What is the best laser cutting or engraving machine for my business or factory?
A laser cutter and/or engraver is the best machine available in the industry to make or optimize many tasks and applications. While it is true, depending on the material, there are several other technologies available that compete in cutting and engraving, our laser machines stand out for the many advantages they have to offer.
There are different technologies for manufacturing laser cutting and engraving machines and within each of these technologies, CAMFive Laser and the other brands have an extensive variety of models available, equipment with different cutting and engraving power, work areas, unique designs, and specific, sizes, prices, etc. This can be confusing even for people with a basic knowledge of machinery and industrial technology.
First, we will list the most common technologies currently available and for what purpose they are most used:
| TECHNOLOGY: LASER GENERATED FROM CO2 GAS | |
| A laser light beam is generated from burning CO2 gas with electric power sources, and this is conducted with mirrors and lenses to the material to be worked. | |
| LASER CUTTERS AND ENGRAVERS OF CO2 “GLASS” TUBE | LASER CUTTERS AND ENGRAVERS OF CO2 “METALIC” TUBE |
| USAGE: These are the most commonly used since they can cut and engrave in various hard and/or soft materials, even metals, and the prices of glass tubes are very accessible, making the costs of the machines very affordable. The most common power goes from 40W to 150W, but you get 2-tube capsules that work as a single of up to 300W. | USAGE: They are used for the same materials and purposes as glass, but the machines with "METALIC" tubes can store more CO2 gas and are more durable and also withstand more pressure, to manufacture them with higher power ranging from 150W to 650W. This makes them suitable for cutting metals and can also be recharged more than once. The prices are higher than those of glass. |
| TECHNOLOGY: LASER GENERATED WITH ELECTRICITY | |
| The laser light beam is generated with high-power electrical sources and is conducted to the material through fiber optic cable or direct light pulses | |
| LASER CUTTING OF "OPTICAL FIBER" FOR "METALS" | LASER ENGRAVERS OF “OPTICAL FIBER” FOR “METALS & NON-METALS” |
| USAGE: Although it is possible to use this technology to cut Non-Metals, its common use is to cut metal and it has been specialized in this area because it is fast, detailed and clean. They transport the laser light beam through a "FIBER OPTIC" cable. The most common generators range from 250W to 6000W. | USAGE: They have become famous thanks to the fact that they engrave metals and non-metals with high speed and quality. Equipped with galvanometric rotating lenses to increase the engraving speed, these lasers are economical, and the most common powers range from 20W to 50W. Perfectly deal for customization or coding. |
| TECHNOLOGY: YAG | |
| Old technology no longer used or even almost discontinued for laser cutting and/or engraving that transported laser through light pulses. | |
The question of which cutting and/or engraving machine is the right machine for me? Many factors should be involved as an element of decision, for them, I must have an answer to these questions:
Will it be used for a specific purpose or for multipurpose?
If you already have a business or a factory in operation then you have a specific need and know what you will produce with the laser cutter and/or engraver or in which process you will use it; therefore, you only have to see the options that CAMFive Laser has for that purpose.
If you are interested in venturing into a business or starting a factory, then the doubts may be more significant. Usually, the most common mistake that you may fall into is to try to buy the most versatile machine or the wider possible. If it does not work as we expected to use the machine for other purposes or to offer more products or services. This can almost certainly increase your initial investment. We recommend to you specialization. You must to be clear and know what to do and bet on it, but finally you know better than us what is the best for you? We only intend to be a voice to take into account.
-I have a specific use for the machine: To have a CAMFive advisor and he will give you the answer or visit https://www.camfivelaser.com/choose-your-laser-cutting-engraving-machine-by-industry-or-application to see the perfect machines for a particular industry.
