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It's time to... #GetaGrip   PiBurn Grip Launch The revolutionary PiBurn Grip is a chuck-style rotary, but it's more than that. It is the BEST chuck rotary on the planet. This chuck system was designed and built by LensDigital from scratch. It is the only chuck rotary designed specifically for laser engraving. Other systems are borrowed from the lathe and drilling applications - they are heavy and bulky and can't hold the delicate glass without breaking it. We have spent years conceptualizing and bringing this tool to our makers, and we are so excited at the new opportunities it will open for you. You will be able to pre-order the PiBurn Grip this coming Monday, November 21st, 11am EST (Scroll down for how to order!) The price for the Grip Add-on Kit will be 395$ - you will need your original order number to purchase. The price will go up after the first 100 kits are sold. Note, the Thunder Addon Kit has a $100 markup due to the motor, plug, and wiring cover. On that same day, you will also be able to buy a full PiBurn Grip rotary - a chuck-only rotary without wheels shown below. The special pre-order price will be $995. Finally, on that same day, you will be able to pre-order the PiBurn 4.0 with a Grip Addon for $1,245 (Buy PiBurn4 + Grip Addon. This is called the Omni) When you have the PiBurn 4 and the Grip Addon kit, you can swap from the chuck-only system to wheels-only and vice-versa. If you have a metal clamp on your PiBurn 4.0, you can also configure the rotary to have the chuck mounted above the wheels instead of the clamp. We will aim to ship by the second-third week of December. Our goal is to ship every pre-order before Christmas. We may hit, we may miss. Stay tuned for shipping updates on this forum. The benefits of a chuck are plenty, and I will only list a few of them here: Never worry about walking or horizontal shift - no need for stoppers, EVER You can now make multiple passes! Frame at high speeds Engrave rings and other smaller items Engrave mugs with heavy handles without the worry of slipping Engrave non-cylindrical items with ease Direct drive system means no belts, no gears. Less things to go wrong or break down. No need to run test to dial in steps, simply change the object diameter. And the benefits of the PiBurn Grip above and beyond any chuck are: No tools are required to use! Simple and quick swapping, tighten and loosen with your hands. Adjustable angle like the original PiBurn for tampered objects Includes rubber-padded "fingers" for the extra delicate glass items (NO OTHER CHUCK DOES THIS!) Extra long jaws are to be sold separately for items like dog bowls. Pre-orders start November 21st 11am ET on lensdigital.com Introduction to the Grip: How to Order the Grip? You have two options: 1. Buy the Grip Addon kit ($395 on pre-order), or 2. buy the PiBurn Grip Rotary ($995 on pre-order). 1. Have a PiBurn? You will be able to purchase the PiBurn Addon kit and simply bolt on the chuck system to your PiBurn! Just $395 for the pre-order of the first 100 kits. 2. Do not Have a PiBurn or need another Rotary? Love the chuck jaw system? Consider the PiBurn Grip Rotary. Powerful, versatile, and precise, this will let you engrave anything you can imagine! Want a Roller system? Buy the PiBurn 4.0. Our latest and greatest Roller rotary is the essence of simplicity, repeatability, and reliability. It is the ultimate tumbler engraving machine! 3. Want the Omni? Why is the Omni the last rotary you'll ever need? It will give you by far the MOST capability possible on any rotary attachment. I mean, it's not even close. And sometimes you want it all! You may want the speed and simplicity of a Roller rotary AND the power and precision of a chuck. For you, there is the OMNI: This incredible build has both the Roller system and the chuck system in one beast of a machine. It is fast and simple to swap the Grip Addon for the metal clamp when you wish to move back to the roller, or even reconfigure it into the standalone Grip Rotary if you need more clearance:

OMTech and LensDigital are expanding their partnership with the introduction of a Limited Edition OMTech PiBurn and testing a brand-new rotary together.   We are excited to announce that we have expanded our partnership with OMTech Laser! Expanding the Partnership OMTech are known to provide the highest value in laser machines. They make lasers that are known to be reliable, versatile workhorses offered at an affordable price. Makers love the machines for the dependability and repeatability they provide to their operations. And small business owners love the machines for the new revenue streams they open and the new products they let them offer to their customers. We could not be happier to work with this great brand. Now, we will be working even closer together. Specifically, we have teamed up on several initiatives, including the design of future PiBurn rotaries and other potential products that complement the incredible line-up of OMTech machines. OMTech has agreed to test and then carry the PiBurn Grip, an innovative rotary with an adjustable chuck jaw system that is in development but coming soon. We can't wait to offer the OMTech + PiBurn grip combination to our mutual customers. For those already in the tumbler game, it will be a welcome innovation, and for those thinking of getting into tumblers, it will provide a simple way to jump in.   Limited Edition PiBurn just for OMTech customers   To celebrate this growing partnership, we are launching an exclusive PiBurn just for OMTech customers. This Limited Edition OMTech version of the PiBurn is available ONLY through OM Tech's website: ONLY THROUGH OMTECH: Starting TODAY (Monday, October 17th, 2022 and onwards), when you purchase a PiBurn from the OMTech website, you will receive the limited version PiBurn 4.0 rotary made exclusively for OMTech customers, featuring its own awesome color scheme, an upgraded backstopper, and the new improved adjustable front-stopper. And of course, the PiBurn is going to be co-branded with an OMTech logo! We are proud to be working even closer with OMTech and serving the community of makers together, bringing even better value to our mutual customers. Buy the limited edition PiBurn from OMTech here: PiBurn Laser Rotary Attachment 4.0 (PiBurn V4.0) from Lens Digital – OMTech Laser Thanks and happy PiBurning! Len and Stan

