Glowforge Delays Shipments Again

It’s not going to be a very merry Christmas for Glowforge backers after all. After multiple delays following its massive crowdfunding campaign, 3D laser printer start-up Glowforge announced in November that it would begin shipping pre-release units of its new printers in December. On December 2, however, CEO Dan Shapiro announced that shipments would be delayed yet again until 2017.

According to Shapiro’s note:

“One morning early in November I arrived at the office. On my right was the row of Glowforge printers that we use every day. On the left was the row of printers that were not working, waiting for troubleshooting. The row on the left was longer than the row on the right.”

The pre-release units that were supposed to be shipped out at the end of November and early December were to include a $150 pack of Proofgrade hardwood and other materials. The printers allow users to create objects out of leather, paper, plastic, fabric and cardboard.

Shapiro outlined a number of additional features for the printers in the delay announcement, including a longer warranty, new accessories and photo engraving capabilities.

The company is offering backers an additional gift certificate for its Proofgrade materials and designs that will increase in value by $20 each month they have to wait beyond their scheduled delivery date.

According to the announcement, the company has been working with beta customers to improve the printers in advance of mass production. Early units have been used to produce 3D papercut holiday cards, architectural models and hardwood-link watch bands.

“Probably my favorite thing about the Glowforge is that it can turn an idea into actuality in less than an hour,” said beta user Nyomi Lei, “I had an idea to create a wacky present for a friend, and between my husband and I, we turned a photo into an etched picture, and designed a frame, all within an hour’s effort. That’s amazing.”

Glowforge offers two printers. The Glowforge Pro (with Air Filter) is for frequent and shared use. The Glowforge Basic is the standard model for home and hobby use. It is also available with an optional Air Filter.

Flex is manufacturing the printers in its Milpitas, CA, facilities. “Our top priority has always been delivering a safe, high quality product that works every time. After considering manufacturers large and small, we concluded that Flex’s expertise and high-standards would let us build a vastly better product than we could with any other partner,” Shapiro said in the original announcement of the pre-sale shipments.

Glowforge set a crowdfunding record by raising almost $28 million in 2015. Initial units were supposed to ship at the end of last year, but units were delayed several times.

A number of backers expressed their disappointment in the company’s community forum, and several planned to cancel their orders.

Source: Glowforge