DIY Laser Engravers: The best Option for Hobbyists and entrepreneurs

DIY laser engraving machines make a sound difference for people who want to engrave valuable information about their business or interests on different stuff. They are not freakishly expensive like other commercial laser engraving machines or other marking systems. Instead, they are customizable and run on the simplest software or a desktop.

A DIY laser engraver can be of perfect help to your small business. Therefore, here we will introduce DIY laser engraving machines, how to choose them, and the best DIY laser engravers you can get. Below is everything you need to know about the coolest thing in the realm of personalization and customization of DIY Laser Engraving Machines.

What Are DIY Laser Engravers?

DIY laser engraving machines are laser machines that are usually smaller in size and fit in your household without taking up much space. These machines have a unique design tailored after the user’s intent. They are mostly not meant for industry engraving, such as building product marking, agricultural and heavy machinery marking, or batch coding machines. Rather, they are designed for engraving on small and individual objects individually. Therefore, they have smaller engraving areas and have their own sets of software that run the machine.

Why DIY Marking Machines?

DIY laser engraving machines come packed with every part disassembled. Therefore, the user must assemble every part by looking at their manual or guide. This is important for the following reasons.

· The Joy of Assembling Your Laser Marking Machine

If you’re a hobbyist, you’d love this activity because it sure is accomplishing to build your machine. Although things might get tough somewhere in between, you will sail through by paying attention to the guidelines. Also, you can check sites such as The Instructables on articles and reviews about assembling and reviews of popular DIY laser engraving machines for easy assembling.

· Tailoring Your Machine to A Specific Need

Assembling the machine would allow you to create a machine tailored towards a specific need. For example, it can improve the working space or the laser power.

How to Buy the Right Kind of DIY Laser Engraving Machines

Before we go into some sizzling models of DIY laser engraving machines, allow us to instruct you on buying the right kind of DIY laser engraving machine. Here are what to look for before buying.

· Materials and Volumes

First off, you need to know what type of materials you want to engrave. DIY laser engravers mostly engrave organic materials like wood, paper, leather, ceramics, etc. So, you need to know your material type first. Then, you need to know the quantity to be engraved.

Do you want to engrave in bulks or some hundreds in a month? Unfortunately, DIY laser engravers can’t engrave in bulk quantities. For that, you’ll have to opt for commercial marking machines.

· Laser

If the software is the machine’s brain, then the laser is the heart of the machine. Therefore, you need to equally emphasize your research on your DIY laser engraver’s type of laser you want. DIY laser engraving machines are usually solid-state diode lasers.

The type of laser you select will determine the machines’ engraving speed, depth, and quality. Nowadays, solid-state diode lasers produce lasers with output power ranging from 0.1W to 8W. Input power also varies from 40W to 60W.

· Cooling System

The input power of the laser machine will be wasted in the form of heat because they operate in a hot state. Considering that, a good laser DIY engraver must have a good cooling system to ensure that diodes are not affected by heat.

· Lens

A superb lens will complement a good mounting assembly since it will concentrate the laser and a reliable diode.

· The Mounting Assembly

The mounting assembly of the DIY laser engraving machine includes the frame or the chassis. The frame determines the working area for your machine. It is important to look into it because the size of your product needs to be accommodated by the engraving area of the machine.

If your machine has a bigger chassis, it can engrave large products. However, if it is shorter than the size of your product, your machine is of no use. You can keep on engraving on smaller items like rings etc., in this case, and nothing more. A chassis or frame varies from $100 to $300.

Also, the choice of the frame might affect the use of firmware, so it’s better to take these two sides by the side. Finally, your frame must be perfectly compatible with the dynamics of your firmware or driver. Otherwise, the discrepancies can lead to the malfunctioning of the whole operation.

· Firmware

While using the DIY laser engravers, the firmware gives you two options. On the one hand, use the built-in firmware and do everything according to that driver. But, on the other hand, find an engraver that works best with your particular software. This gives you the freedom of creating something while not being restricted in the boundaries.

