CHOOSING THE RIGHT TYPE OF LASER ENGRAVER IN JUST 5 EASY STEPS!

PICKING OUT A LASER ENGRAVER CAN BE A DIFFICULT TASK, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHERE TO BEGIN.  LUCKY FOR YOU, YOU'VE STUMBLED ACROSS THE ONE PLACE ON THE WEB THAT HELPS YOU DO JUST THAT.  NOW YOU CAN SELECT THE RIGHT LASER ENGRAVER IN JUST 5 EASY STEPS!

DIMENSIONS

Are all the items flat or are some curved or even cylindrical? If you are planning to laser cut completely through the material, then how thick is it? Make a list of the max dimensions you will need to accomodate. This will be key in selecting a table size while making sure your laser engraver has enough height clearance.

Laser engravers/cutters are usually designed to work within a specific realm of substrates and some work better on particular types of materials than others. It's important to know exactly what you plan on engraving before you can decide on the right type of laser engraving machine.

MATERIAL

Making sure your laser engraver or laser cutter is well equipped to keep up with your demand is another key piece of the selection process. Knowing your projected quantities will help determine the type of laser engraving machine and wattage that is necessary to meet your demands.

QUANTITIES

STEP #4

BEFORE PURCHASING A LASER ENGRAVER, ALWAYS TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE FOLLOWING!  THIS WAY, YOU CAN AVOID ANY UNEXPECTED SURPRISES AND ENSURE YOU'VE SELECTED THE PROPER EQUIPMENT FOR YOU SPECIFIC NEEDS.

Ease of Use - Who will be operating the laser engraver and what type of skill sets will they need? What level of training or support is offered after the sale?

Real Estate - Where will the laser engraver be installed and how will you get it there?  Some machines are portable while most won't even fit through a standard doorway.

Timeline - How soon will you need to have your laser engraver up and running?  Some machines are shelf items while others take several weeks to assemble and deliver.

Cost of Ownership - What consumable items will you be committing to buy and how will that affect your bottom line? With high powered lasers, even power consumption is a factor.

Maintenance - What level of upkeep is involved and what is the process if your laser engraver needs repairs?

  Budget   - Determine a budget or monthly payment if you are financing.  Lasers engravers start at around 6K and can easily exceed 100K!

Kimberly Tidwell

(Campobello, SC)

Teresa Hosseinzadeh

Pointers Point (Eustis, FL)

Klyne Hughes

International Paper (Valliant, OK)

STEP#5

1-866-342-0890

  ONE QUICK PHONE CALL WILL SAVE YOU ENDLESS HOURS OF RESEARCH AND ENSURE YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT FOR YOUR NEEDS.

STEP #1

START BY IDENTIFYING ALL THE VARIOUS TYPES OF MATERIALS YOU WISH TO LASER ENGRAVE OR LASER CUT. BECAUSE THERE ARE SEVERAL TYPES OF LASER ENGRAVERS AND LASER CUTTERS, THIS IS THE FIRST STEP IN IDENTIFYING WHICH TYPE IS BEST FOR YOU.

STEP #3

LASERS ENGRAVERS ARE NAMED FOR THE METHOD FROM WHICH THEIR LIGHT IS PRODUCED.  FOR EXAMPLE, CO2 LASER ENGRAVERS GENERATE A WAVELENGTH THAT IS BEST ABSORBED BY ORGANIC MATERIALS.  ON THE CONTRARY, FIBER LASER ENGRAVERS EMIT A MUCH SHORTER WAVELENGTH THAT WORKS BEST WITH METALS AND CERTAIN PLASTICS.

