Best Fiber Laser Engravers & Cutters [2023]

Fiber lasers are revolutionizing the laser metal cutting industry with their low maintenance cost and higher cutting efficiency.

They are most effective when used to engrave and cut metals such as copper, aluminum, and brass.

The fine laser pointer in a fiber laser helps engrave with great precision.

Notably, they’re considerably safer than CO2 lasers when used on the right material.

Fiber lasers are widely used for engraving on metals as they can engrave more effectively than generic CO2 lasers.

In this article, I list the best fiber laser engravers and cutters available on the market along with a detailed overview of each.

MellowPine is reader-supported. When you buy through links on my site, I may earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you.

Best Fiber Lasers in 2023

Best Pick

Spacious Work Area

Best MOPA

Product

OMTech FM1212-50S

MCWlaser PRO

Cloudray JPT M7

Output Power

50W

20W / 30W / 50W

30W / 60W

Work Area

11.8″ x 11.8″

Up to 13.8″ x 22″

Up to 11.8″ x 11.8″

Galvo Head

Warranty

2 Years

2 Years

2 Years

Price

Check PriceCheck PriceCheck Price

Best Pick

Product

OMTech FM1212-50S

Output Power

50W

Work Area

11.8″ x 11.8″

Galvo Head

Warranty

2 Years

Price

Check Price

Spacious Work Area

Product

MCWlaser PRO

Output Power

20W / 30W / 50W

Work Area

Up to 13.8″ x 22″

Galvo Head

Warranty

2 Years

Price

Check Price

Best MOPA

Product

Cloudray JPT M7

Output Power

30W / 60W

Work Area

Up to 11.8″ x 11.8″

Galvo Head

Warranty

2 Years

Price

Check Price

Fiber lasers are widely used in engraving applications, and their wavelength ranges between 780nm – 2200nm.

They are best suited for etching, marking, engraving, and annealing metal parts.

However, fiber lasers are expensive and if you need a cheap laser engraver you will have to consider going for diode type lasers.

Fiber laser’s small focal diameter allows focusing the laser light with great intensity, making it an excellent choice for permanent high-contrast engraving applications.

Laser machines with a fiber laser source use high precision field lenses to increase the energy density and collimate the laser beam at one point.

I selected these fiber laser engravers after evaluating them on parameters such as size, material capability, laser power, upgrades, service, assembly, work area, laser safety, linear motion, and software used.

OMTech FM1212-50S – Best Overall

OMTech FM1212-50S fiber laser

Laser Module

OMTech FM1212-50S uses a Raycus 50W solid-state fiber laser with the fiber source having a lifetime of 100,000 hours.

The laser has a wavelength of 10640 nm and can engrave with a precision of ±0.0001 nm.

Footprint and Work Area

OMTech FM1212-50S dimensions

OMTech FM1212-50S is a split fiber laser engraving machine. It has a work area of 11.8″ x 11.8″.

The laser source box has a footprint of 17.75″ x 8.25″, and the engraver module has 22″ x 13.8″.

Material Capability

The 50W laser used in OMTech FM1212-50S has a maximum marking speed of ~16,500 ipm.

It can engrave with a minimum depth of 0.0002″ and a maximum of 0.04″.

OMTech FM1212-50S can engrave acrylic, hard-plastic, brick, granite, marble, tile, aluminum, gold, silver, stainless steel, brass, titanium, and tungsten.

Some PVC-based acrylic releases toxic fumes when lasered. Therefore, it is better to check the chemical compositions of the materials you plan to engrave.

Using a Raycus 50W fiber laser, you can engrave in stainless steel at a 90° angle with a speed of ~3,540 ipm by utilizing 100% of the laser power.

Linear Motion

The support column (Z-axis) holds the laser arm. The laser focus can be adjusted by moving the Z-axis using the height adjustment knob.

The machine is rotary-axis compatible, and you can get it with or without a rotary axis.

Software

OMTech provides an EZCAD2.0 laser control software with the OMTech FM1212-50S laser engraver machine.

EZCAD2.0 is free-to-use software used on Microsoft Windows XP/7/10 (32 and 64 bits) OS.

On EZCAD2.0, you can edit simple designs with basic shapes and text.

For advanced designing, you can use other CAD programs (like Photoshop, AutoCAD, CorelDRAW) and import files into EZCAD2.0 in JPG, DXF, PNG, PLT, PCX, DXF, and BMP file formats.

Upgrades

Optical scanning lens and rotary axis upgrade options are available for OMTech FM1212-50S.

OMTech sells an 80mm rotary axis  compatible with this machine. It alone has a one-year warranty.

Assembly

OMTech FM1212-50S does not come assembled. However, it comes in modules that can be easily attached by referring to their user manual.

The user manual has a detailed section with all the assembly details.

The whole machine can be built in about 2 – 3 hours.

Support

OMTech provides a warranty of two years for all their fiber laser machines. You will also get a 30-day replacement period when you purchase through Amazon.

