How Much Does a Laser Engraver Cost? [Updated Price]

The cost of a laser engraving machine varies from USD 300 to USD 10,000 depending on power, precision, capacity, portability, and scalability.

Based on our experience, the entry-level diode laser machines are available at a price range of USD 200 to USD 1200. Similarly, the powerful laser engravers, mainly the CO2 lasers cost more, at a price range of USD USD 2000 to USD 6000.

The portable laser engravers (mainly infrared or dual lasers) are available between USD 700 to USD 3000 depending on the functionality and power.

However, industrial fiber laser marking machines are expensive due to their power, capacity, and material compatibility. For instance, a fiber laser would cost from USD 6000 to USD 10000.

Here we aim to assist you in providing a solid price idea for the laser engravers varied by laser power, capacity, usability, and other various factors.

Price comparison varied by laser category

The below table shows the price range of different laser engraving machines mainly varied by the types and power.

Catagory	Laser Power (Watt)	Price range in USD	The best part
Open frame diode lasers	10W-20W	$200-$800	Upgradable with rotary & bed extensions
Enclosed diode lasers	20W-40W	$1500-$2000	Safe, works on various materials
CO2 lasers	40W-60W	$2000-$6000	Powerful to cut thicker material
Portable dual /Infrared lasers	10W to 20W (Diode) & 2W infrared (variable)	$1500-$3500	Portable, works in both wood and metal
Fiber lasers	30W-80W	$6000-$10000	Engraves all types of metal

Open-frame diode laser engravers are the most budget-friendly options as they offer basic engraving services. However, there is always an option to upgrade the open frame diode lasers such as rotary attachment inclusion or a work bed expansion etc. However, not all brands offer the same upgradability options.

The enclosed diode lasers are the next-generation lasers, slowly becoming a CO2 laser’s competitor by offering a similar engraving experience. With the enclosed lasers, a user will experience better material positioning and batch processing along with an integration option with the fire protection system.

Besides, the CO2 lasers are more powerful than the diode lasers which is why they are so expensive. CO2 lasers offer greater cutting flexibility and powerful engraving due to the fact that the CO2 laser beam is powerful in nature compared to the diode laser beams.

There is a fourth category which is dual lasers, mainly found in a portable version. Dual lasers are usually a composition of both diode and infrared lasers that enable the user to engrave both wood and metal. These are popular because wood and metal engraving is mutually exclusive. for example, a diode laser will engrave a wooden workpiece, and so will the co2 lasers. However, metal annealing would require a fiber laser or a similar laser which creates a laser beam at the infrared spectrum. The dual lasers feature an additional infrared laser that easily makes metal engravings using the annealing technique.

Fiber lasers in particular are expensive due to their power and scalability. Using a fiber laser, you can easily make metal markings on any metal surface which is impossible with the CO2 and diode lasers.

Here’s an article on the comparison of fiber laser and infrared laser.

Open-frame DIY diode lasers

Open-frame diode lasers are a DIY version of a laser machine that requires an assembly of the components. Such laser machine is available at a price range of $200 to $800. The price varies depending on the laser power and the machine’s upgradability.

In simple words, such a laser machine only offers the minimum but you can make complex engravings if you have technical skills.

Since the frame laser machines do not have any enclosures, there will always be a risk of incidents. However, some such lasers do have fire detection and emergency stop mechanisms which are helpful but cannot fully protect the workplace from incidents.

There are a few popular DIY diode lasers that engrave nicely. For example, the xTool’D1 pro has always been the users’ choice mainly due to its upgradability option. However, we found the Atezr’P10 even more efficient during hands-on tests in our workshop.

Another open-frame DIY laser is the Ortur laser master 3 which performed well when compared to the xTool D1 pro in our workshop.