*** STARTING AT $5,995 / AS LOW AS $193/mo. ***

The most common type of laser engraver or laser cutter you will come across is a CO2 laser, which works by exciting the molecules of a carbon dioxide gas mixture.  The beam is then reflected off several mirrors where it's finally focused through a special lens to a pin-point sized spot that is intense enough to vaporize portions of the material.  Your typical CO2 laser engraver is fully enclosed and ranges in size from 12" x 20" desktop models to 48" x 72" large free-standing models.  The important thing to remember is that CO2 lasers produce long-wave infrared light, which is well suited for laser engraving and laser cutting many non-metal materials, such as wood, plastic, glass, ceramic, leather, stone and other organic like materials.  While marking bare metals is possible, it is typically done by applying a special pretreatment prior to the laser engraving process.

GALVO FIBER LASER MARKERS

Fiber lasers use fiber optics with Ytterbium that are stimulated by LEDs to generate and deliver laser beams.  They also use up to 50% less power and have a much longer life over traditional CO2 lasers.  A major advantage of Fiber lasers is the ability to engrave on a variety of materials, including uncoated metals.  The small spot size provides extreme power density and exceptionally high engraving resolution.  A stationary Galvo system (pictured to the right) can manipulate the beam at impressive speeds via the simple positioning of tiny mirrors inside what is called the scan-head.  While this limits the marking area to just a few inches, the increased speed is often times well worth it.  More so, Fiber laser markers are best known for their ability to produce various types of marks on metal without the use of any special sprays or pretreatments.

WIDE FORMAT CO2 LASER CUTTERS

When larger surface areas are desired, a wide format CO2 laser is the weapon of choice.  Identical in functionality to the enclosed CO2 lasers mentioned above, the open architecture of a wide format laser engraver not only increases the marking/cutting area, but also makes it easier to load and unload material.  Sizes can range from 48" x 96" to a whopping 80" x 120"!  Systems of this magnitude are ideal for processing large sheet stock, such as those found in sign shops or fabrication facilities.  The textile industry is also a common place for wide format CO2 laser cutters, where the beds feature special feeding systems to facilitate the loading of fabrics and other materials of the like.

Safety First - Does the laser engraver require fume extraction, ventilation, or protective eye wear?  More importantly, can these standards be met in your facility?

YOU'D BE AMAZED HOW MANY PLACES SELL LASER ENGRAVERS WITH ZERO LEVEL OF EXPERIENCE AND ABSOLUTELY NO TRAINING OR TECH SUPPORT.  WE STAND BY OUR CLIENTS AND OFFER FREE TRAINING AND UNLIMITED SUPPORT.  TAKE A LOOK AND SEE FOR YOURSELF.

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FIBER LASER CUTTERS

While cutting metal is possible with special high powered CO2 lasers, an outfit looking to cut metal on a regular basis would definitely benefit from a professional fiber laser cutting machine.  The higher concentrated beam and 10x smaller spot size than those found in CO2 lasers, make a world of difference to how quickly and easily cutting can be achieved, while reducing the amount of energy consumed in the process.  Furthermore, the smaller angle at which the beam is produced allows the laser to maintain focus through thicker pieces of material.  Available in small footprints such as 18" x 18" (pictured to the right) and up to 42" x 60", these fully contained laser cutters can cut through very thick pieces of metal with no hesitation.

At the top of the totem pole, these monstrous 60" x 120" fiber laser cutters are a fabricators dream.  When high levels of metal fabrication are on the menu, you can't go wrong with pumping several thousand watts through a sophisticated fiber laser like this one (pictured on the left).  Not only can these wide format fiber lasers cut through metal quickly and without a fuss, they can also be supplements with several other goodies.  For example, an exchange platform allows a separate engraving bed to be loaded while the laser is in operation.  This can be done manually or even via the aid of an automatic loader (bottom left).  Furthermore, an auxiliary rotary chuck can expand this Fiber laser from cutting flat items to cutting pipes and other cylindrical objects.  Lastly, the complete unit can be fully enclosed, bringing that added level of safety every corporation desires (bottom right). Make no mistake about it; this is the Rolls Royce of lasers, perfect for any industrial application.

INDUSTRIAL FIBER LASER CUTTERS

STEP #2

WHAT TYPE OF MARK DO YOU WANT TO LASER ENGRAVE?