They have a dedicated community website for their customers. Small communities are also active on Facebook groups.

OMTech 50W Laser Marking Machine

11.8” x 11.8” work area.
50W laser module.
Maximum marking speed of ~16,500 ipm.

MCWlaser PRO Laser Engraver

Laser Module

MCWlaser PRO laser engraver has 20W, 30W, and 50W versions to choose from. These lasers have a wavelength of 1064nm.

The laser module uses an F-theta(θ) lens with high energy uniformity, narrow focus spot, and low attenuation.

It uses a laser source from popular brands like Raycus or MAX with a lifetime of 10,000 hours.

This fiber laser can give a repetitive precision of ±0.0001″ with a beam quality of less than 1.1 M2.

Footprint and Work Area

MCWlaser PRO laser engraver dimensions

MCWlaser PRO is a split-type machine, which means the laser source and the engraving machine come in separate modules.

Its laser source module has a footprint of 8.3″ x 14.9″, and the engraving machine module has a work area of 13.8″ x 22″.

The largest engraving area you can get from MCWlaser PRO is 8.7″ x 8.7″.

Other engraving area options available are 6.9″ x 6.9″, 5.9″ x 5.9″, 4.3″ x 4.3″, and 2.6″ x 2.6″. You can choose them depending on your operational requirement.

Material Capability

MCWlaser PRO is designed to be used on metal materials like steel, stainless steel, silver, copper, alloy, aluminum, Etc.

It will also work on non-metal materials like plastic, ceramic, and leather.

MCWlaser PRO can engrave at a maximum speed of ~16,536 ipm.

With a Raycus 50W fiber laser, you can etch or mark in aluminum at a 90° angle with a speed of ~4,680 ipm by utilizing 100% of the laser power.

Linear Motion

MCWlaser PRO has an adjustable Z-axis, moved manually up and down with a control wheel. Unfortunately, XY axes are not adjustable.

You have the option of choosing MCWlaser PRO with or without a rotary axis.

Software

MCWlaser provides an EZCAD2.0 laser control software with an MCWlaser PRO laser engraver machine.

It is free-to-use software that can be used on Microsoft Windows XP or Windows 2000, WIN 7, WIN8, WIN 10 OS.

On EZCAD2.0, you can edit simple text and shapes.

For advanced designing, you can use other CAD programs (like Photoshop, AutoCAD, CorelDRAW) and import files in PLT, PCX, DXF, and BMP file formats.

Upgrades

There is not much of an upgrade option available once you purchase MCWlaser PRO, but you can customize it while purchasing.

Assembly

MCWlaser PRO comes in half pre-assembled fashion. First, you must fix the vertical column connecting the laser source and laser engraver modules.

Then you can finish with all the wiring and the software setup.

It will be ready for your first job in about 1 – 2 hours.

Support

MCWlaser provides a warranty of two years for MCWlaser PRO.

When you purchase through Amazon, you will get a 30-day replacement period.

You can also get a free replacement for the laser source when under warranty.

MCWlaser has community participation on its Facebook group.

US Stock MCWlaser Fiber Laser Engraving Machine

13.8” x 22” work area.
Maximum engraving speed of 16,536ipm.
20W, 30W, 50W power options.

Cloudray JPT M7 – Best MOPA Fiber Laser

Cloudray JPT M7

Laser Module

For the Cloudray JPT M7 laser, Cloudray has used MOPA laser sources from JPT, a popular laser source manufacturer.

You can get Cloudray JPT M7 laser with a 30W or 60W laser source. Both come equipped with an F-theta lens to focus the laser beam with a high energy concentration.

MOPA lasers are known for their color engraving capability. Cloudray JPT M7 laser can engrave about 5 – 10 different colors.

Also, since it’s equipped with a galvo head, you can use it to perform high-speed engraving jobs. It has a marking speed of 2000 mm/sec and a positioning speed of 10,000 mm/sec.

Footprint and Work Area

Like most galvo-equipped fiber lasers, Cloudray JPT M7 also has a split-type design.

All variant of the machine has a similar footprint with differences in the marking area. This is due to the different focusing lenses they use.

The following are the marking area options available for Cloudray JPT M7.

In inchesIn millimeter4.3″ x 4.3″110 x 110 mm6.9″ x 6.9″175 x 175 mm7.8″ x 7.8″200 x 200 mm11.8″ x 11.8″300 x 300 mmDifferent marking areas of Cloudray JPT M7

Cloudray also has other F-Theta lenses with different scan field sizes. You can use any of them to customize the work area further.

Material Capability

Cloudray JPT M7 primarily works on metals, but it also can engrave on some plastic materials.

For color engraving jobs, use it on metal workpieces made of titanium, aluminum, gold, silver, platinum, stainless steel, copper, tungsten, brass, etc.

If you get the 60W version of the laser, you can engrave almost twice as fast as the 30W model.

Linear Motion

Since Cloudray JPT M7 is equipped with a galvo head, it doesn’t have any working transmission along the X and Y axis.

