New machinery also means new technology, resulting in quicker turnaround times and more profit. Moreover, letting down clients who are in a hurry may result in losing them for good.īrand new machines don’t need that kind of attention at the start and also come with a guarantee. A used machine can quickly “make up” for the saved money in lost revenues through down-time and the cost of maintenance. You can see some prices of used laser cutters here. Hobbyists are just prone to buying stuff only to sell it later, unused, with a discount.Įven a small markdown, percentage-wise, can add up to a significant amount when it comes to industrial laser cutting machines. It is definitely possible to find a good bargain on the market, especially when it comes to simpler machines used for DIY projects. This is again a question that does not have a right or wrong answer. So would a used one be a good alternative? Your choice reflects on laser cutting price. So, new machines are definitely expensive. This includes feeding systems as well as conveyors that take your parts to the next station. Of course, there are special tube laser cutting machines but some multi-functional cutters also have the capabilities to perform both flat and profile cutting jobs.Ī lot of manufacturers offer a wide range of possibilities to automate your production flow to a large extent. Tube laser cutter in actionĪnother thing to keep in mind is the ability for tube laser cutting. But when you need to cut reflective materials like stainless steel or aluminium, fibre lasers are the preferred option, as these two have different working principles. CO2 laser cutting machines are perfectly good for most jobs. The materials are a deciding factor when choosing between different types o f lasers. The main points revolve around a few things: As this is a niche market where every sale counts, they are very open to discussing your needs in order to find the optimal solution for you. While you can definitely take a closer look at the specifications of different machinery and compare them, the easiest way is still contacting a supplier directly. More powerful machines with larger work-benches and some extras can cost upwards of £1,000,000. When looking for industrial laser cutters able to cut metals, the sums start from around £200,000. In order to make the final decision, we would recommend consulting with the seller. At the same time, going for the highest possible grade would probably need sufficient usage of the machine to justify the costs. We would not advise to make the choice based on the cost only, as the cost also tends to reflect in the reliability. This is a great site to get recommendations according to your budget. The prices for such hobbyist machinery start from £200 and go up to about £10,000. High quality cuts are only achievable with a powerful enough machine. Power is also the parameter that determines suitable cutting thicknesses. A golden rule here is that doubling a laser’s power doubles its cutting speed. Just make sure the machine is able to cut the materials you use in the size you need.Īnother thing to keep in mind is the cutting volume. If you are looking for a machine to produce parts for your DIY RC planes, for example, the requirements are not that high. Anything from regular printer sizes up to 3000 x 12000 mm tables are available. So basically the most important que stion is – what materials can the laser cutter cut?Īnother important aspect is the size of the material that needs to be cut. But there is a ton a variation there as well. If looking for a laser cutter suitable for industrial scale metal cutting, we are looking at the higher end of the aforementioned range. Although the range of materials may be quite wide, these machines are not suitable for cutting metals. Lower end of the charging spectrum is suitable for DIY hobbyists looking a laser cutt ing and laser engraving or marking option for non-metals or soft metals. Firstly, to determine a suitable laser cutting machine, we need to identify your needs.