10 factors to consider before buying a laser engraver

Introduction

Nowadays, laser engraving has become a more common technique in workshop and even home. In the exclusive era of industrial manufacturers, more and more small companies, product designers, creators and even hobbyists now use laser engraving. 

However, buying laser engraving machine or cutting machine is not easy for beginners, enthusiasts and enterprises to make a decision. Investing in the wrong laser equipment may affect your business. Like 3D printers, laser engraving or cutting machines are also controlled by computers. Once the requirements are met, they can work effectively.             

Thus, before buying a laser engraving or cutting machine, you should know some factors. There are many choices for these machines. How to choose the laser engraving machine or cutting machine suitable for your requirements?             

In this article, we will list some factors you should consider before buying a laser engraving machine. 

 1. Needs

The first thing you need to consider is your needs. Consider which materials you will use primarily. Not all machines can handle all materials successfully. Then there are differences in work areas. Will you use smaller objects or larger objects. Whether you are a fan of DIY or plan to make it your business, this will make a big difference. Professional machines are certainly more expensive. If they are only for household use, it is meaningless to spend a lot of money. On the other hand, if you are planning a business, invest more money and it will pay off in the long run. 

 2. Manufacturers 

Laser machine is a huge investment. Each laser brand has its own machine type. Machines have different sizes; Power and function, so make sure you know what you want to do with it. Some machines are more suitable for production, while others are not because they are much slower. Larger machines allow you to cut and engrave larger objects, so make sure you figure out what you want the machine to do first.            

Study the manufacturers and brands of laser machines. Find out which companies have received good feedback, and if you buy machines from them, what is the speed and cost of spare parts.  The manufacturer that Monport partnered with has 20 years of experience in the field of laser engraving machine. With its perfect service, the manufacturer has accumulated a good reputation in the industry. Monport cooperates with its powerful manufacturers to jointly provide good and perfect services for our customers. 

 3.Budget

How much will you spend to decide the machine you want to buy? Generally speaking, the higher the price, the better the quality, but not always. You can choose a relatively better one within your budget. The cost of laser engraving machine/cutting machine should be considered. If you want equipment that can engrave a lot of materials, it costs more than others. There may be a cheaper option, but it may consume more electric energy.            

It's hard to give a simple answer because it depends on your needs or the type of work you want to accomplish? Before starting all projects, you first need to consider the materials to be processed and their production capacity, and then determine the machine specifications you want, such as laser type, power and working area size. Different types of laser engraving machines have different functions and applications. Generally speaking, the larger the wattage and working face, the higher the cost.

Compared with other brands in the market, the price of Monport laser engraving machine is relatively cheap, ranging from hundreds to thousands dollars. Monport laser engraving machine is the most cost-effective, which is the main advantage of Monport brand. You can engrave the most materials at the lowest price!           

Another thing to consider when purchasing a laser engraving machine is maintenance costs. The amount of cleaning required for machine maintenance depends on the materials used. Sometimes mirrors or lenses need fine cleaning, and the machine may need to be realigned. Regular maintenance and cleaning help avoid wasting too much time and interrupting the company's production line. There is also after-sales service, which may incur labor and parts costs if necessary.           

 4. Laser source   

There are many types of laser sources on the market. From plasma, solid, CO2 to fiber lasers, many of their alternatives are used for specific purposes. For example, wood cutting is best performed using CO2 machines, while fiber laser will be the most feasible alternative for stainless steel, low carbon steel, acrylic, copper, brass and many other materials and precision cutting. 

Fiber laser and CO2 laser cutting machine are the most common types. They have their own advantages: 

CO2 laser engraving machine can perform laser processing on non-metallic materials such as bamboo, wood, crystal, ox horn, paper plate, plexiglass, marble, cloth, leather, rubber, plastic and so on. Clothing, embroidery, cloth toys, home decoration cloth, handbags, gloves, leather materials, leather cutting and surface carving in the toy industry. Precision cutting of non-metallic thin plates such as acrylic plate and medium density decorative plate in handicraft, model, advertising, decoration, electrical appliances and plastic industries.

