﻿Hi I’m Gidon from technologyman.com. Laser cutters use a focused high powered
laser beam to cut or engrave a variety of materials including wood, metal, stone, glass,
acrylic, leather, cloth, cardboard and paper. Over the last few years they have come down in
price considerably and you can now pick one up for less than £300 or $300. They’re pretty easy
to get started with and they have plenty of uses from making name tags and signs, to engraving
pretty much anything you can get your hands on, to constructing intricate 3D designs and much more.
I’ll cover the various laser machine options available in the hobby space and what you need
to get started, including software to design your project and communicate with the laser.
And I’ll show how to design, engrave and cut out a simple name tag from start to finish.
So let’s take a closer look. —
Looking at laser cutters under £1000 or $1000 there are two types available:
CO₂ lasers and diode lasers. CO₂ lasers pass a high voltage
through a gas filled glass discharge tube to produce the laser beam.
Diode lasers use a special type of semiconductor diode similar to a typical LED, that converts
an applied voltage into a laser beam. CO₂ lasers are generally more powerful
which means they can cut thicker materials and they can cut and engrave faster than a diode
laser. But they tend to be more bulky and generally more expensive. With their glass
discharge tube, they’re also more fragile. Diode lasers are generally less expensive,
smaller and more robust. They typically aren’t as powerful as CO₂ lasers,
but recently manufacturers are stacking multiple laser diodes together to increase their power.
I’ll be using this 10W diode laser from TwoTrees - the TS2, that combines two laser beams and can cut
thicker materials than your average 5W laser and should be able to engrave twice as fast. I’ll be
using it in this video to demonstrate laser cutting and engraving, but I’ll have a full
review up soon running through all its features and testing it with a wide range of materials,
so please make sure you’re subscribed if you’re interested. Although I’ll be
using a diode laser in this video, most of the information will apply to a CO₂ laser as well.
These laser cutters work very much like a 3D printer but are simpler since they
only operate in a two dimensional plane. If you’re after an introduction to 3D printing
I’ll provide a link on screen and down below to a video I did a while back.
The laser module can move anywhere in the XY plane within the limits of the machine.
The TS2 has a generous 450mm by 450mm work area. It’s not enclosed so if there’s room
you can place it directly over what you want engraved. Although typically you’d have a
sacrificial piece of wood or metal underneath your project. And for cutting, something like
this optional honeycomb bed which allows the smoke to dissipate quickly is the best option.
This machine uses aluminium extrusions for the open frame and you’ll need a fair amount
of desk space for it. But you can get smaller machines if you don’t need all that capacity.
Typically these open frame machines need some assembly to construct the frame,
attach the laser module and connect the wiring. It’s not particularly difficult
but it’s something to bear in mind. You can get some diode lasers that come already assembled
in an enclosure like the TwoTrees TS3. And CO₂ lasers usually arrive like this too.
Some machines will come with a control screen but the TS2 doesn’t - you’ll need to connect
it to your computer with a USB cable. There is an optional LCD screen for the TS2 but I don’t
have that to test. —
You will need software to control your laser cutter and send across designs to cut or engrave.
Most of these more entry level machines don’t come with their own software
and rely on third party options. There are two main applications: the free
LaserGRBL, and LightBurn that costs around £50 or $60 but they offer an unrestricted 30 day trial.
LaserGRBL doesn’t have any design capabilities although you can convert photos to be engraved.
With LaserGRBL you’ll need to use something like InkScape for your designs which is free
or paid software like Adobe Illustrator. I’d recommend at least starting with the LightBurn
trial - it makes things so much easier and it’s a very capable design package too. That’s what I’ll
be using in this introduction to laser cutting. You’ll need to set up your laser cutter in
LightBurn. With it connected to your PC and turned on, the software should
guide you through automatic setup, or the manufacturer will provide details of how to
set up your laser cutter manually. Most hobby laser cutters use G R B L, pronounced Gerbil,
to control their motion and laser power using g-code that your computer software outputs.
