2022 Best Budget Laser Cutting Machines, Affordable Laser Cutters for Sale at Cost Price

What Is A Laser Cutting Machine? - Definition

Laser cutting machine is a type of automatic laser system with CNC controller, which adopts CO2 or FIBER laser beam to cut metals (steel, copper, brass, aluminum, gold, silver, alloy, iron), acrylic, rubber, wood, plastic, leather, paper, foam, textile, fabric into 2D/3D shapes and profiles.

Laser cutting machines are designed for industrial manufacturing, commercial use, school education, small business, home business, small shop, home shop, hobbyist, and craftsman.

A laser cutter kit is composed of CNC controller, machine frame, laser generator, power supply, laser tube, laser head, lens, mirror, water chiller, stepper motor or servo motor, gas cylinder, air compressor, gas storage tank, air cooling filer, dryer, dust extractor, CNC laser software and computer numerical controlled system.

A laser cutting machine is also known as laser cutter, laser cutter machine, laser cutting system, laser cutting equipment, laser cutting table, laser cut machine, laser cutting tool, laser profile cutting system, laser profile cutting machine.

How Does A Laser Cutter Work? - Working Principle

Laser beam is a type of light, and like other natural light, it is produced by the transition of atoms (molecules or ions). However, it is different from ordinary light in that the laser depends on spontaneous radiation only for a very short period of time. The subsequent process is completely determined by the excitation radiation, so it has a very pure color, almost no divergence direction, and extremely high luminous intensity, and high coherence.

Laser cutting is achieved by applying high power density energy produced by laser focusing. With the CNC controller, the laser is discharged in a pulsed manner, and a controlled repetitive high-frequency pulsed laser is output to form a beam of a certain frequency and a certain pulse width. The light beam is transmitted and reflected through the optical path and focused by the focusing lens group. A tiny, high-energy-density light spot is formed on the surface of the part, the focal point is located near the surface to be cut, and the material melts or vaporizes at an instant high temperature. Each high-energy laser pulse instantly sputters a small hole in the surface of the object. With the control of the computer, the laser head and the material to be cut perform continuous relative movement and dotting according to the pre-drawn graphics, so as to cut the object into the desired shape.

The technological parameters (cutting speed, laser power, gas pressure) and movement trajectory during slitting are controlled by the CNC system, and the slag at the slit is blown off by the auxiliary gas with a certain pressure.

The laser emitted by the laser generator is focused by the optical path system into a laser beam of high power density. The beam is irradiated onto the surface of the part to bring the part to a melting point or boiling point, while the high-pressure gas coaxial with the beam blows away the molten or vaporized material. As the beam moves relative to the part, the material is slit finally, thereby achieving the purpose of cutting.

Different laser powers can cut different projects with different thickness. Generally speaking, higher power for thicker part. You should make the appropriate choice according to your requirements.

What Are Laser Cutters Used For? - Applications

Laser cutters are widely used in personalization (customization), digital printing, medical technology, fab labs, education, architectural models, smart phones and laptops, computers & electronics, toys, watches, arts & crafts, awards, trophies, rubber stamps, packaging design, die cut, mold making, signs making, displays making, giveaways, electronics industry, automotive industry, signage, mechanical engineering, ball bearing, jewelry making, fashion & apparel fabrics, stencils, paper cards, car floor mats & liners, textile and garment industry, bar code serial numbers, watches, machining industry, data plates industry, packaging industry.

What Materials Can Be Cut With Laser Cutters?

Fiber laser cutting systems are able to cut variety of metal materials (sheet metals, metal tube, metal profile, 3D curved metals and irregular metals) of carbon steel, stainless steel, mild steel, tool steel, spring steel, galvanized steel, aluminum, copper, gold, silver, alloy, titanium, iron, brass, manganese, chromium, nickel, cobalt, lead, and more metals.

CO2 laser cutting systems are able to cut variety of thin metal and non-metal materials of wood, MDF, plywood, chipboard, acrylic, plastic, PMMA, leather, fabric, cardboard, paper, rubber, depron foam, woodleather, wood paper, EPM, gator foam, polyester (PES), polyethylene (PE), polyurethane (PUR), neoprene, textile, bamboo, ivory, carbon fibers, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyvinyl butyrale (PVB), polytetrafluoroethylenes (PTFE / Teflon), beryllium oxide, and any materials containing halogens (chlorine, fluorine, iodine, astatine and bromine), phenolic or epoxy resins.