Let’s celebrate our PiBurner of the week! Robert Kofoed owner at Computer Creations (YouTube Channel)   It's truly an honor to welcome Robert Kofoed to our growing ranks of PiBurners!   UPDATE 2/18/2023 Robert was chosen as a Beta Tester for the PiBurn in the fall of 2022. He has led the adoption of the new PiBurn Grip Chuck rotary for the Thunder laser community. Many with Thunder lasers has followed his lead and the results have been exceptional! Check out his tutorial on miniature bats using his Thunder and PiBurn Grip He is also working on a few other projects that he shared with our Piburn community. About Robert Robert is a legend in the Thunder community and really needs no introduction. If you have a Thunder laser or watch YouTube videos about lasers, you likely know and follow Robert's channel, just like his more than 17,000 subscribers. This is why we are so excited to share his story with you as our newest PiBurner.   Robert is the Owner/Operator of Computer Creations, a company he established over 20 years ago in 2000. He lives in Fallon, Nevada with his beautiful bride of 42 years, Hope. They have one daughter/son in law and 3 wonderful grandchildren. He is no stranger to hustling hard, and knows how to build and grow a business. From a hustle, to full-time occupation fueling his retirement, Robert kept a keen eye out for opportunity, didn't hesitate to pivot when needed and kept looking for growth. This is exactly what it takes to succeed in this business. I’ve owned and operated a business of some kind since 1981 (began as a side hustle). When Computer Creations was born back in 2000, we were running an on-site photography business. In 2010 we pivoted into custom wood products and at the start of 2020 after I retired from a 40-year career with a local electric utility, I took my custom wood products full time and added lasers to be able to offer a much wider range of products.   Personal background and pursuits Robert is an avid outdoorsman. He loves to hunt and fish and be outdoors with family, an opportunity that is readily available in and around his hometown. What else inspires him? How about public speaking! Speaking to large crowds was one of my favorite things to do in my corporate job and I do miss it! But now, he reaches thousands of people through his content, an audience much larger than even at his old corporate job. He also has a passion for helping others. In fact it is one of the main reasons we are so aligned and why I was personally thrilled to offer Robert an affiliation with LensDigital. Training others is one of my passions, one reason I started my YouTube channel Computer Creationz Have you ever heard the maxim "If you want it done right, do it yourself"? This is how Robert operates - with full control over his creative process. And the results are absolutely incredible. I love to have complete control of the creative process, from conception, design and production. That's what I love about the laser business! 90% of our business is custom. Working with clients to get that design just right is very rewarding to me. Talk about job satisfaction! Creating beautiful gifts for people is some of the most rewarding work that out PiBurners talk about. Laser journey: Thunder Laser and PiBurn For some people the Laser journey starts at retirement though the business journey started a long time prior for Robert. Right after he retired, he ordered a 10 watt diode laser. We all have to start somewhere! For many people it's a Glowforge or even a Cricut machine. But some take the plunge into the world of Diode lasers first, just to find out they need more power and capability a while later. Took me months to totally figure the diode laser out. At the time there was little content on YouTube to help. I Started using Lightburn at the end of 2019. Once I got the diode figured out, I was hooked. It created beautiful stuff, but it was way to slow for any production work. We hear this so often! Makers seem to outgrow the tools they start out with, but they always credit these tools for getting the journey started. You might call it, the gateway laser! As with all successful makers, growth required investment into Robert's business. This was not an easy decision by any means, here are his thoughts in his own words: It was at that time that I had to have a conversation with my wife that I dreaded. We just spent $1200 on a diode laser setup, and it wasn’t going to work the way I wanted it to. Keep in mind I just retired, and income numbers were up in the air. After many agonizing hours of worry we decided to order a Thunder Nova24- 60 watt co2 laser (best decision we ever made). This by far was the biggest purchase we had made as a business. Robert pulled the trigger on a powerful machine and it would change his business and his life forever. Fast forward to today, sold the nova 24-60watt laser and upgraded to a Thunder Nova 35-100 watt, purchased a 60watt JPT Mopa fiber laser, business is better than it's ever been.   