Here’s a list of popular open-frame DIY diode lasers with prices

Name	Laser Power	Price	Best part	Worst side
xTool D1 Pro	20W/40W	$650-850	Cut’s thick material, engraves with high precision	No camera
Atezr P10	10W	$450+	Engraves fast, gantry moves smoothly	Material positioning is tricky
Ortur Laser Master 3	10W	$600	Better accuracy, fast enrgaving	Add-ons are expensive
Longer Ray5	10W	$320	Budget friendly	Engraves at a lower resolution

We tested the Atezr’s laser and compared it with xTool at our testing lab. Both lasers have their respective pros and cons. Atezr is typically an xTool killer offering the laser experience at a lower price than the xTool. This is true that we took a little longer to assemble both of the lasers but, the results were satisfactory for both.

However, Atezr performed well in leather and the xTool D1 pro did amazing with metal tumbler engraving.

Main advantages of DIY lasers

• Budget-friendly (available at around $500)
• Engraves everything except metal
• Upgradable with rotary, air assist, and bed expansion
• Allows laser head switching (if you have multiple laser diodes)
• Works with Lightburn

Negative sides of open-frame lasers

• There is no camera-based material positioning
• Difficult to install a smoke purifier & water chiller
• Comparable less safe than the enclosed laser
• Requires protective eyewear since the laser is not covered with a protective shield.

Our suggestions

If you are a beginner, such a DIY diode laser can be a good option to start with. You may find it tricky to assemble and position the material without the help of a camera. But, such lasers are truly powerful especially if you can set the appropriate laser settings in the Lightburn or any other laser workspace that you are using. However, make sure to comply with the laser safety guidelines always.

Enclosed diode lasers

The enclosed diode laser is the premium category of the blue diode laser. The price of such laser engravers starts from USD 1500.

Mainly, such laser is highly beneficial in terms of accuracy, speed, batch processing ability, and safety compliance.

For instance, the xTool S1 is the first enclosed diode laser in history which is class-1 safety certified, handles laser works similar to Co2 lasers, and cuts even 18 mm thicker material in a single pass.

Till today, there are no other enclosed diode lasers in the market. We will update this article once other such lasers are available.

Co2 laser engraver

CO2 laser is available at a price range of USD 2000 to 6000 depending on its power and other sides.

In the world of laser engraving, carbon dioxide (CO2) lasers are renowned for their formidable power. These lasers harness the energy stored in a mixture of gas—primarily carbon dioxide—to produce a beam of infrared light with exceptional strength. Unlike diode lasers, which generate laser beams directly from solid materials, CO2 lasers invoke a more potent energy exchange. This energy exchange gives them the gusto to engrave materials such as glass, acrylic, wood, leather, and even some metals when treated with a special marking compound.

Here’s a list of popular CO2 lasers with prices

Name	Power	Price	The best part
xTool P2	55W	$4000 +	Performs curved engraving
OMTech Polar	50W	$2000+	Budget friendly
Gweike Cloud Pro	55W	$3000+	Engraves fast
Monport	40W	$2500+	Large workbed

For a laser engraving business, it is worth investing in the xTool P2 as it offers market-winning features such as curved engraving, intelligent batch processing, faster engraving, and powerful cutting. We physically tested the P2 earlier and published a separate review on that.

However, if you are having budget constraints, the Polar and Gweike would be a second choice. The only thing you will miss is the curved engraving and intelligent batch processing but the engraving using these would be flawless as we tested these two engravers last year.

Positive sides

One distinct advantage of CO2 lasers is their incredible flexibility. They can deftly move from etching fine, delicate patterns on paper to carving through acrylic sheets. This range is due to their varying power settings, which can be dialed down or ramped up according to the need, without damaging the materials with which they interact.

A towering benefit is their finesse in producing intricately detailed work. The precision and accuracy afforded by the quality of the beam mean that details as subtle as human hair can be replicated or cut without fraying or undue charring. For instance, the xTool P2 engraves at a precision of 0.001 mm which effectively brings critical design over a pencil.

