Priced at $70, the NEJE DK-8-KZ laser engraver is a great introductory machine to the world of laser cutting technology. With just 1,000 mW of laser power, there isn’t much power behind this machine, but it’s still capable of engraving designs into wood, plastic and other materials. The frame of this laser is comprised of black laser-cut acrylic and 108 screws.

Although the NEJE DK-8-KZ is definitely on the cheaper side of the market, it still offers some pretty impressive features, such as a magnetic panel to protect users from the laser beam, an emergency stop button and cooling control. It also has a tidy operating distance of 38 x 38mm. There are downfalls to this laser engraver, such as the inability to engrave in metal and acrylic materials, but for the price, it’s a great starter laser cutter/laser engraver.

NEJE DK-8-KZ

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Looking at the budget end of the laser cutting segment, you might notice a trend in the design of desktop laser engravers. The most affordable machines all share a minimalistic and compact black frame, and the Meterk Laser Engraver is no exception. If you want a powerful laser engraver that is easy to use and portable, this machine is a terrific starting point.

With a 1500mW laser, the Meterk Laser Engraver has a 42 x 42 x 78mm carving space, a built-in 600mAh polymer li-ion battery, and high-grade components that extends the life and durability of the hardware. The Bluetooth module allows for wireless connection, meaning you can complete your engraving work without being tethered to a computer. Compatible materials include plastic, wood, acrylic, bamboo, as well as consumer products like phone cases and wallets.

Meterk Laser Engraver 1500 mW

If you’re looking for a high-quality laser cutting machine that can fit on your desktop, look no further than the Orion Motor Tech laser cutter. This compact machine offers an engraving/cutting area of 300 x 500mm. This laser cutting machine has a resolution ratio of 0.001 in 0.026mm/4500DPI and operates at a maximum speed of 500mm/s while engraving and 80mm/s when cutting.

What set the Orion laser cutter apart from others is the user-friendliness and low price of around $400. The Orion laser engraver operates with a 40W water cooling laser tube and high-precision stepping motor. You can utilize a variety of materials, including plastic, leather, stone, crystal, and more. However, beware, if you decide to buy the Orion laser cutting machine, there are other components you will likely need alongside it. This includes a CO2 laser engraver, smoke pipe, smoke fan, water pump, power wire, USB cable, and USB dongle key.

Orion Motor Tech 40W

If you’re looking for a laser engraver that lands somewhere in between affordable and professional-grade, the TEN-HIGH 40W Laser Engraver is as good as it gets. It has a powerful 4oW CO2 Gas laser, an engraving area of 15.7 x 11.8 inches, and an engraving speed of up to 30,000mm per minute.

Although it can’t quite cut through metal, you can still engrave designs into coated paint on metal materials. Other materials include plywood, acrylic, density boards, leather, felt, paper, fabric and more. The manufacturer also has a small-sized 430 laser engraver available, along with upgraded versions of their pre-existing products, making the entire TEN-HIGH ecosystem accessible to all.

TEN-HIGH 40W Laser Engraving Cutting Machine

Armed with a 45W CO2 laser tube, which provides high cutting power and precision of up to 1/1000 of an inch, the Glowforge Plus is the middle ground between the well-loved Glowforge Basic and Glowforge Pro. It’s a machine optimised for home and office use, packing features like water cooling and an air compressor to blow away stray particles from the laser, preventing ignition. It’s compatible with leather, wood, acrylic, and even aluminum and titanium, so it definitely leaves you with a lot of room to grow. And at $3,995, that’s certainly nice to see.

Glowforge Plus

This $6000, sleek, matte-black machine is an incredibly capable tool, comfortable cutting and engraving acrylic, wood, leather, and aluminum. It’s a big machine with a big price tag – you’ll need a large well-ventilated space to use the $6000, least-expensive model we recommend for most users. Upgraded versions come with an external water cooler or air vent, but you should only invest in those if you’re going to be cutting or engraving more seriously – the vast majority of users will probably benefit most from just placing this machine next to a window.

If you need a machine for a home, classroom, or studio environment, though, this is one of your most solid options. With official UL-certification, this machine is fully at home wherever you are.

Dremel LC40 Laser Cutter

Let’s say you need a laser cutter or laser engraver that can handle metal materials. You’ll need to look at more industrial-grade machines like the Triumph Fiber Laser Marking machine. It’s definitely built for makerspaces or sizable workshops, equipped with high peak power and excellent laser beam quality, as well as a touchscreen interface and easy to manage control system. With a modular design that splits the laser generator and lifter, users are able to expand the marking area in size and complexity.