This option has a great edge over the first one. It lets you import your work from modeling software like CAD or Adobe. Although the built-in software is always cheaper if you like roaming freely, you might want to go for the second option.

· Connectivity

While this point might not be important for some users, it may not be discarded completely. First, you need to know how a particular engraving machine will connect with your system. Some machines offer a wired connection, while others offer a Bluetooth connection.

It all depends on your working area. If you want to work in a less messy situation, opt for the machine wireless connectivity. And if you don’t mind any wires, go for machines with wired connectivity.

Many DIY laser engraving machines are available on Chinese websites like Ali Baba and Ali Express. However, ensure that you don’t go for cheaper or unknown machines. Instead, you can check out our list of quality DIY laser engraving machines.

Best DIY Laser Engraving Machines You Can Get for Your Business

Now that we have given you an idea about important things to look for in a DIY Laser engraver, let’s list down three we consider the best options for you to try out:

Number #1: L1 and L1 Pro-Mini Laser Engraving Machine

The L1 Mini laser engraving machine is suitable for engraving most organic and non-metal objects. For example, common applicable materials include acrylic, plywood, density board, leather, and wood.

The DIY laser engraving machine software is installable on mobile phones. It is easy to operate, and you can improve on engraving on radial bodies by getting an extra rotary engraving chuck with the machine

This Mini Laser Engraver has the following features:

• Easy to charge, can connect to your power bank by Type C interface
• App Software is easy to operate.
• You can easily achieve your DIY engraving designs with this machine.
• Germany laser module, Better Stability, Faster Speed.
• Safety Design with protective shells option
• Small size and easy to carry

If you are interested, you can click here to learn more.

Number #2: BobsCNC E3 CNC Router Engraver

The BobsCNC E3 CNC Router Engraver is the most popular machine engraving on wood materials like no other. It’s not a desktop engraving setup rather a DIY machine that uses a rail system having X and Y axes. The firmware of BobsCNC includes a Java-based application that allows you to connect this machine with Windows, Linus, Mac, and Raspberry Pi.

It weighs over 26 pounds and offers an area of 25x25x19 inches which is fairly enough for a DIY laser engraver. Not only that, it is Amazon’s Choice recipient as well.

Number #3: Endurance DIY Desktop Laser Engraving Machine

Not mentioning any desktop DIY laser engraving machine would have been wrong. So instead, we decided to include Endurance’s Diode Laser engraver, a DIY laser cutter. With a wavelength of 445nm, this DIY laser engraver boasts a high-quality blue diode laser.

The power output of this laser is either 2.1W or 10W, which is a range of minimum and maximum. This machine can engrave on ABS plastics, organic materials like wood, paper, cardboard, leather, acrylics, etc.

You can log on to Endurance’s website to find out the complete range of materials that it can work on. With a weight of around 74 ounces, this desktop DIY machine offers an area of 12.2×9.84×5.91 inches.

It comes preloaded with its software stored in a USB flash drive. The USB flash drive is included in the parts that come with this machine. The engraving and cutting speed vary for this machine.

The average engraving speed is about 0.8-2 inches per second, whereas the cutting speed is relatively slow, i.e., 0.1-0.25 inches per second. The compatible software is GRBL and AS.

Final Thoughts

Now that you have a fair idea about the points to look for in a DIY laser engraving machine, you can easily look for a good machine on your own. All you have to do is focus on the points mentioned in this article, and you’ll be headed in the right direction.

If you want an editor’s tip, try looking for machines based on the mounting assembly and the software. These two points can surely make a difference while looking for a good DIY laser engraving machine. Try your luck. Become a better professional in your business and look for a DIY laser engraver right now. Engrave your information and make a difference in the market by standing out. Complete your hobby by searching out the creative machines mentioned above and start your journey from today.