Laser cutter
Low-cost Laser cutters typically used in Fablabs can cut and engrave. They can use materials materials such as wood, Plexiglas or cardboard and cut out various shapes and sizes from them.
List of laser cutters
This is a just a quick list made be someone who has no expertise. It seems that there are huge price and quality differences in the area of low cost / low power desk top laser cutters. Since laser quality is fairly different, laser power is a relative measure of engraving/cutting strength.
When comparing prices consider the following
- Laser tubes must be replaced once in a while (cheap ones cost 500 Euros, good ones 3000 Euros and more). Cheap ones last a few hundred hours, excellent ones (e.g. Synrad) over 20'000 hours (that's many years). In other words, price differences are partly explained by the quality of the laser.
- Most activities produce dangerous fumes, therefore you also must buy a system to manage the exhausts, i.e. either pump it outside or into a box with a filter.
- Most activities need cooling (air or water)
In the hobby range, there are at least two types of lasers:
- C02 / glass (good for leather, paper, acrylic)
- yag and fiber (good for metal)
Other lists:
Redsail
China made Redsail lasers are fairly cheap compared to other brands
Redsail (Redsail Laser Cutters Australian site)
- M500 Mini Laser Engraver
- 500 * 300mm
- Co2 Laser power: 50W
- $1800
- 85 kg
- X700 Laser Engraver
- $3000
- Engraver and acrylic/leather cutter
- M900 Laser Cutting 80W
- $3000
- 900mm x 600mm
- CO2 laser 80W
- Resolution: 2500 DPI
- Location precision: 0.01mm
- PC Interface: USB2.0 and USB Disk
- Software: Lasermate 5.02
- Image form: HPGL, BMP, GIF, JPG, JPEG, DXF, DST, AI
- 180 kg (!)
HxLaser / Rabbit
This Chinese company sells several models from mini to large. Systems sold in the US seem to have other model names...
- HX-3050 (Hxlaser.com)
- A mini engraver / acryl cutter
- 300 * 500mm engraving area
- 40/60W Laser
- 10mm cutting depth acrylic
- 80kg
A variant ( HX-3050SC type ) comes with a stand.
- QX-30-5030 (Rabbit Laser USA
- Laser power: 30W
- 500 x 300 mm engraving area
- $4,800 plus shipping etc.
- QX-40-7040 Laser Engraving/Cutting Laser
- Laser power: 40W or 60W
- 700 x 400 mm engraving area
- $6600 - $7100 + shipping
MLlaser
- Mllaser and blog
- MLLaser is a french company that integrates parts mostly made elsewhere (most parts are probably from China)
- Price tags seem to be low compared to others assembled in Europe
- ML-W40M
- Highest end of their low cost/perfomance model
- ML-W40M
- Zone: 200 x 300 mm
- Price 3300 Euros
- Formats: AI,BMP, PLT,DXF, JPEG, GIF; DWG
Arketype
- Arketype
- A French Company
The entry model costs 2800 Euros
- 5030 Laser cutter
- Several variants
- Laser Power: 40W to 60W
- Footstand or none
- 300 x 500 mm cutting area
- 3300 to 3700 Euros
- AD Oracle IQ Exhaust system
- 2350 Euros
Epilog
- Epilog
- Probably the most popular brand in FabLabs, good quality but fairly expensive compared to models made in Asia
- US made
- 457 x 305 mm work area
- 30 watts of CO2 laser power
- 32 kgs
Full Spectrum
- Was also know as "Hurricane" (?), probably one of the best price/quality printers made in USA.
- Hobby Lasers
- Professional models start at about $5000
Hobby models:
- Basic
- $1850
- 40W CO2
- Deluxe
- 40W CO2
- $2350
- New 2014 model
- $3500
- Various options, e.g. a $1300 small air filter/purifier or a $2500 large one (needed for cutting acrylic)
GBOSLaser
- gboslaser.com
- Chinese, available through many resellers
- Laser power :35W
- Driving system:stepper motor
- Engraving speed:0-64000mm/min
- Cutting speed:0-36000mm/min
- Working area:458mmx305mm
BaiSheng
- Baisheng BaiSheng (Alibaba)
- Exklusiv laser (online shop) seems to have a German speaking countries distribution monopoly (also certifies with the German TüV)
- BS-4030
- New (2014) entry model
- BS-6040 60W
- 600x400 mm
- Water cooling
- 100kg (incl. Transport box)
- 6.540,00 € sold by Innolaser, An Austrian company
Trotec/Rayjet
- Rayjet 50
- http://www.rayjetlaser.com/
- Can cut leather/paper/acrylic, and engrave metals, glass, stone, etc.
- Dimensions: 726 x 412 x 680 mm / ca. 45 kg
- Engraving Area: 457 x 305 mm, max high = 145 mm
- Laser Power: 12 to 50 watts
- Engraving Speed: 60”/sec
An additional Atmos exhaust system that doubles as machine base is available.
- Trotec Speedy 100 / fiber / flex
- Compact Laser in three variants: Co2, fiber or combined (flex)
- Laser power: 40-60 watt CO2 laser, 10-30 watt fiber laser
- The CO2 laser is suited for engraving and cutting plastics, wood, rubber, leather and many other materials. The fiber laser is for marking metals and plastics.
- Trotec Speedy 300
- Mid-sized, in three variants (as above)
- This machine has a good reputation for fairly serious and continous work.
- Pricing: between $20K and $30K in the US, probably add 50% in Europe
- Other models
- See Product Overview
Links
- Using makes and models
- Tools
- Tutorials
- instructables.com includes quite a few laser cutting examples and tips. E.g. search for Laser cutter
- Communities
- Engraver's Forum at SawmillCreek.org
- CNCZone Forums
- Usinages (en français)
- Laser-engravers (auf Deutsch)