Registration for WAZER Waterjet classes at the Glass Craft & Bead Expo (GCBE) in Las Vegas open October 14, 2026, at 10:00 AM Pacific Time! From March 31 through April 3, 2027, WAZER will be offering eight hands on WAZER 101 classes, alongside four specialized workshops taught by experienced glass artists.

For just $100, WAZER 101 students will spend four hours learning the complete waterjet cutting process with a WAZER engineer. You’ll create digital designs, prepare cutting files, and operate a WAZER Waterjet to cut your own glass pieces. Each classroom will feature both a WAZER Pro and a WAZER Desktop, and no previous waterjet or digital design experience is required.

GCBE attendees can also register for specialized classes led by independent instructors, exploring how waterjet cutting can be incorporated into stained glass, fused glass, mixed material artwork, and custom slumping molds.

Whether you’re interested in learning waterjet cutting for the first time or expanding your existing glass working techniques, these classes offer an opportunity to learn in person and create projects you can take home.

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WAZER 101: From Your First Design to Finished Glass

WAZER 101 is designed to introduce glass artists to the entire waterjet cutting process, starting with a hand drawing and ending with finished glass pieces.

The class begins with Inkscape, a free vector design program used to convert artwork into digital cutting files. Students will learn how to digitize a hand sketch, vectorize patterns, and prepare designs for waterjet cutting.

Next, students will work with WAZER’s WAM software to prepare those designs for cutting. A WAZER engineer will explain how to position artwork, configure cutting parameters, and account for the practical considerations of cutting glass with a waterjet.

Finally, students will operate a WAZER Waterjet themselves, cutting the designs they prepared during the class. Each participant will receive a 12″ × 12″ sheet of COE 90 or COE 96 glass and use it to produce their own pieces.

By the end of the workshop, students will have taken their designs through the entire process and will leave with a collection of glass pieces they created themselves.

Hands On Instruction with WAZER Engineers

Each WAZER 101 class will be led by a WAZER engineer, giving students the opportunity to learn directly from the people who develop and work with the machines.

Every classroom will be equipped with both a WAZER Pro and a WAZER Desktop. Students will have the opportunity to see the two machines in operation and learn about their different capabilities and studio requirements.

The instruction will also cover the fundamentals of setting up, operating, and maintaining a WAZER Waterjet. Students will learn about the equipment involved, how to prepare the machine for cutting, and basic maintenance considerations.

Expanding What’s Possible with Glass Cutting

Waterjet cutting offers a different approach to producing glass components compared with traditional scoring and breaking.

While hand cutting remains an essential technique in glassworking, certain geometries can be difficult or time consuming to produce. Tight curves, internal cutouts, and small, repeating shapes can require additional grinding or complicated cutting sequences.

A WAZER Waterjet can cut these geometries directly from a digital pattern. This can be particularly useful for artists producing repeated components, creating detailed patterns, or working with shapes that are difficult to cut using conventional glass tools.

For stained glass projects, waterjet cutting can be used to create complex individual pieces that are subsequently foiled and soldered using traditional assembly methods. For fused glass projects, it can produce repeatable shapes and intricate details that are assembled before kiln firing.

The intention of WAZER 101 is not to replace these traditional processes, but to show students where waterjet cutting can become another useful tool in their workflow.

REGISTER FOR WAZER CLASSES AT GCBE

Additional Waterjet Classes Taught by Glass Artists

Beyond WAZER 101, GCBE will feature four specialized workshops taught by independent glass instructors. These classes explore how waterjet cutting can be combined with established glass working techniques to create finished artwork.

The projects range from traditional stained glass assemblies to fused glass panels, metal supported artwork, and reusable kilnforming molds.

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Complex Stained Glass with Krysten Graham

Krysten Graham will lead an intermediate stained glass workshop focused on creating intricate designs using a WAZER Waterjet.

Students will begin with a provided SVG pattern and learn how to prepare it in Inkscape before using WAM to configure the cutting process. The class will cover how to plan cuts for complicated stained glass designs, including the considerations involved in producing shapes that can be successfully assembled.

After cutting their glass pieces, students will return to traditional stained glass techniques. They will grind any remaining tabs, apply copper foil, solder the assembly, and finish the artwork.