The investment paid off, and Robert business took off! Now, he uses the full power of his Thunder Nova to deliver phenomenal projects for his customers in record time. YouTube Channel “Computer Creationz” with his Thunder Laser Robert's TouTube channel is not to be missed. If you are not subscribed, you are seriously missing out. His love for teaching shines through in his content and the depth and breadth of his content are excellent. Since I love to train, I share YouTube videos on Lightburn, laser operations and projects. I’m proud to say that since early 2020 my YouTube channel Computer Creationz has grown to 17,100 subscribers and average well over 6000 hours of watch videos every month. My goal is to reach 20,000 subscribers by year end. Here is an example of a video you can find on his channel that can help you reduce your engraving time by 50%! Do yourself a favor, Subscribe! Robert's business today Robert's business thrives on custom orders from clients that discover his products online. He receives orders for many different types of items including tumblers he runs on his Thunder Laser and his PiBurn. What are the types of orders he gets? Mostly custom orders for all different types of tumblers, growlers, glassware, dog bowls. Unique custom wood products from 100% solid hardwood to Baltic birch projects. Projects that come from my fiber laser such as leatherette engraving, leather work, slate memorials, custom coins, knife and axe engraving if it can be lasered by a co2 or fiber laser I’m up for it!   Most unique custom project this year was a solid cherry horse measuring tool for measuring how high a horse stands. I had an example that the customer provided that was made in the early 1900’s.   PiBurn Discovery When we recieved an order from Robert, we already knew about him and his excellent reputation in the laser community. You can imagine how thrilled we were to build his first PiBurn. What does he think about it? I ordered my PiBurn in March of 2022, I was looking for other rotary options. I love the ease of use of my PiBurn v4 and use it several times a week. The flexibility and the direction of LensDigital is very appealing to me. They have some very progressive additions coming up that will further the use of their rotary on many items that are difficult to manage in a roller style rotary.   What inspires Robert Besides the few things we already mentioned, here is what keeps Robert cranking out new items and adding value to the laser community though his content: Taking something like a thought or idea and turning into a product for a client. Taking an idea from a client and delivering something greater that they expected. Working with someone that is struggling with Lightburn or a project and providing them the knowledge and skills to grow there ability as a laser business owner/operator. There is nothing more rewarding than to see the reaction from someone when they realize that they can do this!   Favorite projects Robert loves engraving custom sports bottles for sports teams with his PiBurn v4, anything unique that nobody else is doing like custom coins. Also, teaching someone that’s about to give up on their laser because they think it too intimidating is a very rewarding experience - especially when you help them succeed!   Advice for people starting out In Robert's own words, because there is nothing I can add here! Do what YOU not want not what everyone else is creating. Be patient, growing a large client base doesn’t happen overnight. Always under promise and over deliver. Always provide more than you customer is expecting. The only thing standing between you and every other laser owner is your uniqueness and being able to stand out to your customers by producing exceptional quality products and superior customer service.   Important Links   YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB3-k4fmkVqTTjAhb0Cdd_g Facebook Business page https://www.facebook.com/computercreationz Email Computercreations@charter.net   How can you not be passionate about the laser business?? Robert inspires us, and pushes us to create great content so we can keep up!   Robert, thank you for creating, for teaching, thank you for inspiring and sharing in your success, and of course, thank you for being a PiBurner!!   Happy PiBurning! Len and Stan Laser-focused on your success!     Your story is worth sharing too! Contact us to become our next PiBurner!

Let’s celebrate our PiBurner of the week! Liz Rivers owner at The Laser Outpost   We are very excited to share the story of PiBurner Liz Rivers! About Liz Today, it's our great pleasure to share the story of Liz Rivers and to let you all in on her amazing journey in the world of lasers.     Liz is a law enforcement officer who lives in NY with her husband Tom. Together, they have four kids who are all grown up. While she loves serving her community and keeping the neighborhood safe, her true passion is to create. And with her success in the laser business, she is very close to making her dream a reality: She is going to pursue her creative talents full time. Liz is now planning on retiring from law enforcement and dedicating her energy to the maker community. In her own words: I am a soon to retire law enforcement officer and I love being creative. Creating unique items provides me an outlet from my very demanding and stressful career. How it started Like many of the makers we talk to, Liz's creative journey started from humble beginnings: a Cricut machine. But she quickly followed the Rabbit hole down and found herself surrounded by like-minded people. My creative journey started when I was gifted a Cricut die cutting machine, which led me to various Facebook groups. And here is common thread we see with all successful makers. They don't stop on one success, they reach for more, learn, invest and deliberately work on growing. Her next phase took her into the world of Sublimation. This is a method to transfer a design to an object using heat, and it makes for some really beautiful art.     