Unlike most of the other laser cutters and laser engravers on our list, this impressive machine is capable of marking aluminum, copper, gold, silver and other metals. With a peak laser power of 30W and marking speed of up to 900mm/s, this powerful laser marking machine is best-suited for professional and industrial purposes. However, at under $7,000, it’s definitely worth the asking price for what it has to offer.

Triumph Fiber Laser Marking Machine

The Snapmaker is a new all-in-one machine that offers three distrinct functions: 3D printing, laser engraving and CNC milling. It’s extremely compact with 125 x 125 x 125 mm build volume, making it ideal for makers with limited workspace. The aluminum frame adds stability and durability to this hybrid printer.

There are three interchangeable modules that can be seamlessly mounted onto the X-axis rail. The laser engraving module has a class 200 mW laser and an adjustable spindle speed that can be set between 2,000 and 7,000 rpm. For this particular process, the Snapmaker has an engraving area of 4.9 x 4.9 inches (125 x 125 mm). Users can engrave designs into a handful of materials, such as wood, leather, plastic, paper and more.

Read more: 2019 Snapmaker Review – Best Budget All-In-One 3D Printer

Whether you need FDM 3D printing, laser engraving or CNC milling, the most appealing aspect of the Snapmaker is how easy it makes it to switch between the three technologies. The LCD touchscreen and proprietary software makes this hybrid machine super accessible to both beginners and makers looking to add other manufacturing techniques to their arsenal.

Snapmaker

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Arguably the best all-in-one 3D printer on the market, the Polish company ZMorph has created an extremely versatile hybrid machine. The ZMorph 2.0 VX functions as dual extrusion printer, laser cutter, as well as CNC mill. Simply swap out the tool heads and you can go from extruding paste materials to engraving patterns into wood. With a simple design and expansive ability, this printer is ideal for those who consider themselves a jack of all trades. For the complete kit with all available tool heads, the retail price will run you around to €4399.

ZMorph VX

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After collecting over $80,000 on Kickstarter, the BoXZY has taken the maker community by storm. This hybrid machine offers 3D printing, CNC milling, as well as laser cutting and engraving. One of the few highly touted 3D printing crowdfunding success stories, the BoXZY team has already delivered their product to backers and has put this all-in-one machine onto the market. You can purchase this compact all-in-one printer now for $3,899.

BoXZY

Unlike 3D printing, laser cutters create designs and patterns by cutting into materials instead of building them up layer-by-layer. This subtractive manufacturing technology uses a powerful laser beam source to melt, burn, or vaporize material away. A desktop laser cutter typically follows directions from computer numerical control (CNC) or G-code.

The process starts with an extremely small laser beam that is emitted from a tube when a current passes through. This current causes the laser to reflect off a partial mirror and point through a focal lens in the machine head. Following the vector file that holds the 2D design, the laser beam cuts away at a material until the image is completed. These laser cutting machines are highly capable of creating finely detailed patterns with a high-quality surface finish. There is a wide range of laser cutting techniques and compatible materials that you can use.

Laser Cutter Type #1: CO2 Laser

CO2 powered laser cutters are the most commonly used of the three.With low power usage, relatively inexpensive price, and high efficiency, this laser cutting technology is the most ideal for consumers and maker spaces. The laser source is generated from a gas mixture that is primarily comprised of carbon dioxide. Also, CO2 lasers are also compatible with the widest range of materials.

Laser Cutter Type #2: Neodymium

Created with neodymium-doped crystals, this laser has a much smaller wavelength and higher intensity compared to CO2 lasers. This enables laser cutting through thicker and stronger materials, including metals and some ceramics. The downside to this type of laser is that machine parts wear down very quickly, requiring a higher degree of maintenance.

Laser Cutter Type #3: Fiber Laser

Created from a so-called “seed laser” and amplified through special glass fibers. This laser source has a high intensity that rivals Neodymium but is easier to maintain due to the way they’re built. Fiber-based laser cutters are mostly used for laser marking processes, which entails marking or labeling workpieces with information.

Laser Cutter Technique #1: Vector Cutting

With vector cutting, the laser beam is continuously fired, cutting directly through the material. This technique is solely used for vector graphics and extremely small lines.

