What to work out first

Start with the finished object, not the machine. A laser that engraves beautifully may cut slowly, or not at all. Write down what you’d make most weeks and what you’d only make occasionally, and be honest about which of those you can’t compromise on. Note the finish you’d accept as well, because it narrows the field more than people expect.

Laser types covers what diode, CO₂ and fibre machines are each good at.

What matters is the exact product, not the category: its composition, its thickness, and any coating, veneer or glue. Some materials shouldn’t go near a laser at all. So write down the supplier and the product name, and ask for the safety data sheet.

The safety data sheet is worth having, but know what it is. It describes the product and its hazards as supplied. It is not a risk assessment, and it need not tell you what comes off the sheet when a laser cuts it. Materials & safety picks that up, working through a real sheet product and what its paperwork does and doesn’t establish.

Measure the largest thing you’ll normally make, then add room for clamps or a jig. Work out how the piece gets in as well: flat onto the bed, through a pass-through slot for longer stock, or onto a rotary attachment if you’re doing tumblers or bottles. Then check the published size figures carefully. They’re less straightforward than they look, as the example at the end of this page shows.

A few jobs a month and a full production week point at different machines. Work out a typical batch size and what a busy week looks like. Then remember that the cut is only part of the job: setup, changeovers and finishing all take time, and a headline speed doesn’t include any of them. What you need is a realistic time for your job, on your material — not a maximum.

Costs & profitability turns that time into a cost per item.

Cutting and engraving make fume, and it has to be dealt with — ducted outside, or through a filter unit. Either way the test is the same: HSE asks that the arrangement be “fit for purpose and capable of adequately controlling exposure”, and that it “get rid of the contaminants safely”.¹ Fitting a filter is not the same as meeting that. Where the fume goes can limit which rooms will work, so work it out early rather than last.

Check the practical things too: whether the machine fits through the door, what power it needs, and what the manufacturer says about the conditions it needs to run in. An unheated garage in winter is worth checking against that before you commit to it.

Workshop setup follows the whole route the air takes, and covers what changes if the laser is part of a business.

The machine is one line on the invoice. Add extraction and ducting, any electrical work, software, materials, replacement parts such as lenses and laser tubes or modules, and the space itself. Get a quote for each rather than an estimate. Then work out your cost per item using your own electricity price and your own batch sizes — someone else’s figure won’t transfer.

Costs & profitability has a model you can put your own numbers into.