So if you need to choose your controller manually in the software, in most cases you can select
GRBL - but check with your manufacturer. Then choose Serial/USB, give it a name,
specify the overall work area, and where the laser’s origin is. For the TS2 it’s front left
where the limit switches are. If your machine has limit switches like the TS2, select Auto home.
A lot of machines don’t have limit switches which allow the laser module to automatically return to
a known position - in this case its origin. But depending on how you use your laser you might
not need them. I’ll expand on this shortly. Under Edit | Settings, check your units are
mm / min if you’re using a diode laser and mm / s if you’re using a CO₂ laser.
We’re going to use Lightburn to create a simple name tag that we’ll engrave and cut out of some
3 mm plywood. Click on the text tool in the left toolbar and type in a name anywhere in the work
area. You can then click on the font name in the top toolbar and choose a font you like.
The Text will automatically update. Tap escape twice to exit the text tool
and you can move the text around or use one of the corner handles to resize it.
You can also set the exact dimensions in the width and height fields in the top toolbar.
Make sure you turn the padlock on to lock the aspect ratio.
Now click on the Offset tool in the left toolbar, check the Direction is set to
Outward and the corner style is set to Round and adjust the Offset distance to your tastes.
We want to engrave the name and cut out this offset shape. Select the name graphic and
locate the Cuts / Layers panel on the right. If you can’t find it, go to Window | Reset
to Default Layout and it should be top right. Change the Mode to Fill and check your manual
for recommended engraving speed and power settings for plywood. This is just a starting point which
I’ll come back to shortly. Enter these values under speed and power underneath the layers.
Now click on the Offset line you just created. If you’re having trouble selecting either graphic,
use the tab key to move between them. With the Offset line selected, click on the
red swatch below the work area. Clicking a colour creates a layer and each layer lets you specify
different settings. It doesn’t matter what colours you use, but typically red is used for cuts,
Make sure the red cut layer is below the black fill layer - if not use the up and down chevrons
to the right of the layers window to adjust the fill or cut order. You want the name to
be engraved first before its outline is cut out, otherwise it may move as it’s released.
Change the Mode to Line and again refer to your user manual for cutting speed and power settings
for 3mm plywood. Cutting is really no different to engraving - you’ll just
be increasing your power and slowing down your speeds which results in a deeper cut.
If you click on the preview icon in the top toolbar you should see exactly how
your design will be engraved and cut. You can drag the slider control to simulate the
cut - check the name engraves first, and then the outline gets cut out.
You’re now ready to send the design to your laser cutter. This is a good time to talk about laser
safety. Even reflected light from these lasers can damage your eyesight so laser safety glasses
are critical. Most laser cutters come with free glasses, but I‘d highly recommend getting OD or
Optical Density 6+ glasses that specifically cover the wavelength of your machine’s laser - 450nm in
the case of the TS2. They are meant to reduce the intensity of the laser light by a factor of one
million. I bought these ones off Amazon - they’re also far more comfortable than the free ones
which also don’t have any CE mark. I’ll provide a link down below to the glasses I’ve settled on.
It also goes without saying you need to keep your hands well away from the laser beam
too - as well as pets and children. And you’ll need good ventilation or better still a way of
exhausting any fumes. Cutting or engraving you are burning through whatever material you’re using,
which can release unpleasant and even dangerous fumes. Even cutting through plywood intended for
cutting with a laser gives me a headache without good ventilation. And some materials like ABS
plastic should not be engraved or cut since they release particularly nasty fumes. I’ll provide a
link below to materials that shouldn’t be cut or engraved with a laser cutter. This is one issue
with open frame machines like this TS2 without any enclosure - it’s harder to exhaust any fumes.You
can get laser enclosure tents but I make sure the windows are open and am currently using an
under-powered small fume extractor for soldering positioned right up against the laser module. But
I’m looking to improve on this setup very soon. Some machines have additional safety features. The
TS2 has a flame detector which will sound an alarm and shut off the laser if it detects a flame.
It also has a gyroscope that will shut off the laser if the machine tips over.
I would still never leave a laser cutter like this running unattended.