-I will start, and I want to have the most versatile machine possible: A laser Cutting and Engraving Machine with CO2 tube is the answer for you because you can cut and engrave with single equipment, besides, the prices are very accessible. To find an option you can go to this link: https://www.camfivelaser.com/laser-machines.html?cat=404
-I will engrave and customize items (I will not cut): An Optical Fiber Engraving Machine is the answer for you. The prices are very low you can engrave or personalize on metallic and non-metallic products, to find options visit: https://www.camfivelaser.com/laser-machines.html?cat=403
-I will cut metals and/or non-metals: If you need to cut only metals, a laser fiber optic laser cutting machine is the best option because it makes it faster, cleaner and with a very high quality, but if you need to cut wood and/or acrylic in addition to metals and you can sacrifice some exclusive benefits in metals, then a metal cutting machine with CO2 tube is for you. Here you can find the best options: https://www.camfivelaser.com/laser-cutters-engravers-machines/fiber-co2-laser-metal-cutters.html
Of course, there is always the growth factor or planned diversification. If there is something about this it can affect your decision to go for a more versatile or a larger model. But, is it time to make that extra investment or can it be a second future machine?
Will you work with a specific material or will you need the laser cutting and/or engraving machine for many materials?
A material can be worked or processed by more than one laser technology; it is prevalent that a business or a factory work with more than one element, but there are more recommended models than others for a specific material.
In this link: https://www.camfivelaser.com/choose-your-laser-cutting-engraving-machine-by-industry-or-application You will find an excellent complete guide of which models are the most suitable for each material, but as a quick guide, these are the most common uses and below there are a couple of pictures of what materials you can cut and engrave with CO2 and Fiber Optics:
Cutting and Engraving Wood or MDF: Uses cutting and/or engraving machines with CO2 laser tube for engraving. There are sufficient low powers with 2” (50mm) lens, but for cutting, it is advisable to use a minimum of 100W and over. The cutting depth and speed will vary greatly according to the power of the tube, the more power, the deeper. You should also consider which lens to use for cutting.
We recommend you the 3" (75 mm) lens. If you need to cut fast productions of small parts, we recommend you using a machine with a double laser tube. If you cut full sheets of materials, then an open bedding machine with 4x8' capacity is the best, but if I have no budget for this, it may be another option. Remember, the less you fraction the material before processing it, the less waste it will have in the software. You can optimize the best distribution of the cuts to avoid loss of material.
Cutting and Engraving in Acrylic: Very similar to the previous point. What is used is a machine equipped with CO2 Laser tube. In acrylic processing, it is essential that the machine has an air regulator to play with and obtain better cutting and engraving quality. With this material, it is necessary NOT to take your eyes off the cutter and or the laser engraving machine all the time because the acrylic is very flammable and carelessness can lead to an accident. To make cuts, we recommend a 3"(75mm) lens. Remember, more power is equal to more speed in cutting. For engraving, it is necessary to use low powers.
Fabric or Leather Cutting: For fabric or leather cutting, you should definitely use CO2 technology. The question is how many layers I need to cut or if I will cut pieces or rolls of fabric material. There are special machines that can cut from rolls of different measures automatically. This is a very common use for the clothing or leather footwear manufacture. For massive scale cutting or speed, machines with double laser tube or with the galvanometric lens which accelerates the cutting speed are recommended.
Engraving in metal items: A very profitable business is to customize or engrave metallic items such as JETI-type aluminum bottles, keychain, pens or various souvenirs. For this purpose, the most recommended is a laser fiber optic marker/engraving machine, these practically only consume electricity since the generator last several years and its replacement is not expensive. They can operate in small spaces or you may move them quickly (even in CAMFive Laser we have portable models). With more power, more speed, and more depth in the marking, you can choose between 20W and 30W generators.
