Aligning Engravings on the GlowForge Aura with a 3D-Printed Corner Guide

Part 1: The Problem About 6 months ago, I got a GlowForge Aura. It was my first laser engraver/cutter, but I had CNC experience with a Genmitsu 4040-Pro Max and assumed that knowledge would transfer. It was not quite what I expcted though. I should have researched GlowForge more before buying. It’s a good device, and I use it primarily for engraving. For cutting, I rely on the CNC or its larger 10w laser attachment. My biggest frustrations with the GlowForge Aura were twofold. First, their software uses a Software-as-a-Service model and is cloud-hosted. The free version works fine for me, so the subscription fee isn’t an issue, but the threat of GlowForge going out of business and bricking a $1,000 machine isn’t appealing. Second, instead of a coordinate system, the GlowForge workflow relies on camera alignment. It’s a clever concept and useful in its own way, but it lacks precision. Part 2: The Fix To fix this, I designed a 3D printed guide that aligns workpieces on the work table,…