You now need to line up your piece of plywood. Place it anywhere in the work area.
In the Laser panel select Current Position in Start From and use the controls in the Move window
to move the laser roughly over where you want the cut to start. You can use the number pad cursor
keys to move the laser too - just make sure you click on the work area first. In most cases I
use Current Position which also means you don’t really need to home your machine with or without
limit switches, since the machine just starts from wherever the laser module is positioned. Put your
glasses on and click on Fire in the Move window which will turn the laser on at a very low output
so you can see exactly where it’ll start from. Next you need to adjust the laser’s focus.
Most lasers come with a height block or similar to set the height of the laser above the workpiece
for precise focus. The TwoTrees TS2 has a very neat feature that sets this height automatically.
The laser module is on rails driven by a stepper motor that can adjust its height. When you select
either Engrave or Cut in the Console window, it lowers the laser module until a sprung probe
touches your workpiece. It then sets the height exactly 50mm above the workpiece for engraving.
If you’re performing a cut it then lowers the laser the thickness of the wood divided by two
so that the focus is halfway through the piece of wood or whatever you’re cutting. This has some
interesting possibilities for cutting thicker materials that I’ll cover in the full review.
Holding down the Shift key, click on Frame. This again turns the laser on at a very low power and
then shows the overall outline of your cut. You can now click Start in the Laser Window to execute
the job. With any luck a few minutes later, you should have your name tag engraved and cut out.
In its simplest form that’s pretty much all there is to laser cutting and engraving.
The trickiest part which I’ve skirted over is finding the right combination of speed and power
for the materials you’re using. You just need to experiment with these two variables to get the
best settings for your machine and the materials you’re working with. Too much power or moving the
laser too slowly can end up burning your material, too little power or moving the laser too quickly
can result in your engravings being too faint or your cuts not penetrating the material.
It does need a little trial and error but LightBurn has a very useful Material Test under
Laser Tools which can print out a simple grid with varying speed and power that will help you fine
tune your settings. You can use the manufacturer’s recommended settings as a starting point. Just
varying power and speed settings, I can go from cutting plywood to engraving this piece of powder
coated steel salvaged from a desktop PC case. Or engrave this piece of slate.
You can then save the perfect settings in LightBurn’s material library for future use.
There is one more feature you need to know about for laser cutting and that’s air assist.
The laser produces a lot of smoke where it burns through the material.
This smoke obscures the laser beam which degrades the cut quality
and gets the lens of the laser dirty which will reduce the laser’s output.
The TS2 has an air assist nozzle which, if connected to some sort of air source,
blows away the smoke with a steady stream of air and noticeably improves the cut quality.
If your laser doesn’t have an air assist nozzle installed , there’s normally one available
as an optional accessory or you might be able to get something 3D printed.
You’ll need some sort of air pump or a compressor - on these lower end machines you don’t usually
get anything provided. On the TS2 there’s a thin black tube to connect to that connects to the air
assist nozzle. You can get a cheap aquarium pump, or laser cutting specific air pumps are available
but are quite pricey. I’m using an air compressor I already own and I’m using it with a water trap
to ensure no moisture or contaminants get near the laser diode. I also use a digital regulator
to reduce the pressure to around 15 psi which I’ve found gives the best results. I did have to design
an adapter in Fusion 360 which I 3D printed and it works well. You can see just how much
difference it makes using air assist with these sample cuts done with and without air assist.
Although it does make an already noisy machine even noisier!
Another accessory you can add is a rotary attachment for engraving mugs and flasks etc.
I’ll show this in operation and lots more examples of what you can do with a laser cutter, cutting
and engraving various materials in the full review of the TwoTrees TS2 that I hope to release soon.
If there’s anything you want to see in the full review or you have any questions
please let me know in the comments - I read every comment and will do my best to respond.
I really hope you found this a useful introduction to laser cutters. Please like the video if you
did. I’m releasing videos every week on the latest technology and how to get the most out of it, so
please make sure you subscribe. And don’t forget to tap the bell icon if you want to get notified
as soon as a new video gets uploaded! Thanks for watching!