In my never-ending quest to expand my creative side and learn new hobbies, I joined a sublimation group and before I knew it, I was making things for friends and family who were willing to pay for my tumblers, ornaments and ever-growing assortment of items that I was creating. The Journey   Sometimes taking that first step is enough, putting your work out there can lead to orders pouring in from family and friends, and even friends of friends. This is the time to make a choice. Are you going to grow this hobby into something bigger? For Liz the answer was YES. Here is how it came about:   It was when I realized people were willing to pay for my craft that my side hustle was born. Liz started investing more time into perfecting her skills and reaching a wider audience. She made a website called River Barn Designs: And things were going well, until one Holiday season, fate came knocking. One Christmas, in the thick of the season I ordered some laser-cut blanks, but to my horror they arrived damaged, and I quickly started to research how to cut my own blanks. In January 2020 I joined various laser groups and by March I had ordered an Aeon Mira 9. Isn't it incredible how growth comes in times of challenges? This is a beautiful example of how a maker stepped up, opened her mind, and expanded her capabilities instead of wallowing in despair at the damaged goods she was counting on.   Her Business now Not only did Liz create a stable and consistent income stream for her and her family, but she also gives that ability to others. This makes the maker community so powerful - as people grow, they tend to help others reach their potential as well. I now run a very successful small business out of my garage and an educational laser group where I help others learn their lasers and how to run a business or a side hustle.   My favorite projects are engraving tumblers and the items that I don’t have to paint. I hate painting. Hey, can't love everything. Liz doesn't enjoy painting much, so she focuses on doing the things she loves. What inspires you? Part of the reason why so many makers choose this path is the inspiration they feel to get up and create every morning. And that energy is contagious. It's something that is worth spreading and sharing. And that is exactly what Liz is doing with the community The Laser Outpost. The creative community inspires me to do more and better. Five months ago, I created a new FB community, The Laser Outpost. That is an educational community where I offer support to creatives on their laser journey. I also provide 1 on 1 classes to Mira owners and those learning Lightburn.   If you haven't already, check out Liz's group - it's full of helpful tips, videos and articles to move you forward with your laser operation.   Advice for makers starting out We always ask successful makers what they would like to tell others who are just starting out in the laser game. There were some good words of wisdom from Liz: My advice to others starting out is to educate yourself as much as you can and to enjoy the creative process. Beautiful advice, and we hope you'll take it!   These stories are the real reason why Len and I are in this business. Makers like Liz inspire us, energize us to create even better products, and help us get through our toughest days - we know it's all worth it.   Liz, thank you for creating, thank you for inspiring and sharing, and of course, thank you for being a PiBurner!!   Happy PiBurning! Len and Stan Laser-focused on your success!       Your story is worth sharing too! Contact Stan to become our next PiBurner!

PiBurn Gigs: 200 Yetis in one order, featuring Molly Kennedy We are excited to tell you about Molly Kennedy and how she uses her Thunder Laser and PiBurn Rotary to power her side hustle to new heights. Her latest order: A gargantuan 200-YETI strong project, all done with no sweat.   Meet Molly and her little red helper. She's crushing the myth that you have to be a "full-time" maker to score big deals and create a great revenue stream using your laser.  With her Thunder Laser and rotary called PiBurn, Molly spun up a nice little side hustle during quarantine while most of us were baking sourdough.   And now she landed this huge order. Yeti's as far as the eye can see! Here is a video of the order:  How did she do it?! Molly is not a full-time“maker”. In fact, this is just a side hobby she's picked up in quarantine. She admits she wasn’t making any money with her laser until she got a PiBurn and got into the tumbler game. Now, its ON!   Thanks to PiBurn I discovered how much people LOVE custom tumblers! My 200 cup order was a client of a friend who needed swag for a big event they had happening. Sometimes it just takes being ready when the opportunity arises and pouncing on it. This is what Molly did beautifully to land this mega order. In this case, Molly's friend saw her work on a social media post and recommended Molly to her client, and that, in turn, lead to an order. The client ordered the Yeti tumblers from Amazon and shipped them to her to engrave. On the pricing - she provided the client with a bulk discount because of the extraordinary size of the order. When it came time to engrave Molly powered on her Thunder and her trusty PiBurn. She engraved these over a week, estimating it took around 10 hours of work plus some cleanup. It wasn't too bad since her 8-year-old was there to help!   Any advice for folks starting out? My advice for those just starting out is don’t be afraid just to try. I see so many posts of people just having their PiBurn sit in the box because they are afraid of it. This is true. There are some folks who have not unpacked their rotary - and they are missing out on a huge opportunity. This is what Molly thought when she plugged her PiBurn rotary into her Thunder laser: Honestly, it’s the easiest thing I’ve ever used! How do you restock? Any Marketing strategy advice? I keep an eye for sales on water bottles and use those as giveaways to show people what I can do. For example, I found $3 bottles and customized them for my son’s baseball team. Parents saw them and word of mouth spread. I had not only water bottle orders, but other laser orders too. I also love to show my work to co-workers which has resulted in a lot of orders from both the company as well as personal orders.   Keep up with Molly on her Instagram: mkennedy_07 and TikTok: @sandtosnowstudio That's all for this PiBurn Gigs series, and we hope you enjoyed it! Have an order that you want to highlight? Contact us. Happy PiBurning!  

