We’ll detail the things you should look for in the buyer’s guide further down the page. In contrast, semiconductor and CO2 laser engraving machines can have a larger engraving area, making them more versatile. Desktop fiber lasers tend to have a small engraving area and are ideal for marking rings and jewelry. Whereas, if you need to engrave on brass, copper, stainless steel, and other metals, you will need to get a fiber laser engraving machine.Īside from the materials, the object size is also crucial in your laser type selection. If you’re primarily working with paper, acrylic, wood, plywood, leather, and MDF, a semiconductor or CO2 laser will suit you. The type of laser engraver that suits you will depend on the materials you want to work with. What Type of Laser Engraver Should You Buy? Fiber lasers, semiconductor/diode lasers, and CO2 lasers are some commonly used laser engraving machines in the hobbyist marketspace. Depending upon their application, they will have different types of lasers. These laser engraving machines vary in their design. The most popular choices include wood, carton, paper, glass, metal, and even stone. It is a type of CNC machine, which stands for Computer Numerical Control.īecause you are essentially burning the material with a laser, you can use it on almost any type of material. A laser engraver machine uses a beam of highly focused light (laser technology) to engrave or cut an object.