Your $129 cartridge shouldn't be the first thing the dust hits.
Dustminder is a framed pre-filter cassette being developed for the Glowforge Craft Laser Filter used with Aura and Spark. It sits in front of the cartridge, catches the coarse dust and debris first, and gets swapped out — so the expensive cartridge doesn't have to take the beating.
- Six framed cassettes with a sealed edge — grip the frame and lift it out
- Space on the frame to write the install date
- A built-in change indicator: a strip of the filter media on the frame darkens as it catches dust, beside an identical sealed strip that stays white — when the two clearly differ, it's time to swap
- Exact-fit design — no cutting material to size
No payment of any kind — the waitlist just tells us this is worth building. If the product doesn't pass fit and airflow testing, the project stops and we'll say so. Founder bonus: the first 100 waitlist members lock in $24.99 pricing on their first pack if it launches.
How it works
The cassette sits in front of the cartridge in your Craft Laser Filter. No cutting, no measuring, no loose material.
Coarse dust and debris load up the cheap cassette instead of the surface of your $129 cartridge.
When the indicator strip is clearly darker than the white strip beside it, lift the cassette out by its frame and drop in a fresh one.
The honest part
This product does not exist yet, and we won't pretend otherwise. The design is finished as a concept; the next step is physical testing — measuring a real filter, checking the fit and seal, and verifying the cassette doesn't restrict airflow. We are not claiming a specific cartridge-life improvement until owners have run cassettes in real machines and reported back. If testing fails, there is no product — and we'll post that result too. That's the deal.
Tell us if this is worth building
Two minutes. Your answers decide whether this gets built — and owners who complete the survey are first in line for the field test.
The survey takes about two minutes. It's a free waitlist — no payment, no obligation.
Join the waitlist — take the surveyIt asks whether you own a Craft Laser Filter, which laser you run, how long your cartridges last, what you cut, and whether you'd field-test.
Questions
Is this made by Glowforge?
No. Dustminder is an independent product in development. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Glowforge. Glowforge, Aura, and Spark are names of the equipment this product is being designed to fit.
Does joining the waitlist cost anything?
No. There's no deposit and no payment — the waitlist is free and carries no obligation to buy. It exists to tell us whether enough owners want this before we build it. If the product launches, waitlist members hear first, and the first 100 lock in founder pricing on their first pack.
How do I know when to change it?
Look at the two strips on the frame. One is the filter media itself, exposed to the same air the cassette breathes, so it darkens as it loads with dust. The other is the same media sealed under clear film, so it stays factory-white. When the exposed strip is clearly darker than its sealed twin, swap in a fresh cassette. There's no mechanism and nothing to calibrate — the indicator is the filter material itself. There's also space on the frame to write the install date.
Will it definitely make my cartridge last longer?
That's the point of the product, and it's exactly what testing has to prove. We won't publish a life-extension number until owner field testing produces one.
When would it ship?
Only after fit/airflow testing and an owner field test pass. Waitlist members get the timeline by email at each step — including if the answer ends up being "we're not building it."
Where do you ship?
The Glowforge Craft Laser Filter is sold for the US market, so the first run is planned for US shipping.