Laser Engraving Machines And 3d Printers: Different Or Similar?

By Author: steven glassner
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3D printer and laser engraving or cutting are currently the two most popular terms in the laser industry. They have lots of things in common and differences too.

These machines are useful for large third-party houses to provide products to companies and individuals to meet their needs. They use parts like Fanuc parts and Fanuc spare parts in these machines for efficient results.

The progress in technology and miniaturization helps to put both these tools together for everyone to easily make their own toys, engrave their objects, and use for business purposes.

These machines are computer-driven and run a program to create the type of project the user requires.

In 3D printing, the key is to mold the product and help users to create various types of objects, toys, devices, or projects.

Whereas, in laser engraving, programming makes sure that the laser fires at the perfect place and follows the given directions. And machines having parts like Fanuc parts or Fanuc spare parts gives ...
... perfect results.

Initially, laser machines and 3D printers were costly and useful only if you are either rich or own a business that requires the use of these machines frequently. But, now there are inexpensive 3D printers in the market.

Similarly, laser machines were too costly too but with time they became affordable.

Let's look at each of them in brief:

3D Printer:

In 3D printing, three-dimensional object creation happens through forming layers of materials on top of each other. You can create any size of object be it small or large using 3D printers and computer-aided software.

They are also known as additive manufacturing. One of the major benefits of it is that you can create custom objects for different uses and it is also fast in manufacturing these objects.

The constant increase in the level of complexity and efficiency gave birth to different and exciting ways to create parts for various products. These printers are useful to create parts or objects at a cheap rate.

You can create almost anything using 3D printers. Adidas is using 3D printing to create custom soles for shoes to give consumers perfect and better fits.

The US Navy is using this to print a submersible hull for future military vehicles. Some organizations are using 3D printers to manufacture parts of aircraft or spacecraft. Whereas, some are using it in the healthcare sector to make prosthetics.

These are just some of the basic innovations that have surfaced with the rise of 3D printers.

Laser Engraving:

Laser engraving is the process in which the laser beam removes parts of a materials’ surface to create an image that we can see and feel. The laser, having Fanuc parts or Fanuc spare parts, emits high heat during the engraving process which causes the material to vaporize. You can use a laser beam to cut through different materials like wood, acrylic, leather, cork, etc.

Initially, laser engraving was used only by big businesses, for awards or trophy shops, for personalizing items for corporate use. But, today laser engraving is used by small businesses as well because of the rise in the maker spaces and ecommerce business.

You can customize things like jewelry, craft supplies, pens, wallets, glassware, photos, phone covers, musical instruments, bottles, and many such things.

Mostly laser engraving is useful to personalize an object with the logo, brand, or some names. With the demand in personalization, there has been an increase in the use of laser engraving.

Lasers can cut through the materials and so there is a rise in popularity for creating prototypes, architectural models, and much more.

It has also become a great market for industrial businesses that use the process for engraving serial numbers, time stamps, part numbers, barcode etching, etc. These industrial businesses are using laser engraving as an additional layer for securing devices, preventing fraud, and easily tracing the inventory.

The constant increase of the use of laser machines in the industries helped to achieve a compound annual growth rate of 5.5% over a period of five years. Different purposes require different types of laser engraving machines.

Final Words:

Using laser engraving machines or 3D printers depends on your requirements. But, it is essential to know the difference and similarities between them. They are here to stay and be an essential part of the industry.

Steve M Glassner is the General Manager of Alternative Parts Inc, the leading manufacturer and distributor of Amada machinery replacement parts. Steve is a Machine Tools industry enthusiast and frequently writes about various aspects of the industry.