to check this guide where we have shared the best software for Texturing 3D Models.