CO2 laser engraving machine can not engrave metal, but fiber laser marking machine can mark on metal. Fiber laser marking machine is the most advanced laser marking equipment in the world. It has the characteristics of good beam quality, small volume, fast speed, long service life, flexible and convenient installation and maintenance free. Fiber laser, the latest and most reliable structure in the world, small size, low power consumption, no high voltage, no huge water cooling system (only about 300W), high beam quality, close to the ideal beam, USB interface output control, optical scanning galvanometer, high laser repetition rate, high speed and no distortion.

5.Space   

How much space do I have? Machine sizes vary greatly. From a small that can be placed on a table to as big as a factory machine. So before you decide to buy, please consider how much space you have. Think about what your needs are, because it's meaningless to buy huge machines you don't need. Then a smaller desktop size is a better choice.

For example, the Monport20W machine is a desktop model, which can be placed on a table.However the Monport 80W laser engraving machine is relatively large and may require a separate space for placement.   

If you have enough space to accommodate the laser engraving and cutting machine, always get more space, and you will soon become addicted to the machine and want to do some larger projects. You can first understand the size of the machine to be purchased, and then measure the space to install the machine. Don't believe the picture. When you really see it, the machine can be very big.           

*Make sure to get the size, length, width and height of the machine.

 6. Production Capacity(Power) 

It refers to the laser tube power. Laser tube is the core of laser machine. Typical laser power is 40W / 50W / 60W / 80W / 90W / 100W / 130W / 150W. It depends on the material you want to cut and the thickness of the material. In addition, it depends on the speed you want to cut. If you want to cut faster on materials of the same thickness, higher power will help you achieve this goal. Usually, small machines will only install smaller power tubes, because the laser tube must have a certain length to achieve a certain power. If it is too short, higher power cannot be achieved. If you are not sure how much laser power you need, you can tell the seller the name and thickness of the material, and they will recommend the appropriate one for you.

Here is an example showing the different cutting thicknesses of corresponding materials (paperboard) that can be cut by Monport laser engraving machines with different powers. The data sheet shows the relationship between cutting thickness and power of the laser engraver.

Relationship between cutting thickness and power:(Paperboard)

NOTE: Different manufacturer produces laser tube with different peak power and different length

 7. Replacement Parts 

Another factor to consider is whether replacement parts are easy to obtain when the laser engraving machine breaks down. No matter what type of machine you buy, it is still a machine and will break down one day.            

One day, you will have to replace some parts - no matter how carefully you maintain the machine. Therefore, it is very important to know whether the replacement parts of the laser engraving machine are easy to obtain, otherwise you will have to wait for months to obtain them.

8. Maintenance Difficulty 

This is a key factor to consider when buying a machine. You need to know how frequently the equipment needs to be maintained. You also need to check whether you can do it yourself or must hire technicians.             

Trying to understand whether the equipment is easy to repair or maintain is complex. It may even cause your business to shut down. If it is difficult, you may need the help of technicians, which will lead to additional costs. Therefore, look for equipment that is easy to repair and maintain. You may need to find blogs：5 Ways To Extend Your Monport Laser's Service Life  to learn how to maintain the engraving machine. 

9. Warranty 

Like any other electromechanical equipment, the laser engraving machine will not be used forever. They will break down one day. Sometimes, failure depends on how hard you push the machine. At other times, this is a manufacturing defect. In other cases, it's just a workplace accident that may have damaged something. 

Whatever the cause of the engraving machine failure, you need to ensure that the warranty or support guarantee is good enough to mitigate the impact on your finances and operations. When a failure occurs, you need to fix the problem quickly so that you can restart work with minimal interruption.  

 10. Support service 

Pay more attention to the support resources provided by suppliers to customers. Monport services include pre-sales consultation, after-sales service, technical support service and Q & A during the use of engraving machine. You can leave us a message on the website page if you have any questions before buying our products. If you have any questions after purchasing our products, you can contact the Monport customer support center by email: support@monportlaser.com Or call (+ 1) 424-432-9289.        

To buy a suitable laser engraving machine is to choose a system that can meet your current engraving needs, but it has enough capacity to meet your growing needs tomorrow. By balancing the laser engraving machine with the above factors, you are more likely to avoid the common buyer trap and obtain a machine suitable for the job.