An Aeon Laser Poll shows customers prefer the PiBurn Rotary! Aeon Laser USA ran a poll on their forum, and I can’t wait to tell you about it. (Shared with permission.) Here is what the poll asked and the results (as of Sept 23): Source: Aeon Laser Operator Group The question posed to Aeon customers was: Which rotary do you use and why? Overwhelmingly, respondents chose the PiBurn—representing 57% of votes. But that’s not all. One of the options reflected intent (planning to buy the new Aeon Multi-Roller when it’s out), which accounted for about 12% of responses. Removing “future intent” and looking only at actual purchases gives us this: PiBurn’s dominance rises to 66% of actual rotary purchases in the Aeon poll. Why do makers love the PiBurn? PiBurn all the way. Not only is it easy to use but the customer service is exceptional. I also love that they keep up with resources and write blogs about ways to improve your rotary business. PiBurn for ease of use (I have 2 of them, one for each laser) and the new multi roller on order. I originally got a rotary chuck and a smart rotary roller with my machine..then decided to give the Piburn a chance…ABSOLUTELY BY FAR…my favorite. It is so much easier to use and I love doing cups with handles with ease. PiBurn v3. Well made, always consistent and accurate. Always innovating to improve the market. Best customer service available. Best user community around. The piBurn is so great and versatile! Easy to use and holds your cup so steady PiBurn. I love it and I call it my cash cow. It’s the perfect companion to my Aeon Lasers. In fact, I own two. Very easy to use, versatile and well-built and backed by exceptional customer service. These reasons echo reviews for the PiBurn: ease of use, versatility, and consistency are the standout attributes. Many Aeon PiBurners are featured in our blog series, including: PiBurner of the Week (9/19/2022): Heather Lynn PiBurner of the Week (9/1/2022): Sumita & Anuj Patel PiBurner of the Week (11/8/2021): Cathe Ray PiBurner of the Week (12/13/2021): Hope Yoder PiBurner of the Week (9/20/2021): Emily Caroline We couldn’t be more proud of the trust placed in us by the Aeon community. Thank you for the amazing support—we’re here to help you succeed! Happy PiBurning,Len & Stan

Let’s celebrate our PiBurner of the week! Yasmany R. Lazo (Yazo) owner at Btala (btala.Etsy.com) It’s a real joy to tell you all about Yasmany and share some of his creative passion with you We first met Yasmany through a mutual friend who hung out on the same laser forums as we did. I immediately fell in love with Yazo’s creative flair and knew that we needed to get a PiBurn in his hands immediately. Since then, we have become friends and it’s been incredible to watch Yazo’s business grow and develop. But most of all, I value his unique creativity and his whole creative process. It’s a gift that I knew needed to be shared with our readers. And so… let’s dive in and learn how he got here and what drives this amazing artist to keep creating. About Yazo Yasmany R. Lazo (Yazo) was born on the beautiful island of Cuba, just a very short 34 years ago! In his words A country of old cars, rum, habanos and salsa. A beautiful, CHAOTIC and yet culture rich little Island. He now lives with his wife and two young boys (3, and 7 years old) in the beautiful Florida Keys. And yes all their family photos do look like an advertisement of a picture-perfect family on a fancy paradise vacation. Yasmany reflects a lot of the characteristics I value in people, namely, he is genuine and thoughtful; humble and generous; creative and giving. And although he is soothingly calm to converse with, he can be very vigorous, driven, focused, and very determined when it comes to work. In his words… I encourage fighting for what you desire and believe – because nothing great comes easy. There is ancient wisdom in those words. In his book, “The Obstacle is the Way”, Ryan Holiday taps ancient stoic ideas that great things deserve great effort, and the reason something is difficult can actually be used to your advantage. Think about that the next time you are faced with a challenging project – your competition is also facing these challenges. Who will keep trying and prevail and who will give up? His Art Yazo has always been artistically inclined. Check out just some of his work: He attended art and graphic design schools and in later years developed a deep love for photography. Even though he is never satisfied with his own skills, pushing to always improve, his work won acclaim and recognition. On various occasions, Yasmany had his photographs showcased in galleries and even had his work featured at the University of Art and Design in Miami Fl. Like everyone else we know, Yazo went through some changes and some disruption due to the pandemic  – and he had to adapt. He made certain changes including leaving photography behind, consciously putting his passion on a temporary hold. But he had a goal in mind and he wasn’t going to let anything stand in the way. Working a very stressful job, he was able to save enough capital to buy his first laser! And now, he has channeled all that creative drive and experience into something new, something that would grant him a reliable income stream for his family.  His machine of choice was a BOSS LASER LS2436 that he purchased from a friend. And to this day, this is still the machine he currently uses and loves. Of course, like everything worth learning, it came with a learning curve. But it’s Yazo is not one to give up. After doing his research, asking tons of questions, and finding the right folks to help him on his journey, he became proficient and then became an expert in his craft, eventually coming to a place where HE is now the one helping people get started. Several experts helped him along his journey: During my first 3 months, with the Boss Laser, I meet Ben Gonzales a very knowledgeable person who offered me good advice when I needed it. Several other helpful people like Chris Veit, all took time to help me on my journey. How did you come across the PiBurn? Ben put me in touch with Stan and Len, the creators of this amazing company LensDigital – the makers of the PiBurn. I recognized the quality right away and knew that this is the tool I need for my projects if I wanted to take my tumbler game to the next level. Also, the design was definately eye-catching and better than any other rotary I have seen. Well, those words meant a lot coming from him, and we are happy to have grown to be friends over the last year or so. To watch Yazo put the PiBurn to such fantastic use and leverage it as a creative outlet for his talents has been exceptionally rewarding. And a whole lot of fun! Using the PiBurn allows Yazo to handle very precise designs that he loves creating. Also, it allows him to engrave on a large range of tumblers, even those with large handles. But what I personally love the most are his full-wrap designs and those with textured imagery. They make very unique, captivating, and striking drinkware and always make a strong impression – most definitely a statement of art. I bought several for my kids and my wife from his Etsy store and the kids just love them! What have you learned on your journey? Several things. After many conversations with folks that are in this game for a while, and then walking that same path, the main takeaway was to take time to really get to know your tools and software. Another important thing I’ve learned is to TRY TRY TRY and never stop trying. That’s my advice to newcomers. I know its intimidating and lots of us including myself we have very little room in our budgets for wasted materials. But you have to climb the ladder to know what’s on top even when others help you and offer you the answers to your problem you will still have to tinker and adapt to that current problem and the next one coming!   