How Much Does A Laser Cutter Cost? - Pricing Guide

If you're looking to start your business with an used or new laser cutter to make money, you may wonder how does it cost? and what is the average cost in your area? The best budget laser cutter costs can range from about $2,600 to $300,000, excluding the price of shipping, tax rates, customs clearance, service, and technical support. Costs depend on the brand and type, and whether you want any extra features, including personalized design, custom table size, laser generator and power, rotary attachment, controller, software, parts, accessories, upgrades, setup, debugging, and other special features. Here are the average costs of different types of affordable laser cutting machines.

A fiber laser cutting machine cost is from $8,800.00 to 260,000.00. A CO2 laser cutter cost is from $2,600.00 to 68,800.00. From entry-level to high-end or eco-friendly laser cutters, the costs vary depending on the type you choose.

Technical Parameters - Specification Guide

Brand	STYLECNC
Laser Types	Fiber Laser, CO2 Laser
Laser Powers	80W, 100W, 130W, 150W, 180W, 300W, 1000W, 1500W, 2000W, 3000W, 4000W, 6000W, 8000W, 10000W, 12000W, 15000W, 20000W, 30000W, 40000W
Table Sizes	2' x 3', 2' x 4', 4' x 4', 4' x 8', 5' x 10', 6' x 12'
Cutting Materials	Metals (Stainless Steel, Carbon Steel, Tool Steel, Galvanized Steel, Spring Steel, Copper, Brass, Aluminum, Gold, Silver, Iron, Titanium, Chromium, Alloy, Manganese, Cobalt, Nickel, Lead), Wood, MDF, Plywood, Chipboard, Acrylic, Plastic, Fabric, Leather, Jeans, Paper, Cardborad, ABS, PE, EPM, PES, PVB, PUR, PVC, PTFE, PMMA.
Applications	Industrial Manufacturing, School Education, Small Businesses, Home Business, Small Shop, Home Shop, Hobbyists.
Price Range	$2,600.00 - $300,000.00

How Many Types Of Laser Cutters? - Selection Guide

Laser cutting machines are identified into laser metal cutting machines (metal laser cutters), laser wood cutting machines (wood laser cutters, laser MDF cutters, laser plywood cutters), laser fabric cutting machines (laser fabric cutters), laser leather cutting machines (laser leather cutters), laser paper cutting machines (laser paper cutters), laser acrylic cutting machines (laser acrylic cutters), laser plastic cutting machines (laser plastic cutters), laser foam cutting machines (laser foam cutters), laser paper cutting machines (laser paper cutters) based on materials to be cut.

Laser cutting equipments are classified into fiber laser machines and CO2 laser machines based on laser sources.

Laser cutting systems are defined into handheld & portable, mini & small, tabletop & desktop laser cutting system, large format laser cutting machine, 2x3 laser cutter table, 2x4 laser cutter table, 4x4 laser cutting table, 4x8 laser cutting table, 5x10 laser cutting table based on table sizes. Before buying, take some measurements of your workshop space to ensure that it will fit, and buy the right cutting table.

Laser cutter kits are divided into flatbed laser cutters, laser tube cutters, home laser cutters, hobby laser cutters, laser die cut machines (laser die cutters), laser profile cutting machines, industrial laser cutting machines based on applications.

How To DIY A Laser Cutter? - Building Guide

When you DIY a laser cutting machine, you should first understand its structural composition.

A complete laser cutting machine consists of core components such as laser generator, cutting head, beam transmission components, cutting table, CNC controller, and cooling system.

Laser Generator

A laser generator is a component that generates a laser light source. For metal cutting, fiber laser generators are professional. For non-metal engraving and cutting, CO2 laser generators are the most suitable choice.

Laser Cutting Head

The head is mainly composed of a nozzle, a focusing lens and a focusing tracking system.

