Anyone who does custom projects knows the value of a high-quality cutting tool. In the past few years, laser cutters have become widely available for the average consumer and small businesses. Unlike the previous CNC machines, Laser engravers/cutters are far more flexible and work automatically. As such, many people want to buy one themselves but aren’t sure what to consider.

Some of the basic things you need to consider are power consumption, cutting capacity, space allocation, etc. There are some technical things you need to pay attention to as well.

A laser cutting machine is a powerful tool, but certain elements may make it suitable or unsuitable for your needs. In this article, we’ll talk about all the things to know before buying a laser cutter so that you can figure out if it’s a suitable investment for you.

Things to Know Before You Buy a Laser Cutter

When buying equipment, water jets, or CNC machines, you need to consider many technical aspects. Laser cutters are similar but are usually much more flexible especially smaller ones. Let’s look at some of the points worth looking into:

1. Space Allocation

One of the first things you need to consider is the space. For most people, space is the biggest limitation aside from money. Most workshops or apartments don’t have enough space for a laser cutter with a large footprint.

Laser cutters need more space than just the footprint of the machine itself. You need to set aside some space for the ventilation/purification unit, some room for the batteries, and a dedicated place for your computer.

2. Power Draw

Anything beyond 150 CO2 is probably too much for a workshop. Power draw is going to be important once you start considering your operational expenses. Diode lasers can start from just 4-5w and still perform fine. But going higher on the wattage will make the machine more powerful. 

After the 4-5w diode laser, a 40w CO2 laser is an excellent threshold. Here, you’ll see a noticeable improvement in terms of cutting speed and capacity. Beyond that, you can get larger machines with more power draw, like 150w CO2 lasers. We’d consider those the limit for hobby/workshop. Anything beyond that is too powerful and too energy-hungry for civil usage.

3. Skill Level

A laser cutter has no high-skill cap like waterjet or CNC machines. You only need to set the laser power and speed correctly. The only taxing part is remembering to research your material type and its compatibility with laser heat.

You’ll also need at least some basic graphics designing skills in adobe illustrator or maybe something like Gimp. That’s how you’ll make your custom designs. While material knowledge is important, don’t fret too much about it. You’ll eventually learn through trial and error about what cuts well and what doesn’t.

4. Cutting Capacity

The cutting capacity of a laser cutter depends on many factors. But one of the basic ones is the dimension. Your Gantry size determines how big of a material you can work with. You’ll also need to check the cutting power of the laser cutter on various thicknesses. Some laser cutters can cut deeper than others. Usually, CO2 lasers are more potent than the diode lasers.

You also need to check if the material you work with can be cut using a laser cutter in the first place. Different types of laser also interact differently.

5. Expenses

There are two primary expense sources you need to care about. The first is the upfront setup cost. You’ll need to set up the machine and finance the shipping cost. That is going to be a good chunk of all the expenses.

The second avenue is the ongoing operational cost. Electricity bills aside, you’ll need to spend money on maintenance occasionally. For the CO2 lasers, you’ll need to change the CO2 tube or cartridge after roughly 2000 hours of use. A new CO2 cartridge for a laser cutter usually costs 5-10% of the machine’s initial cost.

6. Choose The Right Type

Knowing how it functions before investing in an expensive laser cutter is paramount. Laser cutters behave and work very differently based on the laser type. One laser cutter may not cut a certain material, while another can.

There are three main types of laser cutters you’ll see on the consumer market– 

• CO2 laser
• Diode laser
• YAG laser.

Until the past decade, CO2 laser was the mainstream laser cutter you’d see in workshops. YAG lasers were the more powerful variants almost exclusively seen in industrial settings. Diode lasers were more niche and not readily available.

CO2 lasers are generally more powerful and produce less harmful radiation than the Diode laser. But they also cost more. YAG lasers are still an industrial thing. Most hobbyist-workshop owners will opt for a powerful CO2 laser with high wattage.

The budget Diode lasers are a new addition to the market. These are cheap, less powerful, and come with barebone features. But they do function well and get the job done. Fiber Diode lasers came in the late 2000s and can match CO2 lasers in terms of performance while consuming less energy. But they also cost more than non-fiber Diode lasers.

7. Safety Considerations

When using a laser cutter, you’ll need to consider the safety of your operational environment. Laser cutters need dust-free working conditions to perform at their peak. You will also need to consider placing it in a place away from your children and pets.

You should also invest in a pair of high-quality safety glasses. Make sure to get ones that match your laser cutter’s frequency range. Most goggles that come with the machine from the manufacturer are not up to professional standards. That is especially true for budget laser cutters. So you’ll have to invest in aftermarket products.

Conclusión

That concludes our brief overview of the things to know before buying a laser cutter. Setting up a laser cutter is easy if you know to check the parameters beforehand. As always, if you need further assistance on the topic, feel free to Contacto at any time.