In fact, Yazo always makes himself available to help fellow PiBurners on our support forum where he is one of our designated group experts. What does he ask in return for helping you with your tumbler designs? Of course, do your homework first and put in the effort ahead of time. Give him a bit of time to get back to you (as he has another full-time job) and finally, once you get help and learn, pass that knowledge on to others who also need your help! What inspires you? When it comes to inspiration my family is the biggest, I have two small boys that are on the Autism spectrum (highly functioning), and OH BOY! they are VERY SMART! Coming from a very poor country, you are self-taught to be ambitious and fight for success. But I won’t lie, I get my lazy streaks which I know is something I am working on. I am my own harshest critic and always wanting to be better pushes me! Currently living in the Florida Keys – maybe I don’t appreciate the beauty as much I should. When you live in a place and work all the time, it is hard to truly appreciate the raw beauty of your surroundings. But I can say it’s very beautiful and calming and often inspiring to my work. I know that if I am away from here for long, I truly miss it. Living down here you will get to learn to love fishing and the sunsets… Oh man, the sunsets are killer – and a great fodder for fans of photography like myself. Besides photography: its creating digital art and lasering, and I also enjoy painting and drawing. I’d like to think I’m okay at it, but who knows, I just do it for fun. I also enjoy cooking, collecting figurines, old retro gaming consoles and very time consuming activities like video games! Horizon Zero Dawn is a good one! Like movies, games often inspire me to create some unique artwork and with my PiBurn I can turn anything into a tumbler. But of course, most of all, my FAMILY inspires me and time spent with them is what I really LOVE. It goes by quick so I make the most of it.   Well, reading this makes me want to pack up and leave New Jersey for a long South Florida vacation.   Examples of favorite projects We absolutely love these unique designs, and the expression, character, and precision in this work is just next level. See for yourselves:       It’s incredible to see Yazo’s love for his family, his home, and movies and even video games translate into motivation for the unique and captivating designs he brings us each day in his work. Yazo, it’s an honor to have our tool in your capable hands, keep growing, keep creating and keep inspiring. And of course, thank you for inspiring others, and thank you for being a PiBurner! Happy PiBurning! Len and Stan

Let’s celebrate our PiBurner of the week! Heather Lynn owner at LoBo Designs (@_LoBoDesigns_) We are very excited to introduce you to Heather Lynn, our newest PiBurner! About Heather Today, it's our great pleasure to share the story of Heather Lynn and to let you all in on her amazing journey in the world of lasers. Heather is the owner of LoBo Designs and founder of the Glowcreate® Laser-Learning platform — but first and foremost, she is a wonderful Mom who lives in Philidelphia with her husband and their 4-year-old son Logan. I'm a Mama to my 4-year-old son, Logan Robert (LoBo) and a wife who's married to her best friend! My husband isn't in the "laser underground" like I am, but he's a metalworker and will soon be joining me in the self-employment world! We often see success stories like this; when a spouse gets the entrepreneurial bug, it often spreads to their partner! And what a blessing it is to do something you love, on your own terms, and all while surrounded by your family... Not only is she a maker, but she also shares her knowledge with a growing community of makers just like her. And she has plenty of skills and credentials to lean upon: I am primarily an online instructor & mentor, but I am also a graphic designer and calligrapher, with a Bachelor's Degree in Multimedia & Web Design. The Laser Business Journey Heather got started with her first laser thanks to a clickbait ad on Facebook back in 2019. That's right, I spent $5,500 on a "3D Laser Printer" that I didn't know how to use, nor did I have any idea that it was a CO2 laser She didn't even know what a CO2 laser was at that time! After receiving her Glowforge Pro in October 2019, she learned as much as possible with the limited resources that were available to her at that time. Thankfully, she managed to team up with a few other laser users who were either learning the same things as she was or were ready and willing to show her the ropes and get her up to speed — and it wasn't long before she started creating and selling her own unique laser designs on Etsy! It's uplifting to see makers help each other! There is no shortage of great people in the maker community that lift each other up and support one another. She was doing great, but when she saw an opportunity for growth, she took it. Around the same time that I started selling my designs, I began to have problems with my first Glowforge Pro. While working with their customer service, I started to look into upgrading to a larger, more powerful laser since I was pretty quickly outgrowing my current machine. Again and again, we hear from makers that the Glowforge acted kinda like a "gateway laser" to a more powerful and capable machine. In May of 2020, while she was on Glowforge replacement machine number three, she purchased a 90w Mira 9 from Aeon Laser USA. Just a few short months later, Aeyoncé (that's what I named my laser!) showed up at my house and I hit the ground running. So how did she make out? Was she able to recoup her investment? OH YES! She was able to pay off the Mira in full within six months of receiving it, thanks to her new ability to engrave custom tumblers and cut/engrave larger items at speeds she had never seen before. That's what makes the Mira shine! Let this be an inspiration to you if you are still on the fence. Because of how much time the new machine was saving me, I was able to start dedicating more of my time to the Glowcreate® platform. When Heather wanted to step up her Tumbler game, she opted to go with the PiBurn and has had so much smashing success that she recently became an affiliate of LensDigital! Her link is at the bottom of the article. For Heather, it was about more than just her own success with the laser business. She was intimately interested in helping other makers succeed. Which by the way, is a goal we share with her! In late 