Laser Types & Features

Common Laser Types

Laser Type Technology Power Range Wavelength Price Range Ideal Use
CO2 Laser Gas-filled tube 40-150W 10.6μm $300-$8,000 Wood, acrylic, paper, fabric cutting
Diode Laser Semiconductor 5-40W 405-450nm $200-$2,000 Engraving, thin wood/acrylic cutting
Fiber Laser Fiber optic amplifier 20-100W 1064nm $2,000-$15,000 Metal engraving, anodized aluminum
UV Laser Solid-state 1-15W 355nm $3,000-$20,000 Glass, ceramics, fine detail work

Material Compatibility & Settings

Cutting Materials

Material CO2 Laser Diode Laser Fiber Laser Thickness Range Speed (mm/min) Power (%)
Plywood Excellent Good (thin) No 3-20mm 200-800 60-90
MDF Excellent Good (thin) No 3-25mm 150-600 70-95
Acrylic Excellent Fair No 1-12mm 300-1000 40-80
Cardboard Excellent Good No 1-6mm 800-2000 20-50
Leather Excellent Good No 1-8mm 400-1200 30-70
Fabric Excellent Good No 1-5mm 1000-3000 15-40
Paper Excellent Good No 0.1-2mm 1500-5000 10-30
Cork Excellent Good No 2-10mm 600-1500 40-80
Rubber Good Fair No 1-6mm 200-800 50-85
Foam Excellent Good No 3-25mm 800-2000 20-60

Engraving Materials

Material CO2 Laser Diode Laser Fiber Laser DPI Range Speed (mm/min) Power (%)
Wood Excellent Excellent No 150-600 1000-3000 20-60
Bamboo Excellent Excellent No 150-600 1200-2500 25-55
Acrylic Good Good No 200-800 800-2000 15-40
Anodized Aluminum No Good Excellent 300-1200 2000-5000 30-70
Stainless Steel No No Excellent 300-1000 1500-4000 40-80
Coated Metals Fair Good Excellent 200-800 1000-3000 35-65
Glass Fair No Good (UV) 300-1200 500-1500 60-90
Ceramic Fair No Good (UV) 200-600 400-1200 70-95
Leather Excellent Excellent No 150-400 1500-3000 20-50
Stone Good Fair Good 150-400 300-1000 80-100

Safety & Ventilation

Essential Safety Equipment

Equipment Purpose Required For Cost Range
Exhaust Fan Remove fumes and particles All operations $100-$500
Air Assist Prevent flame, clear debris Cutting operations $50-$200
Honeycomb Bed Support materials, reduce backflash All operations $50-$300
Safety Glasses Eye protection All laser types $20-$100
Fire Extinguisher Emergency fire suppression All operations $30-$150
Smoke Detector Early fire warning Workshop safety $20-$100

Prohibited Materials

Material Reason Alternative
PVC/Vinyl Releases toxic chlorine gas TPU, leather
Polycarbonate Creates toxic fumes Acrylic, PETG
ABS Plastic Toxic fumes, poor cut quality Acrylic, wood
Fiberglass Releases glass particles Wood, acrylic
Any Metal (CO2/Diode) Reflects laser, fire hazard Use fiber laser

Project Ideas & Business Applications

Profitable Projects

Project Type Materials Skill Level Profit Margin Time per Unit
Wedding Invitations Cardstock, wood Beginner 200-400% 5-15 min
Personalized Signs Wood, acrylic Beginner 150-300% 15-45 min
Jewelry Wood, acrylic, leather Intermediate 300-500% 10-30 min
Phone Cases Wood, bamboo Intermediate 200-350% 20-40 min
Architectural Models Cardboard, acrylic Advanced 100-200% 2-8 hours
Leather Goods Leather, fabric Intermediate 150-250% 30-90 min
Puzzles Plywood, MDF Beginner 200-400% 30-60 min
Coasters Wood, acrylic, cork Beginner 250-450% 5-10 min

