If you’re looking for a laser machine for your work in design, manufacturing or education, you may be weighing up the different types of machines available and which are best for your needs. To make it easier for you, we’ve compiled a handy guide on the different types of laser cutter machines, their uses, and which might be best for you.
CO2 laser cutters
CO2 laser machines are the more common type of laser machine within industries such as design or for education, as they are the less expensive and less heavy-duty type of machine available. These machines are perfect for engraving and cutting materials such as wood, plastic and fabrics.
The CO2 laser uses a CO2 filled tube and fully reflective mirrors to create a beam light powerful enough to cut through a wide range of materials. This type of laser machine is one of the most popular due to its less intense nature and more affordable price range. It can typically be found in education environments, as well as engineering, sign making and design sectors.
Fibre laser cutters
Fibre laser cutters generally utilise a more powerful source and generate a certain wavelength of laser beam which can cut through metals including steel, brass and aluminium. They’re part of the solid-state laser group that can produce powerful and stable beams, with intensities 100 times higher than that of the CO2 lasers using the same amount of power.
The fibre-optic cable inside the fibre laser cutter concentrates light more accurately than a CO2 laser cutter, as the beam is smaller and straighter than other types of lasers, making it useful in metalwork and the construction industry. The high-power laser beam is produced using stimulated radiation and amplified by the fibre optic cable. They’re also generally extremely low maintenance and have a far longer lifecycle than a CO2 laser.
Fibre laser marking machines
We also offer a range of bench-top fibre laser marking machines. These compact and fully enclosed laser markers use a less powerful fibre laser source to facilitate the direct engraving and marking of steel components. Similar to our fibre laser cutting machines, the engraving results are so precise it is possible to achieve almost photographic, high-definition engraving of steel, aluminium, brass and a whole host of other metals and harder engineering plastics.
Fibre laser marking machines are an ideal solution for part marking, product branding, personalisation and even jewellery engraving.
Using the included laser software enables our customers to accurately engrave logos, part numbers, QR codes and bar codes on to almost any metals, with extremely professional industry standard results. Many of our customers use our fibre laser marking machines to add value and a professionalism to their existing products, making a fibre laser an extremely useful tool to add to any workshop or manufacturing environment.
Which is right for you?
At Boxford, we sell a wide variety of laser cutting and engraving machines. See our range of fibre and CO2 laser cutters and engravers here to browse more of the features of these machines and find out which one is right for you.