2021, she teamed up with her good friends Crystal Aguila (Riley Black Designs) and Emily Caroline (That Mom with a Laser) to start creating online laser-learning courses that would help their group members and mentees learn how to get their machines and design businesses up and running in an easier, more structured way than before — which was through texts, messaging, and group posts... Well, it took a lot of work, thought, investment and planning. But... In early 2022, all three of us launched our laser-learning & design courses! It's great to dream of your big goals. But if you don't take the steps to get you closer, they will remain but dreams. Heather's push toward making these goals a reality and her ability to leverage the help of her friends and has been an inspiration to others who want to follow in her footsteps. The Laser Rotary Journey Heather's rotary journey mirrors her laser journey, as she's had a chance to work with more than one! She received a Smart Rotary with her Mira 9 back in 2020 as part of the preorder package Aeon Laser USA was offering at the time. Shortly after she received her new laser (woo!!) and began to use the Smart Rotary. But like in the real world, things sometimes go sideways. She had a controller issue that wound up frying the motor on her rotary. Yikes! This is where we get the chance to mention the world-class customer service from Aeon. They identified the issue and sent Heather a brand new rotary. It was at that time, while Aeon was sending her a free replacement, that she also ordered another rotary from a different rotory company. At the time, she did not yet know about the PiBurn. After receiving her new roller, it took her a bit to learn how to use it, as it was a very different tool, but thanks to youtube tutorials, she was able to get up to speed. She used that rotary until the beginning of 2022, when she finally decided to upgrade to a PiBurn! The reason she upgraded was that adjusting cup sizes and leveling the other rotary was becoming a tedious and time-consuming part of her workday! We all got other things to worry about, right?! We created the PiBurn to be extremely user-friendly. We wanted to take out all the frustration of using a rotary device and shrink the learning curve with easy adjustments, a comprehensive user manual, and an awesome support community. I ordered a V3 one week before the V4 was announced and I was immediately intrigued in the latest and greatest PiBurn V4, because I wanted to be able to offer tutorials on the rotary and have the most up-to-date version. Well, we are so so happy she reached out to us! I reached out to Stan and I asked if I could hold off on the V3 and upgrade to a V4. Without hesitating, Len & Stan offered to hold my order and upgrade me to a V4, at no cost! I was beyond grateful and kind of shocked at how awesome their customer service was — I had heard about how great they were, but witnessing it firsthand was amazing. I am SO happy I upgraded and became a part of the PiBurn community. Having a PiBurn rotary and being able to quickly adjust to different cup sizes in an instant is just one of the many reasons I love it... Pair that with the customer service I received from Len & Stan and it was a no-brainer! And then the orders started rolling in and the results.... boy do they speak for themselves!   What inspires you? Heather seems to always look for the positive in people and in situations and she is grateful for all the help she got along the way from other makers. What has always inspired me is how helpful the users in the laser world were to me when I showed up in the groups as a clueless, brand-new laser owner with ALL of the questions to annoy everyone with! The amount of time and effort other users put in for free to help me, is the reason I started the Glowcreate® platform. I'm a huge believer in paying it forward and I know how grateful I was for those users who were around to help calm me down at midnight when my laser had a crash, or when I couldn't figure out an engrave, or when I just needed someone to vent to because I was having one of those days. The foundation underneath Glowcreate® is so strong because of the MANY people I was able to lean on as I built it... and I couldn't be more grateful. Advice for makers starting out The first and biggest piece of advice I can give to users starting out in the laser world is, don't be afraid! Don't be afraid to run the job. We couldn't agree more. You can never succeed unless you try. Hit that Fire button! Don't be afraid to mess up. We can certainly guarantee that you will mess up along the way, but never EVER let that stop you. Lean into it, use it as a fire to get you going and you will succeed. Don't be afraid you're going to break something! (Breaking things is the best way to learn how to fix it! hahah) You WILL break something and that is OK, that is expected, that is just part of the Journey. It's a beautiful one, so enjoy it and take some risks, break some things! Don't be afraid to ask for help! This is a big one. Never forget there are people like Heather out there with big hearts who will always be willing to help you with advice or just words of encouragement. Don't be afraid of the laser groups. (The admins in the groups built those environments for people like you to be able to join and get your questions answered!) The very next thing you should do is join Heather's group! It's a must for learning the ropes of your laser: Glowcreate® Laser-Learning Group on FB One other group we can recommend specifically for rotary help is the PiBurn Labs group where you will find a warm and welcoming environment that may inspire you to create something amazing. Don't be afraid of failure... Believe you can do it, because you can! Practice, hustle, repeat — and the rest will fall right into place! Beautiful advice, and we hope you'll take it! So, what are some of Heather's favorite projects? Examples of favorite projects The tumblers that Heather engraves out on her Mira 9 + PiBurn combination are undeniably beautiful. See for yourselves: Important Links • Check out Heather's website: LoBo Designs • Sign up for her YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/LoBoDesigns • Follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_LoBoDesigns_ • Some hilarious videos are waiting for on you TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMePHDGKc/ • And you cant miss the Glowcreate® Laser-Learning Group on FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/glowcreate • And here is a link to her awesome courses: Glowcreate® Laser-Learning Courses: https://www.glowcreatecourses.com • E-Mail Subscriber Sign-Up & Free Downloads: https://subscribers.lobodesigns.com LoBo Designs These stories are the real reason why Len and I are in this business. Makers like Heather inspire us, energize us to create even better products, and help us get through our toughest days - we know it's all worth it. Heather, thank you for creating, thank you for inspiring and sharing, and of course, thank you for being a PiBurner!! Happy PiBurning! Len and Stan Laser-focused on your success!   Your story is worth sharing too! Contact Stan to become our next PiBurner!