BEFORE YOU CAN CHOOSE A LASER ENGRAVER, YOU ABSOLUTELY NEED TO KNOW WHAT TYPE OF MARK YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE.  OFTEN TIMES, THE ENGRAVING MARK REQUIRED IS RELATIVE TO THE ENVIRONMENT THE ENGRAVED ITEM WILL LIVE IN.  OF COURSE, IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A LASER CUTTING MACHINE, THIS STEP DOES NOT APPLY.

E N G R A V I N G

E T C H I N G

F R O S T I N G

A N N E A L I N G

A B L A T I N G

F O A M I N G

D I S C O L O R I N G

C U T T I N G

Removal of material by first melting and then evaporating the surface to where a depression is left behind. At even higher intensities a darkening or charring of the groove can be achieved.

Surface marking of the material by an increase of temperature just above its melting point, thus causing it to melt, but not evaporate. Once it re-solidifies, the surface is modifed resulting in an etch.

Surface marking of the material by moving the laser engraver at high speeds to which the surface penetration is kept to a minimum. The result is a bright or white mark with a slight texture, if any.

A subtler heating process by which the laser engraver draws the carbon to the surface of the metal without causing it to melt. The result is smooth and varies in color depending on the applied temperature.

Removal of the surface layer of a coated material at high speeds, such as burning the anodized layer off of an aluminum tumbler. The result is relatively smooth with great contrast and minimal surface penetration.

A controlled melting of plastic in which gas bubbles form in the melt. As the surface properites change, the mark takes on a lighter color. Once cooled the bubbles are securely embedded into the plastic.

A gentle laser process by which the surface of a plastic is heated resulting in a color change via the disassociation of molecules. The surface of the material remains smooth and virtually undamaged.

Cutting of both organic materials and metals can be achieved via a variety of methods. Sometimes oxygen or nitrogen are used to blow the molten metal out. The results are clean cut edges that require no finishing.

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Wattage directly affects how quickly and how deep you can laser engrave and cut. For basic engraving with a CO2 laser engraver, a 40W is ideal.  However, when it comes to cutting organic materials, 100-150W is what you'll need. If both cutting and engraving are desired, an 80W would be a nice compromise. Remember, since fiber lasers are more efficient, they require less power.  A 20-30W fiber is all that is needed to effectively mark metal.  When it comes to cutting thin metals, even just a 50W fiber will suffice. However, between the range of 500-8,000W, efficiency and cut depth improve exponentially.

WATTAGE

COOLING & VENTING

The glass tubes found in CO2 lasers require a water chiller to continuously circulate water through the internals.  Pairing your CO2 laser engraver with an adequate chiller ensures the consistency of the power being output and prevents the tube from failing prematurely.  Fiber lasers on the other hand, are much more efficient and are usually air cooled via integrated exhaust fans.  Furthermore, since material is constantly being burned, an exhaust system is required to either port the toxic fumes out of the work area or into a stand-alone filtration cabinet to help rid the air of toxins.  Both are essential components of laser engravers and laser cutters.

OPTICS

The lens is where the raw energy coming from the laser tube is refined into a concentrated spot.  This works similar to the act of holding a magnifying glass up to the sun.  In CO2 laser engravers, the lenses are available in a variety of sizes to achieve different beam styles.  For example, a 1.5"lens is excellent for engraving and achieving fine details; however, has a short focal depth.  For cutting applications, a 2.5" or even a 4" lens provides a longer focal depth, but a the cost of a larger spot size and reduced beam density.  The same is true for galvo fiber lasers.  Going from a 100mm to a 200mm lens increases the work area, but compromises the spot size and intensity of the beam.

