Why cheap laser engraving machines are a waste of money?
The laser engraving machine is one of the most coming of age technologies and it is quite exciting to work with. It is a piece of great equipment for DIY enthusiasts, craftspeople, and of course entrepreneurs. While you are going to buy a laser engraving machine you must ensure you are not wasting money by a choosing cheaper one.
What does a laser engraving machine do?
A laser engraving machine helps you to transfer the beautiful pieces of artwork, designs or any letterings on the materials you want them to be. In fact, there are so many possibilities that you cannot even fathom what you can create using a laser engraving machine. If you don’t know what this beast can do, google it up and take a look at those videos that can create some great work.
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What still surprises are that just like any other machinery, laser engraving machine comes out in different qualities too. You would obviously go for a cheaper laser engraving machine owing to the price but here is why it is necessary to carefully consider and invest in a top-quality machine that is going to help you for projects to come.
But the common question persists, are they worth the money?
What are the big differences between expensive and cheap laser ones?
If you take a look on eBay, you will understand that laser cutter software enabled machines cost anything between $ 300 to an exaggerating amount of $ 50,000. Well, what is so different in their performances?
Laser engraving machines which are costly are made of some material which does not break down that easily. It has some of the most powerful lasers that can cut through diverse materials and can perform in speed. They come with some of the best service packages and they have warranties that guarantee their product life. In case of any malfunctioning, they have insurances that protect from expensive repairs and free part replacements. They are also easy to operate and have some high-end technology fed in them.
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Now, the low-cost laser engraving machines are basically made by workers that use cheap plastic resin materials. A weak laser is used to save the cost of making the machine and the key components are 3D printed. Apart from all this, you may not get any warranty from your manufacturer because he is saving you a lot of bucks. If you get a warranty, then you are very lucky but most of the times you don’t get any.
Cheap laser engravers use cheap laser cutter software which may often not be helpful to create some great designs.
These are some of the basic differences of a high-end engraver and a low-end one. Here are some common problems which people face when they purchase cheap laser engraver.
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It doesn’t cut all the materials
When you are making some high-end artwork or design, you need your laser engraver to work exactly you want it to work. But sometimes, the cheap laser doesn’t cut some materials. The companies that advertise that this laser may cut with materials that are ½ inch thick but obviously, they do not cut materials like plywood or MDF. They may cut through soft lumber but they are not great in cutting the other thick materials.
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They are simply not that powerful
The laser cutters which advertise the power of the laser they incorporate are generally from 100W to 50 W or maybe even lesser than that. The companies play a gimmick of advertising 1500mW instead of 1.5 W making the user register that bigger figure. Thus, when they say it has 50 W, you need to understand it can output power of 30W or so. This power is not enough when you are using materials stronger than paper.
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Breakdown of the machine
This happens a lot when you are working with a cheap laser engraver. You should always decide on what kind of features you are looking for in your laser engraving machine. You can miss out on a lot of features when you are purchasing the lower end one. Apart from this, be prepared to pay for repairs now and then because there might be some spikes and the machine may get spoiled.
Conclusion
Thus, think about it and make some healthy investment on this machine. Prioritize your preferences and think if you want a better quality one or a cheaper one. But, if you are going for a cheap laser engraving machine where you are supposed to create some high-quality design then it is going to be a waste of money. Purchasing a high-end one will make sure that you have a genuine and the best laser engraver for your work. In simplest words, if you are going for a cheap laser engraver doesn’t expect great things from it.