We are often asked, "How can I make money with my laser rotary?" This article will give you a few ideas you can start with a laser rotary engraving business, and the blog series will give you many more concrete examples. So. You have a laser, and you just pulled the trigger on a brand-new rotary attachment. Hopefully, you went with a good one or even chose to go with the very best: PiBurn V Ready to try the best chuck-style rotary for laser engravers? Pre-order the Grip2 now! Regardless of which laser rotary attachment you have, you are wondering: Now what? How do I make money with my laser rotary?? Introducing the PiBurn Gigs blog series, where we show you how you can make money with your rotary We will show you how to put that rotary to work and make it rain! Prior Gigs: Kory Cook and Whale hunting for monster Tumbler orders Two Hundred YETIs with Molly Banks Kennedy BreAnn and engraving a priceless Stanley We have asked hundreds of PiBurn customers how they get their orders and got a lot of different answers. No wonder. It's a huge market, and there are so many unique ways to make money. The examples that we can learn from are so plentiful that we have decided to start a new blog series called PiBurn Gigs: How to make money with your laser rotary. This series will focus on different orders that our customers got and how they did it to serve as an example or inspiration to you! Personalized mugs and tumblers are all the rage right now. Personalized mugs and tumblers are all the rage right now. They sell by the thousands on Etsy, Amazon, eBay, and individual shops. And it's only going to increase from here! Why are custom tumblers selling? There are two main markets for custom tumblers. Huge and growing personalized gifts market First of all they make great gifts for family, friends, colleagues, bosses and employees (And don't forget school bus drivers, teachers, mailmen etc!). A custom engraving shows them that you care and gives them a personal connection with your gift. These gifts make an incredible and lasting impression incorporating a personal element into an item they will keep and use for a long time. Second, there are many small businesses that will want custom tumblers from you. Massive market with small businesses (And even large organizations and corporations!) There are 32 MILLION small businesses in the US alone, and that number is growing! (source). Do you know what they all have in common? They all NEED TO CONNECT WITH THEIR CUSTOMERS! Each and every single one of them. They are trying hard to form a connection, to form trust, to form and grow a relationship. Even large corporations need swag for employees, clients, and corporate events. Tumblers are the way to do it! Tumblers are better than other gifts/merch in many ways. First, it's one size fits all! Second: They can last for a VERY long time. And most importantly: It is the only way to get your logo this close to your customers! They are literally bringing your company's tumbler to their face, sipping from it, and saying, "mmm, I love this coffee" and by association, I love this company! There is no other way to get this close and this intimate with your customers. This is why the demand for Tumblers has exploded and shows no signs of slowing. Our customers are landing HUGE orders right now. Even 2,000+ Tumblers in one order. Did you know: Customers who drink coffee from a mug engraved on a PiBurn are 150x more likely to buy something from you! (OK, I made that up) Given that backdrop, how do you make money with your laser rotary? Here are the top four strategies to make money with custom tumblers Even though the opportunities are limitless, we can bucket the most common jobs into four silos: Elephant hunting (going after huge orders from corporations based on relationships) Most of the Gigs Series will be focused on this bucket. E-commerce platform (running a shop on Etsy or similar for micro-orders) PiBurners Blog series shows many successful examples. Local Business (Going out and landing orders at local small businesses) Community building (Becoming an influencer and relying on the trust of your community to create demand) As we progress with this series, we will provide specific examples of successful businesses and side hustles that follow each one of the above strategies. Remember, the best way to learn is by doing! You will have challenges, no doubt. Don't be afraid to seek help. Our thriving laser community is ready to help you succeed. Grab your PiBurn, pick a strategy and GO! Happy PiBurning from Len and Stan!