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STONE

GLASS

METAL

ACRYLIC

FOOD

LEATHER

CERAMIC

PLASTIC

TEXTILE

WOOD

PAPER

RUBBER

• SLATE
• GRANITE
• DARK MARBLE
• SALT CRYSTALS

• STEINS
• BOTTLES
• ORNAMENTS
• WINE GLASSES

• BRASS
• ALUMINUM
• TITANIUM
• STAINLESS STEEL

• AWARDS
• FABRICATION
• PHOTOGRAPHS
• BACK-LIT DISPLAYS

• TOAST
• COOKIES
• ROLLING PINS
• JACK O LANTERNS

• BELTS
• BRACELETS
• BIBLE COVERS
• WALLETS & PURSES

• TILES
• PLATES
• PORCELAIN
• COFFEE MUGS

• ABS
• SILICONE
• POLYETHYLENE
• POLY CARBONATE
  

• TWILL
• DENIM
• LEATHER
• POLYESTER

• PLAQUES
• FURNITURE
• ARTS AND CRAFTS
• ARCHITECT MODELS

• PACKAGING
• CARDBOARD
• SCRAP BOOKS
• WEDDING INVITES

• SEALS
• STAMPS
• GASKETS
• WRISTBANDS

CO2 LASER ENGRAVERS AND CUTTERS

*** STARTING AT $7,995 / AS LOW AS $240/mo. ***

*** STARTING AT $18,995 / AS LOW AS $552/mo. ***

*** STARTING AT $119,995 / AS LOW AS $3,313/mo. ***

*** STARTING AT $129,995 / AS LOW AS $3,589/mo.***

Fiber lasers use fiber optics with Ytterbium that are stimulated by LEDs to generate and deliver laser beams.  They also use up to 50% less power and have a longer life over traditional CO2 lasers engravers.  A major advantage of Fiber lasers is the ability to engrave on a variety of materials, including uncoated metals.  The small spot size provides extreme power density and exceptionally high engraving resolution.  A stationary Galvo system (pictured above) can manipulate the beam at impressive speeds via the simple positioning of tiny mirrors inside what is called the scan-head.  While this limits the marking area to just a few inches, the increased speed is often times well worth it.  While CO2 lasers are still best for marking non-metals, Fiber lasers can also produce excellent marks on plastics.  More so, Fiber laser markers are best known for their ability to produce various types of marks on metal without the use of any special sprays or pretreatments.

While cutting metal is possible with special high powered CO2 lasers, an outfit looking to cut metal on a regular basis would definitely benefit from a professional fiber laser cutting machine.  The higher concentrated beam and 10x smaller spot size than those found in CO2 lasers, make a world of difference to how quickly and easily cutting can be achieved, while reducing the amount of energy consumed in the process.  Furthermore, the smaller angle at which the beam is produced allows the laser to maintain focus through thicker pieces of material.  Available in small footprints such as 18" x 18" (pictured above) and up to 42" x 60", these fully contained laser cutters can cut through very thick pieces of metal with no hesitation.

At the top of the totem pole, these monstrous 60" x 120" fiber laser cutters are a fabricators dream.  When high levels of metal fabrication are on the menu, you can't go wrong with pumping several thousand watts through a sophisticated fiber laser like this one (pictured above).  Not only can these wide format fiber lasers cut through metal quickly and without a fuss, they can also be supplements with several other goodies.  For example, an exchange platform allows a separate engraving bed to be loaded while the laser is in operation.  This can be done manually or even via the aid of an automatic loader (pictured below).  Furthermore, an auxiliary rotary chuck can expand this Fiber laser from cutting flat items to cutting pipes and other cylindrical objects.  Lastly, the complete unit can be fully enclosed, bringing that added level of safety every corporation desires (pictured below). Make no mistake about it; this is the Rolls Royce of lasers, perfect for any industrial application.

*** STARTING AT $5,995 or $193/mo. ***

*** STARTING AT $7,995 or $240/mo. ***

*** STARTING AT $18,995 or $552/mo. ***

** STARTING AT $119,995 or $3,313/mo **

** STARTING AT $129,995 or $3,589/mo. **