CO2 lasers bring more to the table than fine cuts. For security purposes, they can etch barcodes and serial numbers into products for tracking. This level of detail helps combat counterfeiting, linking objects to a verified source.

Moreover, perhaps less known is the use of CO2 lasers in the artistic community, where they’re cherished for the ease of creating replicas of complex designs, such as family crests or bespoke wedding invitations, onto various substrates, preserving the integrity of delicate patterns.

Negative sides

However, CO2 lasers are not without limitations. The machines themselves tend to be bulky and they require a significant initial investment. Due to this potent energy, they require water or air cooling systems to prevent overheating. Regular maintenance is non-negotiable to ensure operational efficiency.

Moreover, the CO2 lasers cannot engrave shiny metal since the shiny part reflects the laser beam in the opposite direction.

Portable Infrared lasers

Dual laser is a combination of diode and infrared laser. SUch lasers are usually available at a price range of USD 1500 to 2500.

Using dual lasers, you can engrave any material you want.

It means the diode laser module engraves the most common materials and the infrared laser handles the metal engravings separately.

Portable dual lasers are now extremely popular mainly due to the following reasons:

• You can carry it wherever you would love to
• Engraves metal with high precision
• The rotating laser head gets aligned with any type of material
• Consumes less power
• Even handles batch processing
• Supports Lightburn

Here’s a list of popular dual / IR lasers with prices

	Laser Power	Suitable for	What’s the best part?	Price
xTool F1	10 W (Diode) & 2 W (IR)	All materials	Engraves fast, comes with fume extractor	$1400+-
Laserpecker 4	10 W (Diode) & 2 W (IR)	All materials	360 degree rotation	$2000+-
Enjoywood	100 W (Diode) & 2 W (IR)	Metal & plastics	Enrgaves fast on metal	$1200+-
Atomstack M4	20 W IR laser	Metal & plastics	It’s a mini fiber laser for metal marking	$1300+-

The xTool F1 and the LaserPecker 4 are dual lasers meaning that there will be both diode and infrared lasers. On the opposite, the Enjoywood and the Atomstack feature only infrared lasers mainly suitable for plastic and metal engraving.

Price should not be the only decision factor since each of them has respective positive and negative sides.

For a better understanding, know a little bit about the infrared laser here.

Fiber laser

Small-scale fiber lasers are found at a price between $6000 and 10000. The price may go as high as $200000 depending on the capacity of the laser to cut sheet metal and weld.

However, we will only focus on the small-scale fiber laser here.

At its core, a fiber laser is a particular kind of laser in which the active medium that generates the light is integrated within a specially designed optical fiber. This type of optical fiber is laced with rare-earth elements like erbium, ytterbium, or neodymium, which facilitate the laser process. Fiber lasers harness these rare-earth elements, and when excited by a pump (typically another laser), they emit a laser beam of exquisite quality and precision.

A 20W fiber laser usually costs around $3000 whereas a 30W MOPA fiber laser can cost up to $7000.

A MOPA fiber laser helps in creating colorful laser engraving on metal whereas the other types of fiber laser only create faster metal marking, particularly in single color.

For the split fiber laser machine, you may need to pay around $8000 to 9500 depending on the power.

Here’s a list of fiber lasers varied by capacity & power

Fiber laser Power	Application	Price
Low-Power Fiber Lasers (20W – 50W)	Ideal for precise and fine detail work on jewelry or small components.	$5000-$9000
Medium-Power Fiber Lasers (100W – 500W)	Cutting thin metal and faster metal marking	$30000+-
High-Power Fiber Lasers (1kW – 2kW)	Capable of cutting metal in mid-range thicknesses	$100000+-
Ultra High-Power Fiber Lasers (3kW – 6kW and higher)	Powerful cutting & deep engraving	$300000+-

The key beneficence of fiber lasers lies in their exceptional beam quality. The light is confined tightly in the fiber core, enabling the creation of a beam that is straight and of a singular wavelength, providing unchallenged cutting accuracy and efficiency. This trait is superb for detailed work on metal, including steel and aluminum, and has provided a legion of solutions across the manufacturing, telecommunications, and medical fields.

