Requirements builder
Write the brief before you buy
Fill this in with what you already know about your job. You get a printable requirements brief for a supplier, and a list of the questions you still need answered.
It is easy to start comparing machines before you have written down what the machine has to do. A specification looks fine, and then the material turns out to be wrong, or the piece does not fit, or the extraction plan changes the room or setup.
This builder does two things. It writes your answers up as a brief a supplier can quote against. And where you have not answered something, it gives you the question to ask rather than leaving a blank.
It starts filled in with an example, so you can see what comes out. Clear it and put your own job in.
What you make
One sentence is enough. This is the top of the brief.
What you're cutting
The exact product matters here, not just the material family: composition, binder and coating vary from product to product. If you don't know these yet, the brief will say so.
How big the pieces are
Measure the largest piece you will normally make, then add whatever the clamps or jig take up.
How often you'll run it
This is what turns a machine that looks fine into one that holds you up.
Where it's going
Where the fumes go can limit which rooms will work, so it is worth sorting out early.
What you've priced
The machine is one line on the invoice. Tick what you already have a written quote for.
Evidence you already have
Keep these evidence classes separate. A manufacturer specification is not independent evidence, and desk research is not Laser Workbench hands-on evidence.
Requirements brief
For a supplier
Prepared with the Laser Workbench requirements builder · laserworkbench.com/laser-selector
Personalised desk signs. The laser has to cut through sheet and engrave or mark the surface. Finish that matters: no scorch marks on the face.
3 mm thick and intended operation: cut and engrave or mark.
Largest piece 300 × 150 mm. With 20 mm for workholding, the piece needs at least 320 × 170 mm of usable working area. It loads flat on the bed.
Repeat batches. Typical batch 25 pieces.
Converted garage, 3.5 × 5 m; narrowest way in 760 mm; used as part of a business.
Required budget scope: the machine, extraction and ducting, electrical work, software and licences, materials and consumables, maintenance and spare parts and the space. Quoted so far: the machine. Budget for the whole setup £4000.
Evidence held: manufacturer information. Evidence notes: Manufacturer information only; independent evidence not yet recorded.
Before you buy, ask
6 to askYou haven't named the exact material
Ask your supplier for the product name and the manufacturer, not just the material type. Two sheets sold as “3 mm ply” can behave differently in a laser.
Look for any cutting guidance and safety information the manufacturer or supplier provides for the named product. Materials & safety
You haven't recorded any coating or adhesive
Ask whether the sheet has a coating, veneer, laminate or glue line, and what it is. Write “none” in the brief if there is none.
A coating or glue line affects both the cut and what comes off the material, so a supplier needs to know about it. Materials & safety
You don't have the safety data sheet
Ask the supplier for the safety data sheet for that exact product, and read the hazards and disposal sections before you cut any of it.
It provides information about the product and its hazards, but may not disclose the complete formulation or say what laser processing produces. Materials & safety
You haven't decided where the fumes go
Decide between ducting outside and a filter unit before you choose a room, because where the fumes go can limit which rooms will work.
It is easy to leave until last. Workshop setup
This is for work, so check which exposure-control duties apply
Use the actual materials, processes and exposure circumstances to determine the controls and documentation required. If LEV is part of the control, HSE suggests asking suppliers “How will you show that the LEV provides adequate control?” and “What training do you include for using, checking and maintaining the LEV system?”1
Business use alone does not determine the control. For an LEV system, HSE also identifies a user manual, logbook and commissioning report. Workshop setup
Most of the setup isn't quoted yet
Get a written quote for each line you have not ticked, and ask separately for anything the machine supplier does not supply themselves.
The machine is one line on the invoice. Costs & profitability
Evidence to obtain before comparing exact models
- Exact machine identity, model, variant and supplied configuration.
- Exact machine documentation for intended operations, limits and required supporting systems.
- Supplier identification, composition and material safety information for each intended material.
- Documented working area, access, installation envelope and manufacturer clearances.
- Current quotations for the machine, supporting systems, software, materials, upkeep and workspace.
- Evidence showing that any independent result covers the same machine, configuration, material and operation.
Questions still open 6 questions left See them
Laser requirements brief
Laser Workbench, laserworkbench.com/laser-selector. Fill this in, then ask a supplier to answer it against a named model and configuration.
| What you make | |
| What are you making? | |
| What does the laser have to do? | □ Cut through sheet□ Engrave or mark the surface□ Something else |
| Any finish you can't compromise on? | |
| What you're cutting | |
| Product name | |
| Supplier | |
| Known composition | |
| Thickness (mm) | |
| Any coating, veneer, laminate or adhesive? | |
| Do you have the safety data sheet? | □ Yes□ No□ Not sure |
| Intended operation for this material | □ Cut□ Engrave or mark□ Something else |
| Additional material records | |
| How big the pieces are | |
| Largest piece — width (mm) | |
| Largest piece — length (mm) | |
| Extra space for clamps or a jig (mm) | |
| How does the piece go in? | □ Flat on the bed□ Through a pass-through, for longer stock□ On a rotary attachment□ Not sure yet |
| Other workpiece forms | □ Cylindrical or rotary work□ Irregular form□ Long stock or pass-through work□ Other unusual form |
| Additional workpiece notes | |
| Loading and access requirements | |
| How often you'll run it | |
| What's the pattern? | □ Occasional jobs□ Repeat batches□ Regular production□ Not known yet |
| Typical batch size (pieces) | |
| Workflow notes | |
| Where it's going | |
| Where will the machine live? | |
| Where will the fumes go? | □ Ducted outside□ Through a filter unit, back into the room□ Not decided |
| Narrowest doorway or gap on the way in (mm) | |
| Will the laser be part of a business? | □ Yes□ No□ Not sure |
| Workspace and supporting systems | |
| What you've priced | |
| Whole-system budget scope | □ The machine□ Extraction and ducting□ Any electrical work□ Software and licences□ Materials and consumables□ Maintenance and spare parts□ The space itself |
| Quotes you already have | □ The machine□ Extraction and ducting□ Any electrical work□ Software and licences□ Materials and consumables□ Maintenance and spare parts□ The space itself |
| Budget for the whole setup (£) | |
| Evidence you already have | |
| Evidence already held | □ Manufacturer information□ Supplier/material information□ Independent evidence□ Laser Workbench evidence |
| Evidence notes | |
| Questions still to ask | |
Why the gaps matter more than the answers
The useful part of a brief is not the boxes you can fill in. It is the ones you cannot.
A supplier can answer almost any question you put to them, but only if you ask it. If you walk in knowing the piece is 300 × 150 mm and the material is a named product with a safety data sheet, you get a specific answer. If you walk in saying “3 mm ply, about A4”, you get a machine that fits that description and a surprise later.
The questions are ordered by what depends on what. The material comes first, because the cutting settings, the fume and the safety information are all tied to the specific product. Size and pattern come next, because they narrow the field of machines. The room and the money come last, because they are what a plan runs into rather than starts from.
When the brief is full
Take it to two or three suppliers and ask each to answer it against a named model and configuration, in writing. Then you are comparing like with like.
The guides behind each answer: laser types, materials & safety, workshop setup and costs & profitability. If you have not worked out what you are making yet, start with what to work out first.
Source
- HSE, Clearing the air: A simple guide to buying and using local exhaust ventilation (LEV), INDG408. Checked 27 September 2026. The supplier questions and the list of documents quoted in the brief are HSE’s, not ours. It asks buyers to put in a specification that the supplier “provide a user manual” and “a logbook for the system”, and lists a commissioning report among the documents to expect.
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