Laser engravers, the crafting kind, not the sci-fi kind, are quietly taking over workshops, maker spaces, and craft rooms. Once restricted to industrial settings, consumer-grade laser cutters and engravers have become more powerful, easier to use, and much safer. Today, hobbyists can engrave wood, acrylic, stone, leather, and even certain metals without renting factory space or risking their eyesight. Here's a guide to the latest features and types of lasers present on the best laser cutters and engravers available on the market.
Why Lasers Cutters Are Getting Popular
Lasers are incredibly easy to use and don’t require a degree in mechanical engineering to operate. An affordable desktop laser can engrave nearly anything you can fit under the lens, from organic materials to metals. Lasers can be used to make keychains, ornaments, earrings, puzzles, signs, rubber stamps, or even custom jigs.
You also don’t need to be an artist to create beautiful objects with a laser; it can even be used to transfer purchased designs or clip art onto unadorned blanks. Objects like tumblers, cutting boards, and plain boxes can be found at Amazon, IKEA, and even Walmart. You can also repurpose thrift store finds into marvelous treasures with a bit of clever laser engraving.
Software for designing laser projects is typically easier than CAD software needed for 3D printing. Instead of wrestling with meshes and geometry, a beautiful laser project can be whipped up with coloring book outlines or simple vector paths. Many manufacturers now bundle easy-to-use design software with their machines for free.
Who Can Use a Laser?
Almost anyone. If you can draw a line, a laser can cut it. A basic laser pattern can be made from clip art, a coloring book page or a kid’s doodle. All you need to do is feed a clear image with bold contrast into your laser’s design software and ask it to trace. It’s really that easy.
Obviously, if you’re more artistic, crafty or have a bit of woodworking experience, you’ll be able to create more complex projects. Many manufactures also include access to file sharing sites where you can download expertly made patterns to follow.
Laser Cutters vs. 3D Printers
Both laser cutters and 3D printers are appealing to the DIY maker set, but they serve different purposes.
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