Starting an engraving business starts with finding the ideal laser engraver—the best on the market include Atomstack, xTool, and OMTech. But the right machine for your business should fit your needs and budget.

Want to make money from the comfort of your home?

Laser engraving is increasingly becoming a popular small business because of its convenience and limitless creative potential.

But first, you need a good laser cutter to get started.

So, I've compiled six of the best laser cutting machines for small businesses to help you find the perfect machine for you.

The Best Laser Engravers for Small Businesses

Finding the right laser engraver for your small business can be confusing. After all, with so many options, which one is the best?

Fortunately, laser cutters are available for just about any engraving project you want to undertake.

Here is a list of the best laser engravers that can help you create intricate designs and patterns with ease.

Best Laser Engraver Buying Guide

As a small business owner, a laser cutting machine is an investment that will form the backbone of your trade.

There are a few considerations when choosing a cutting machine for a small business:

Material compatibility
Perhaps the most important aspect to consider is what kind of material you want to use.

Different types of laser cutters can produce different results depending on the material you are engraving.

For example, diode lasers can engrave a variety of materials such as:

wood
leather
acrylic fiber
Glass
ceramics
If you want to expand your laser cutting business in the future, a diode laser cutter can be a good investment.

But if you plan to cut more metal materials, you can choose fiber laser cutting machine.

For engraving non-metallic materials, CO2 laser cutters have high power lasers that can engrave plastic, foam, PVB and PVC glass, etc.

CO2 lasers are more powerful than diode lasers, but tend to have shorter lifetimes. It's also not ideal if you're cutting metal.

Price
Starting a small business with an engraving machine will cost you anyway, but it shouldn't break the bank.

If you are on a budget, a diode laser cutter is a viable option as most are affordable.

CO2 lasers typically cost upwards of $900, but you can find great models for cheap.

The most expensive type is the fiber laser.

Fiber lasers may not be available to most amateur engravers. In fact, even an entry-level fiber laser cutting machine can be expensive.

Laser power
You need to look at the power of the laser to determine its capabilities. It correlates to the amount of cuts that can be made per session.

To understand the cutting capabilities of your machine, look at the laser light power.

On average, the different types of lasers have the following optical powers:

Diode lasers have an optical power range of 5 to 15 watts.

CO2 lasers range in power from 40 to 300 watts.

Fiber lasers have powers up to several kilowatts.
A powerful laser cutting machine means high precision and fast cutting, which is good for high volume orders.

If you're just starting your small business, you don't really need to spend money on a more powerful laser cutter.

However, if you want to use multiple materials, a more powerful one may be more beneficial to you.

the size of the workspace
Where you will be working is an important factor related to the size of the laser cutter you buy.

Small laser engravers are compact enough to fit easily on a desktop. It's great for home use, but with less power.

If you have spare space, you can choose a more powerful laser cutter.

If you want a do-it-all machine that can go anywhere, a versatile laser cutter like the Atomstack A10 Pro comes with an extender.

Security features

Finally, it is vital to check the safety features of any laser cutter before purchasing.

While an engraver's additional features may add to the price, it can actually save you money in the long run.

You don't need to buy air assist or cooling separately.

Additional safety features ensure you reduce breakage and increase safety when operating your laser engraving machine for your small business.