By combining digital cutting with conventional finishing techniques, the class demonstrates how waterjet cutting can handle the more complicated geometry while leaving the assembly process familiar to stained glass artists.

Participants will leave with a completed stained glass project. Previous experience with foiling and soldering is required.

Class Schedule: March 31, 2027, from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, with additional sessions on April 1 and 2.

Class Fee: $330, plus a $40 materials fee paid directly to the instructor.

Fused Glass Projects with Susan and John Hamilton

Susan and John Hamilton will teach students how to use waterjet cutting to produce detailed glass shapes for fused glass artwork.

Their workshop focuses on the practical advantages of digital cutting when working with complicated shapes or producing multiple copies of the same pattern. Students will learn how to use WAM to configure a cut file, position designs on glass, and generate the G CODE used to operate the WAZER Waterjet.

For the hands on portion, participants will work on either an owl designed by Coon Glass Studio or a dragon designed by MerFox Art. Students will cut components for their projects and assemble the glass in preparation for firing.

The finished projects will be fired overnight and available for pickup the following day.

The instructors will also share examples of how waterjet cutting can be used in glass art production and classroom settings, particularly where repeated cutting of detailed shapes would otherwise require considerable preparation time.

The class is open to all skill levels, with no previous waterjet experience required.

Class Schedule: March 31, 2027, from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM, with an additional session on April 2.

Class Fee: $195, plus a $40 materials fee paid directly to the instructor.

Combining Digital Design, Glass, and Aluminum with Melissa and Cory Reche

Melissa and Cory Reche will introduce students to a project combining waterjet cut glass, powder screen printing, and a custom aluminum display stand.

The workshop begins with an introduction to finding and preparing digital artwork. Students will work with existing image files, learn how to manipulate them in Inkscape, and prepare their designs for cutting using WAM.

The glass portion of the project involves creating a fused glass panel using shapes cut from Bullseye COE 90 glass. Students will also embellish one of their glass components using powder screen printing.

The project incorporates an aluminum stand that has also been cut using a WAZER Waterjet. Students will prepare and paint the stand to display their finished artwork.

By working with both glass and aluminum, the workshop demonstrates how waterjet cutting can be used across multiple materials in a single art project. The digital design techniques introduced in the class can also be applied to other fabrication processes.

The class is open to all skill levels and does not require previous digital design experience.

Class Schedule: April 2, 2027, from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM, with an additional session on April 3.

Class Fee: $200, plus an $85 materials fee paid directly to the instructor.

Creating Reusable Glass Slumping Molds with Timothy Colbert

Timothy Colbert’s workshop explores a different application of waterjet cutting: creating reusable slumping molds from kiln shelf material.

Rather than working exclusively with glass, students will learn how digital fabrication can be used to produce the tools needed for kilnformed artwork.

The class begins with developing a digital mold design and preparing it for fabrication. Students will then create a reusable mold from a cordierite kiln shelf, prepare a matching clear glass blank, and complete a kilnforming project using the mold they created.

The workshop covers the entire process, including digital design, mold fabrication, kiln preparation, and firing. Students will also explore how the same process can be used to develop new molds and experiment with different shapes.

Each participant will leave with a reusable slumping mold, a kilnformed glass project, and additional digital designs that can be used for future projects.

No previous digital design or fabrication experience is required.

Class Schedule: April 3, 2027, from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

Class Fee: $395, plus a $75 materials fee paid directly to the instructor.

Learn Waterjet Cutting at GCBE 2027

Together, WAZER 101 and the independent instructor workshops offer several ways to explore waterjet cutting in glass art.

Students looking for a complete introduction to the WAZER Waterjet can start with WAZER 101, where they’ll learn the full process from digital design to operating the machine. Artists interested in applying waterjet cutting to a particular technique can explore the specialized stained glass, fusing, mixed material, and mold making workshops.

These classes demonstrate how digital fabrication can be incorporated into existing glassworking practices, whether that means cutting more intricate pieces, preparing repeatable patterns, or creating custom tools for kilnforming.

All classes will take place during Glass Craft & Bead Expo 2027, March 31 through April 3, at the South Point Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Registration opens October 14, 2026, at 10:00 AM Pacific Time.

Visit the GCBE class registration page to explore the sessions and select the workshop that best fits your interests.

REGISTER FOR WAZER CLASSES AT GCBE