Choosing a laser wood engraver

Wood engraving is done with different types of equipment. In our article, we will focus on a laser engraver, with which you can not only obtain images, but also cut the working plane of wood, create through holes. Devices, depending on their power, perform a wide range of works - from exciting homemade products to serious products related to professional activities.

The word "engraver" in translation from French means "cut". The product is a highly specialized tool for engraving on wood and other materials. Not so long ago, laser devices belonged to industrial equipment and cost a lot of money. Today, along with high-precision CNC engraving machines, modern technological devices of much smaller sizes and at an affordable price can be purchased. They are capable of drawing and cutting wood up to 15 mm thick.

A laser engraver engraves an image using a laser beam. This class of equipment has its own varieties, they are divided into:

• industrial (stationary);
• desktop (household);
• portable mini devices.

By the type of device, laser technology can be divided into gas, fiber and solid-state.

These types of equipment are significantly more expensive than gas options. They can be used not only on wood, but also on hard surfaces - metal, composite materials, plastic, ceramics, stone.

In a fiber device, the active medium is an optical fiber, and solid-state devices operate on bulk crystals. Modern fiber models in many technical characteristics have reached the indicators of solid-state engravers, but they are cheaper at the same time. Both types of devices are used in professional activities for color engraving.

They belong to inexpensive universal equipment. Two cavities of the device are filled with a mixture of CO2-N2-He gases, and the central cavity is necessary for cooling the laser tube with liquid. The engraver performs work on wood, plastic, metal, leather and other materials. The devices are purchased for use at home or in small workshops.

Having decided on the tasks to be solved by the laser engraver, you can go shopping. There are a large number of branded products on the market. We present a lineup of some of them.

The device is capable of creating fine detailed drawings, complicated by tonal transitions. Works only with wood. Has a powerful laser, but a poor cooling system. Chinese manufacturer. The weight of the engraver is 4.9 kg.

The maximum image area is 190x330 mm. The model is connected to a computer, has its own software, and performs work with high precision. But the device is not suitable for working with too hard materials.

Robust portable machine with steel body, equipped with Japanese professional diodes, capable of working up to 10,000 hours. The engraver cuts material up to 3 mm thick, for thicker blades it is necessary to install additional passes.

The device has the ability to adjust the focal length of the laser, switch to stand-alone use, without connecting to a computer. Includes USB stick with software and protective plastic case. The power of the engraver is not high.

Before choosing an engraver, one should understand what he is for, what tasks he has to solve. Depending on this, you may need a professional, semi-professional model or a device for home use.

When the direction of work has been decided, you need to familiarize yourself in more detail with the technical features of the engraver. But keep in mind that high power is not always important for technology, sometimes completely different indicators help to achieve high accuracy.

Please note the following specifications before purchasing.

• How the beam is focused. It is better to choose automatic focusing, it will provide high image accuracy and good performance.
• Glass tube service life. In most cases, after two years of operation, the glass begins to retain gas poorly, which entails distortion of the engraving.
• The type of emitter should be selected based on the scope of the proposed work.
• Laser engravers are available with power from 20 to 120 watts. The more powerful the apparatus, the harder and harder the surfaces will be available to it. Too much power is not needed for woodworking.
• It is important to choose devices with a cooling system, without it the engraver will not be able to work for a long time, and its operational life will be short.
• Controlling your device should be simple. Over-saturated technical devices lead to wasted time.

A properly chosen device will show itself well both in professional activities and in work for the home.