Nozzle

There are three common types of nozzles on the market: parallel, converging and conical.

Focusing Lens

Focus the energy of the laser beam and form a high energy density spot. The medium and long focusing lens is suitable for thick plate cutting, and has low requirements on the spacing stability of the tracking system. The short focusing lens is only suitable for thin plate cutting, which requires high spacing stability of the tracking system and greatly reduces the laser output power requirements.

Focus Tracking System

The focus tracking system is generally composed of a focus cutting head and a tracking sensor system. The cutting head consists of light guide focusing, water cooling, air blowing and mechanical adjustment parts. The sensor is composed of sensing element and amplification control part. The tracking system is completely different according to the different sensing elements. Here, there are mainly two forms of tracking system, one is the capacitive sensor tracking system, also known as the non-contact tracking system. The other is an inductive sensor tracking system, also known as a contact tracking system.

Laser Beam Delivery Components

The main component of the beam delivery assembly is the refractive mirror, which is used to direct the laser light in the desired direction. The reflector is usually protected by a protective cover, and a clean positive pressure protective gas is introduced to protect the lens from contamination.

Laser Cutting Table

The table is mainly composed of the bed frame and the driving part, which is used to realize the mechanical part of the X, Y, Z axis movement.

CNC Controller

The CNC controller is used to control the movement of the machine to the X, Y and Z axes, and can also control parameters such as power and speed during cutting.

Cooling System

The cooling system is a water chiller, which is used to cool the laser generator. For example, the electro-optical conversion rate of the laser is 33%, and about 67% of the electric energy is converted into heat energy. In order to ensure the normal operation of the equipment, the chiller needs to be cooled by water to reduce the temperature of the whole machine.

After understanding these main parts of the machine, the rest is to assemble and debug.

How To Buy A Laser Cutter? - Buyer's Guide

When you have the idea of buying a laser cutting machine, there are many things to consider. Let's make a detailed purchase plan for you.

Laser Cutting Plan

First of all, you need to consider some factors such as the scale of your business, which materials you need to cut, the thickness of the materials, and then confirm the laser power of the machine and the size of the workbench according to your own needs. Currently, the laser powers on the market range from 80 watts to 40,000 watts, and the size of the workbench can be customized according to the needs of customers.

Preliminary Selection of Manufacturers

If you confirm your needs, you can go to do research on it. Maybe you can learn from your peers with laser cutters, and understand the machine functions and basic parameters. Select a few powerful manufacturers with favorable prices to conduct preliminary exchanges and proofing, and then conduct on-site investigations in the later stage, and conduct more detailed discussions on prices, online and offline training, and after-sales services.

Laser Power

When choosing the function of the laser cutting machine, it is very important to consider the environment and the size of the laser power. If you often cut sheet metals, you can choose a low-power machine to meet the production needs. Materials with higher thickness need to consider high-power machines, which is beneficial for enterprises to control costs.

Core Parts

Some important parts should be paid special attention when purchasing. Especially laser generator, laser cutting head, servo motor, guide rail, water chiller, and other accessories. These parts directly affect the cutting speed and accuracy of the machine.

Quality & Stability

Today's products are being updated faster and faster. Due to the short product development cycle, there are more product diversity, sample trial production, and mass production. How to complete customer orders with quality and quantity, enhance corporate competition, and maintain corporate reputation is also every time. Therefore, the purchase of processing equipment with stable functions is the condition and foundation. Try to choose a brand with a high market share, a sound after-sales service system, a large number of after-sales service outlets, and a long-term shopping mall inspection. Greedy to buy low-quality products with low prices and no after-sales service, this will have a great negative impact on the processing of enterprises.

After-Sales Service

Each manufacturer's after-sales service is different, and the warranty period is also intertwined. For machine and laser software, there must be a professional training system to help customers get started as soon as possible. No matter how well a machine is made, it will encounter various problems in the process of use. If customers encounter problems that cannot be solved, it is particularly important whether the manufacturer can provide solutions in a timely manner. This is also an important element to consider when purchasing a laser cutting machine.

Purchase Process

Consult, quotation, process evaluation, placing an order, production, quality control, shipping, custom clearance, support and service.