Laser Cutter Technique #2: Raster Engraving

Contrary to vector cutting, the rastering process burns off only the top layer of the material instead of cutting all the way through it. The design is engraved in a different color, integrating the image within the selected material. To do this, the laser is usually preset to a lower power level. Instead of a high-powered pulsing beam, the laser cutter unfurls finely detailed dots to produce the design without cutting through the material. By managing different dots per inch (DPI), you can control the way the raster effect is produced. This technique works well with wood or leather, but may not work as intended with others types of materials.

Laser Cutter Technique #3: Vector Engraving

Meeting in the middle of vector cutting and raster engraving is vector engraving. Also known as “Kiss Cuts,” this method follows vector lines but only cuts into the surface of the material.

Depending on the type of laser that is utilized, there is a wide range of compatible materials available. With the CO2 laser cutter, you can use wood, leather, acrylic, glass, plastics, foams, as well as cardboard and other paper materials.

When using fiber or neodymium lasers with higher intensity, the material options expand into metals, more types of plastics, and even some ceramics.

Here are the most common laser cut materials:

Laser Cutter Material #1: Wood 

Laser Cutter Material #2: Leather

Laser Cutter Material #3: Acrylic

Laser Cutter Material #4: Metal

Laser Cutter Material #5: Cardboard

If you don’t want to splurge on a desktop laser cutter, or just have one project to undertake, you can utilize a laser cutting service bureau. There is a wide range of manufacturing services that offer both 3D printing and laser cutting. Here are some that are best known for the latter.

Laser Cutting Service #1: Ponoko 

This service provides over 100 materials to choose from, allowing you to make anywhere from 1 to 100,000 laser cut products, parts, or prototypes. Ponoko also offers same day production and shipping, as well as design templates to ensure your idea is properly executed.

Laser Cutting Service #2: The Make Lab 

This expansive design and manufacturing service offers laser cutting, 2D printing, 3D printing, and even design assistance. You can print ink designs on a card and have it laser cut to add a unique effect that literally stands out.

Laser Cutting Service #3: Laserage

Offers CO2, Neodymium, Fiber, and other custom laser types. As a business unit of the medical component company Amtek, Laserage seems best equipped to take on projects in the medical sector. They also take on aerospace, electronics, and other industrial endeavors. This manufacturing service provides laser welding and drilling services as well.

Laser Cutting Service #4: Sculpteo 

Even 3D printing service bureaus like Sculpteo now offer laser cutting services as well. With over 60 possible material combinations, the French company claims to work around your workflow and template. If you have an idea that necessitates both 3D printing and laser cutting, Sculpteo is the service for you.

When it comes to selecting the best manufacturing technology for your application or project, there are many factors the make laser cutting more beneficial than 3D printing. While additive manufacturing is useful for prototyping purposes, the current lack of material properties makes it a tough sell for user-end production. Laser cutting is a subtractive manufacturing technology that cuts away from a material, rather than building a design up from scratch.

But with laser cutting technology, existing materials are able to maintain their mechanical advantages after being cut or engraved. While both are considered go-to tools for rapid prototyping, laser cutters provide more versatility with 2D geometries.

CNC milling, another computer controlled manufacturing method, shares a lot of similarities with laser cutting. While both use a cutting head to carve through various materials, CNC uses metal cutting heads that move up and down on a third axis. This allows for more design freedom and the ability to produce more complicated shapes.

Now that we’ve explained laser cutting technology and provided some insight into the desktop laser cutter market, there’s one important question left to answer. What can you create with a desktop laser cutter? Well, in reality, the possibilities are endless. But here are some of the most popular uses of this marvelous manufacturing technology.

Here are just some ideas:

Laser Cutter Creations: Jewelry

Laser Cutter Creations: Ornaments

Laser Cutter Creations: Art/Sculpture

Laser Cutter Creations: Lighting Fixtures

Laser Cutter Creations: Lettering

Those are just a few popular uses for a desktop laser cutter, but there’s much more where that came from.

And last but not least, when shopping for a laser cutting machine, be sure to research thoroughly and find the machine that best suits your budget and needs.

When creating a design or pattern for laser cutting, you can use either 2D or 3D design software. Laser cutters essentially function like an average 2D inkjet printer but come with drivers that allow the laser cutting machine follow specific designs. While these specific drivers are highly common in 2D design software, there is less support from 3D software.

Graphic design software like Adobe Illustrator and free drawing tools like AutoCAD are ideal 2D programs for laser cutting technology. But 3D software like Solidworks, Autodesk Inventor, and Autodesk Fusion can also be utilized to create certain types of designs and patterns.