Looking to buy a laser cutter to help me start my jewelry supply business

[Brandy Butler]

Greetings Fellow Creek Members! My name is Brandy & I'm new to the Creek and grateful to have such resourceful advice at my finger tips. I know there have been several posts about which laser cutter to start out with, but I'm going to ask this question again because my niche market is a bit less industrial and more on the creative feminine spectrum.

I am starting an online jewelry supply company, I want the ability to offer various shapes and designs (acrylic & wood mostly) to jewelry makers. I know there is a market for this because I have been a consumer looking for laser cutters who sell the types of materials that I've needed.


I definitely will be targeting a niche market in the types of shapes & designs I will offer. Many of these shapes will appeal to a certain ethnicity. My jewelry store will carry more than just laser cut/engraved materials, it will carry beads, gems, findings, etc. However having these precut pieces will definitely be complimentary to my business.

My question is: Will a 30 - 50 watt laser cutter (some websites have referred to them as hobby) be sufficient enough for me to get a start? I am working with a limited budget for my initial purchase, but I feel that cutting out the middleman of outsourcing will help me to retain more profit.

Lastly, having a laser cutter would enable me to work with markets outside of the jewelry supply segment. I would be able to target various cultural aspects of various demographics, utilzing other methods such as Greek Fratenities/Sororities, wine glass etching, puzzle etc. I am working on my business plan at the moment & marketing is second nature to me. My educational background is IT, but I am a novice at graphics & no AUTO CAD experience. However, given my background & with a few tutorials, I feel confident that I could catch on fast. I also have an in house graphic designer that I could always utilize.

Bottom line - Is it ok for me to start cheap with my laser? Are Chinese lasers a No No? What type of utilities/functions do I need? I've probably said a mothful Thanks in advance for your help Great Wise Ones!

[Brandy Butler]

FYI - That should've read "mouthful". My price range is $1800 - $5000. I should also note, that I am interested in forming relationships with other vendors who can provide me with affordable wooden/acrylic shapes until I do purchase my own laser/etching equipment.

[George Carlson]

The Chinese machines can be quite good. I have a Redsail M900 which has been working out well. Stay away from anything called K40 or 40W Hobby. If it uses MoshiDraw, don't get it, life's too short.

[Martin Boekers]

Welcome to the Creek! Ahhh a fellow St Louisan. There are a couple of us here on the Creek! One of the Moderators, Mike Null
is close, Im at Scott AFB......

As for lasers, some here have good luck with certain brands, but Chinese ones tend to require a bit more hands on approach.
The standard USA modesl ULS, Epilog, Trotec offer durable equipment with great support. There is a thread here just for Chinese lasers so check it out. When you buy ask for a SMC discount as a couple manufacturers do give members one. There is an Epilog Rep in Columbia IL now so they are close. Check out the NBM show in INDY at the end of May. If you are interested in coming out to Scott AFB PM me and I'll make arrangemenst for you to see my shop. A wealth of info here at SMC!

Also some here have funded their laser through Kickstarter, that may be an option for you, check them out!


Marty

[Walt Langhans]

My educational background is IT, but I am a novice at graphics & no AUTO CAD experience.

It was exactly the same for me, and I've had very few issues and getting the feel for Corel darw (which you should be able to do pretty much what ever you need in) didn't take that long. My machine is chinese and again no major learning issues. If you have even half way decent IT trouble shooting skill you wont have any trouble adapting to corel, and / or a chinese machine.

The big question you should be asking yourself is how many hours a day do I plan on running the laser. If you are only talking a few hours a day here and there, then you probably won't have any issues with a 'hobby' machine. However if you plan on being in production then you need to look at something better, and by something better I mean laser tube. The hobby tubes use cheaper tubes that will not last very long under the strain of constant production. With 5K you can easily get yourself a chinese machine that will do the trick (mine was in that price range and I've been running it darn near 8 hours + per day 6 days a week since I got it up and running). You could also look at used versions of the 'big 3' trotec, universal, and epilog, but 5k tends to be more of a down payment especially for the higher wattage machines.

Hope that help

[Joe Pelonio]

I would go for at least 50 watts, I have 45 and cutting 1/4" is slow. For the many small items you would be cutting it could take all day to do a full sheet.

[Brandy Butler]

Thanks George. I've never heard of Redsail before. Is that the manufacturer's name?

[Brandy Butler]

Thank you Marty! I think I may take you up on that offer. That wouldn't be a far ride at all for me to come to Scott. I contacted Epilog, but their starter machine was atleast $8000 and out of my present budget. :-(

[Brandy Butler]

I foresee me being able to dedicate 1 - 2 days per week on production. Walt, what site did you buy your machine from & how long have you had it?

[Brandy Butler]

Joe, what size do you consider a whole sheet? Most of my pieces would have a 1/8 inch thickness

[Joe Pelonio]

In my case a "whole sheet" is 12"x24". For the 1/8" thickness it would go almost twice as fast as 1/4", but would still take hours at under 50 watts. That can be a problem because when cutting you really have to be there watching it at all times in case of flare-up/fire. You should not set it going and go to another room. If I remember correctly, last time I cut about 1,000
small 1/4" circles from 1/8" acrylic it took over an hour on my 45 watt.

[Bert Kemp]

Stay away from Full Spectrum. They have cheap machines that break down often, and they have a bad attitude with their customers.Crummy support.

[Roy Nielsen]

Brandy,

Make sure you budget for the "other stuff" that you may not have or may/may not be included with the base machine. Laser tube cooling, air compressor/pump, air exhaust or filtering, CO2 fire extinguisher (no mess to cleanup, won't damage electronics and other stuff), stand/table.

You should also consider the size of your raw sheet material before selecting a machine to reduce having to cut them before putting in the machine.

Also, besides new, start checking eBay, Craigslist, etc., for machines in your area. I found/bought a very lightly used machine, much larger and more powerful than I was looking for at a great price--less than the "good" hobby sizes--and have no regrets other than it takes up so much space in my modest sized shop.

Good luck,
Roy

[Nathan Shaffer]

Brandy,
I am buying a used ULS 2.30 25W from Engraversnetwork.com (ULS Vendor). They have been very patient with me asking questions and waiting on me to figure out how to pay for the machine. I am getting a full set up, laser, filter cabinet, rotary adaptor, photo program and shipping for $9040. The reason I decided to go this route is I could afford it and that ULS machines can be easlily upgraded to higher wattage lasers. Which I plan on doing once I save up more money.

Respectively,
nathan

Below is the link to the used machines.

http://www.engraversnetwork.com/used...equipment.html

[Mike Null]

Nathan

I like that company as well but you need to ask more questions about being up-gradable. You're more than likely going to have to buy more than a tube and it isn't as economical as it would seem.

Buying used is not a bad idea.