In these boxes you can see what materials can be cut or engraved with each of the technologies:
| MATERIALS | CUT | ENGRAVE |
|---|---|---|
| PAPER |  |
|
| CARDBOARD | |
|
| PRESSBOARD | |
|
| FOAM BOARD | |
|
| CORK | |
|
| MATTE BOARD | |
|
| MDF (PRESSED CARDBOARD) | |
|
| TEMPRERED HARDBOARD | |
|
| PLYWOOD (PRESSED WOOD) | |
|
| WOOD VENEER | |
|
| WOOD | |
|
| FABRIC, DENIM | |
|
| FEET, TACKLETWILL | |
|
| COTTON FABRIC AND MIXED DIBERS | |
|
| FABRIC WITH THICK SYNTETIC FIBRES | |
|
| LYCRA AND OTHER SYNTGETC HETIC FABRICS | |
|
| NATURALA AND SYNTHETIC LEATHER | |
|
| SUEDE, FLEECE | |
|
| MATERIALS | CUT | ENGRAVE |
|---|---|---|
| MYLER | |
|
| PLASTIC | |
|
| SILICON WRISTBRANDS DS/BRACELETS | |
|
| RUBBER (GUM ELESTIC OT INDIA RUBBER) | |
|
| DELRIN | |
|
| ACRYLIC | |
|
| CORIAN | |
|
| MELAMINE | |
|
| FIBER GLASS | |
|
| GLASS (TEMPERED) AND CRYSTAL | |
|
| CRAMICS | |
|
| MARBLE, ONIX AND STONES | |
|
| TILE | |
|
| PAINED METALS | |
|
| COATED METALS | |
|
| ANODIZED ALUMINIUM | |
|
| BARE METALS | |
Do I need the laser cutting and/or engraving machine with any unique characteristics?
There are laser cutting and engraving machines with different capacities and designs. A practitioner for all purposes and if yours is an exceptional one, adaptations can also be made. There are standard cabinet laser machines and machines integrated into robots, so everything is possible. Here are some of the most common options:
Cutting and/or engraving machines with the double laser tube
Cutting and/or engraving machines with the quad laser tube
Laser cutting and/or engraving machines with automatic double table
Laser cutting and/or engraving machines with Conveyor table
Laser cutting and/or engraving machines with ups and downs automatic tables
Laser cutting and/or engraving machines with 4 x 8 'table for complete sheets
Laser cutting and/or engraving machines with rotary accessories for cylindrical objects of 16"
Laser cutting and/or engraving machines with rotary accessories for cylindrical objects of 33"
Laser cutting and/or engraving machines with rotary accessories for cylindrical objects of 17"
Laser cutting and/or engraving machines with rolls feeders’ materials
Laser portable cutting and/or engraving machines
Laser cutting/or engraving machines with security cabinets
What is my investment capacity or budget?
All investment depends on a budget or payment ability. In business, there is a relevant factor that may be the most important: when will I start earning money or in what time will I get the return of my investment? There are several options available in the market, but you cannot lose sight of the fact that the best business is the one that will return your investment before and the one which will start to give you profits faster and for longer. Therefore, the key is to find the perfect machine with the best COST-BENEFIT for you.
Do not waste your time on finding the most complete machine, the one which offers the highest quality regardless of the price, the one with the most advanced technology, regardless of whether you will use it or if it is not practical for you.
All technology manufacturers (we include ourselves) make products that have more benefits to differentiate us, but not all of them are useful for all customers, and of course, develop and integrate them costs and impacts the sale price of the laser cutting and engraving machine, for that reason it is better to assemble the perfect machine for you or choose the right package carefully.
CAMFive Laser provides security, one of the best, if not the best COST-BENEFIT of the market. We are not the cheapest, but we are of good quality at a comfortable price with the best value. We are not the most technologically advanced, but we have more than enough technology and diversity to save you money. https://www.camfivelaser.com/laser-machines.html
Do I have access to financing?
Most of the entrepreneurship or improvements of an existing business or factory are achieved by accessing financing. The laser cutting and/or engraving machine must pay for itself. For this, you have 2 options: Your bank or a financial entity. Ideally, the company you decide to work with adapts itself to the policies of your bank, of course, these should be within the market standards, but if you do not have a bank, we and SUNSET FINANCING can offer you financing: https://www.camfivelaser.com/financing-for-laser-cutters-and-engravers/
Will the laser cutting and/or engraving machine that I buy, be adapted to the available space where it will work?
Remember that a laser machine is not only the machine, but it also needs space for the operator to move space for material that is sometimes large (space for the final products, space for peripheral accessories of the laser cutting machine as the Chiller, or the Smoke Extractor). Also, some machines models have unique characteristics such as roll feeder, material supports, double work mass, etc. All this require space and is why it is essential that the model to select can operate in the area that you have intended for your work.
By Richard Kutzard