Industrially, the effectiveness and precision of fiber lasers have revolutionized the cutting and welding processes, making them indispensable for modern-day manufacturing. A fascinating application includes the aerospace industry, where precision is paramount. As they facilitate the cutting of lightweight alloys, they contribute meaningfully to designing fuel-efficient, high-performance aircraft.

Another perk of fiber lasers is their energy efficiency. In comparison to traditional lasers, fiber lasers herald an energetic conversion rate exceeding 25%, which means a lot of electrical energy transforms directly into laser energy without much waste. This spells out lower operating costs and less energy consumption, nodding to a greener process.

On the flip side, fiber lasers have certain limitations worth mentioning. Initially, the cost of setting up a fiber laser can be steep due to the sophistication and quality of materials required to construct a system that performs so effectively.

Factors affecting the laser engraver’s price

The price of a laser engraving machine can appear as a puzzle to the uninformed buyer. It’s an intricate dance of components, capabilities, and quality – all contributing in unique ways to the final figure on the price tag. Unraveling this puzzle provides buyers with the insight to invest smartly.

Power & performance

The sheer power of the laser source is a prominent figure stepping forward, affecting machine price. A higher-wattage laser can not only work faster but can also handle tougher materials. A basic 40W CO2 laser engraver can be accessible to hobbyists at a price of a few hundred dollars, while more heavy-duty models ranging from 150W can manifold your investment by thousands. Each incremental step in power can bump the cost significantly, often by 20-30%.

Engraving area and size

How vast a space will the machine allow for engraving? Devices ready to etch on larger surfaces come at a higher price due to increased material and design complexity. An engraver with a compact engraving area of 12″x 8″ compared to an industrial-sized bed of 40”x40″ may drive a steep increase in pricing, which can be upwards of a 50-100% premium.

Alternatively, any laser engraver with pass-through, motorized material feeding capacity, or work bed expansion ability would cost high compared to another similar engraving machine. The xTool P2 can be a good example here that asks for 200% higher that the Gweike only because it offers unique features which were unavailable in OMTech and Gweike.

Precision and features

Accuracy isn’t just math; it’s money. High-precision machines deliver exceptionally detailed work, reflecting careful engineering behind their construction. This translates to steeper cost curves, not to mention additional soaring expenses for special features like autofocus, built-in cameras, or wireless connectivity. Advanced features may contribute to over 25% or more to the base price.

Material versatility

What and how many different materials a machine can engrave point to its adaptability – and cost. Devices that can adjust their capabilities from softwood to metals or glass are embodiments of complex technology, pressing prices upward with each new compatible substance.

Longevity and brand

Durability spells another considerable investment area. The high-grade, long-lasting components of laser engravers from well-known brands can equate reliability with a higher initial expense – more durable mechanical parts, maintenance services, and warranty packages can increase costs by a considerable margin, easily adding 30% or more to the price compared to unbranded or low-end models.

Cooling system and safety features

Laser engraving generates considerable heat. Models with advanced cooling systems, like water-cooled spindles, ward off heat-related damage and prolong the machine’s lifespan. Meanwhile, safety features, such as fume extractors and emergency stop buttons, add layers of cost to make workshops safer, hiking the price tag by 10-20%.

Software & user interface

In today’s tech era, simplicity and efficiency in software interaction can command its premium. Proprietorship and ergonomically designed user interfaces ease the learning curve and upscale functionality but increase the cost accordingly.

Let’s conclude

Concluding, laser engraver prices reflect a symphony of features, quality, and reputation. Each player, each feature – represents a note altering the final composition played at the cash register. Purchasers must grasp these subtleties, measuring them against their needs, to strike the proper chord harmonizing budget and performance.