Design Software Options

Software Cost Skill Level Best For
Lightburn $60 Beginner-Pro Laser-specific operations
Inkscape Free Beginner Vector graphics, cutting
Adobe Illustrator $23/month Intermediate Professional design
Fusion 360 Free (personal) Advanced 3D modeling, CAD
CorelDRAW $499 Intermediate Vector graphics, layout
Canva Free-$15/month Beginner Simple designs, templates

Maintenance & Troubleshooting

Regular Maintenance Schedule

Task Frequency Importance Time Required
Clean Lens After every session Critical 5 min
Check Air Assist Daily High 2 min
Clean Honeycomb Weekly Medium 15 min
Check Belt Tension Monthly High 10 min
Lubricate Rails Monthly High 15 min
Replace Exhaust Filter 3-6 months High 20 min
Calibrate Laser Quarterly Medium 30 min

Common Issues & Solutions

Problem Likely Cause Solution
Incomplete Cuts Low power, fast speed, dirty lens Increase power, slow speed, clean lens
Burn Marks Too much power, poor air assist Reduce power, check air flow
Wavy Lines Loose belts, mechanical issues Tighten belts, check mechanics
Poor Engraving Quality Wrong DPI, speed too fast Adjust DPI, reduce speed
Flame/Fire No air assist, flammable material Enable air assist, use safer materials
Inconsistent Depth Uneven bed, warped material Level bed, flatten material

File Preparation Tips

Vector vs Raster

Operation File Type Colour Coding Typical Use
Cutting Vector Red (255,0,0) Outlines, shapes
Engraving Raster Black/Grayscale Photos, textures
Scoring Vector Blue (0,0,255) Fold lines, light marks
Marking Vector Green (0,255,0) Guidelines, reference

Optimization Settings

Setting Cutting Engraving Notes
Resolution 300-600 DPI 150-1200 DPI Higher = slower, more detail
Line Width 0.001-0.01” N/A Thinner = cleaner cuts
Kerf Adjustment 0.1-0.3mm N/A Compensate for laser width
Image Dithering N/A Floyd-Steinberg Best for photo engraving

Business Considerations

Startup Costs

Item Budget Option Mid-Range Professional
Laser Cutter $300-800 $1,500-3,000 $5,000-15,000
Ventilation $200-400 $500-1,000 $1,500-3,000
Materials (starter) $200-500 $500-1,000 $1,000-2,000
Software $0-100 $100-500 $500-1,500
Safety Equipment $100-200 $200-400 $400-800
**Total Startup $800-2,000 $2,800-5,900 $8,400-22,300

Pricing Guidelines

Factor Consideration Pricing Method
Material Cost Raw material + waste Cost × 2-3
Machine Time Hourly rate $30-100 Time × Rate
Design Time Custom work $25-75/hour
Complexity Intricate designs 1.5-3× base price
Quantity Bulk discounts 10-30% off for 10+
Rush Orders Expedited delivery 25-50% surcharge
Niche Target Audience Seasonal Demand Competition Level
Wedding Industry Couples, planners Spring/Summer peak High
Corporate Gifts Businesses, HR Year-round Medium
Pet Products Pet owners Year-round Medium
Home Decor Homeowners, designers Fall/Winter peak High
Educational Schools, teachers Back-to-school Low
Memorial Products Funeral homes, families Year-round Low

Quality Control Checklist

Pre-Production

  • Material is flat and secure
  • Lens is clean and aligned
  • Air assist is functioning
  • Exhaust fan is running
  • Fire safety equipment ready
  • File is properly prepared

During Production

  • Monitor first few cuts/engraves
  • Check for smoke/flames
  • Verify cut quality
  • Adjust settings if needed
  • Maintain consistent material feed

Post-Production

  • Inspect all cuts for completeness
  • Check engraving quality
  • Remove any residue
  • Sand if necessary
  • Apply finish if required
  • Package carefully

This cheatsheet provides essential information for laser cutting and engraving. Always consult your specific laser manufacturer’s guidelines and prioritize safety in all operations.

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