But it has an adjustable Z-axis. It can be manually moved up and down with a control wheel to adjust the laser head distance from the workpiece surface.

Cloudray offers the flexibility to get the machine with or without a rotary axis. You can use it to engrave on cylindrical parts.

Software

You can work on Cloudray JPT M7 using EZCAD2.0 LITE or LightBurn software.

EZCAD is free-to-use and works on PCs running Windows OS.

LighBurn is a paid software compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux OS.

Upgrades

You can’t customize Cloudray JPT M7 any further once you purchase it, but you can customize it with the available options while purchasing.

Assembly

Cloudray JPT M7 comes with half-pre-assembled parts. You have to assemble everything and connect the wires.

You can finish assembly and setup (including software) in about 2 – 3 hours.

Support

For the Cloudray JPT M7 laser machine, Cloudray provides a warranty for two years.

They offer remote assistance, and you can reach them through WhatsApp, email, or online form.

If you like chatting with other Cloudray users, you can check out their forum and Facebook group.

Cloudray JPT M7

MOPA Fiber Laser
30W and 60W laser options
2-year manufacturer’s warranty

BOSS FM-Desktop fiber laser engraver (Source: Boss Laser)

Laser Module

Boss Laser offers the FM-Desktop laser engraver in 20W, 30W, and 50W fiber laser configurations. You can choose them depending on your work requirement.

The beam quality of 20W and 30W lasers are less than 1.5 M2, for the 50W laser it is less than 1.8 M2.

The closer the M2 value is to 1, the tighter the focus spot gets, the more laser energy is delivered at the laser spot. It helps process thicker materials with thin deep wells.

These lasers have a wavelength of 1064nm and 0.002″ of repeated accuracy.

When buying safety glasses for this machine, make sure to buy one which is designed to block 1064 nm laser light.

The laser has a rated lifespan of 100,000+ hours.

Footprint and Work Area

FM-Desktop is a mobile engraver machine with a 33.5″ x 24.5″ footprint. It can work on 4.33″ x 4.33″ of marking area, which is ideal for small projects such as laser engraving knives.

The work area has metal tapped holes for setting up work materials.

As its name suggests, it can easily sit on top of a desktop or workbench and weighs around 120 lbs.

FM-Desktop has a set of grab handles on each side for mobility.

Material Capability

FM-Desktop can engrave on acrylic, plastics, brick, PVC, granite, marble, tile, aluminum, silver, steel, brass, and titanium.

It can engrave at a maximum speed of 11,760 ipm and is designed for engraving on metals. It can mark detailed fonts and images on smooth or uneven metal parts.

With a 30W fiber laser, you can engrave dog tags on stainless steel at a 90° angle with a speed of ~708 ipm by utilizing 70% of the laser power.

Linear Motion

FM-Desktop has an adjustable Z-axis, which is moved manually up and down using the control wheel.

XY axes are not adjustable in the FM-Desktop fiber laser engraving machine.

It comes with a BossMOD Rotary axis that can be attached to its work-bed.

Software

The machine is controlled using RDWork or LaserWorks software. You can download them freely from their respective website.

They can import and use different file formats like PLT, BMP, DXF, JPG, TIF, AI, PNG, JPG, and more.

For designing applications, you can use any CAD software of your choice.

Boss Laser provides the CorelDRAW 2020 version as an add-on at a discounted rate with the FM-Desktop engraver machine.

Upgrades

FM-Desktop has an optional marking area extension wherein you can extend it up to 7.87″ x 7.87″ or 11.81″ x 11.87″.

For expanding the engraving area, taller focal length lenses are used that require highly concentrated power.

So you need to use a 30W or 50W fiber laser for upgrading the engraving area to 7.87″ x 7.87″ or 11.81″ x 11.87″.

You can also upgrade the default BossMOD Rotary attachment with a larger one.

Assembly

Boss Laser sends FM-Desktop pre-assembled. They also provide on-location technical support for their customers.

Support

Boss Laser provides lifetime technical support for their customers through their engineers and technicians.

They also provide a 30-day return policy and 2-year parts warranty for all the components and the fiber laser in FM-Desktop.

Boss Laser has an active community on Facebook for you to participate in.

FSL Muse Pandora fiber laser engraver (Source: Full Spectrum Laser)

Laser Module

FSL Muse Pandora from Full Spectrum Laser (FSL) has 20W, 30W, and 50W laser options available to choose from.

The laser used is a pulsed fiber laser with a wavelength of 1064 nm. It has an estimated lifetime of 25,000+ hours.

While purchasing, you get to choose a stock lens and one additional lens.

FSL Muse Pandora has a mirror galvanometer in its laser head which traces out the laser path before cutting and gives a rough idea of the cuts it will make.

Lens choices in FSL Muse Pandora and their engraving area (Source: Full Spectrum Laser)

Footprint and Work Area

FSL Muse Pandora is an enclosed laser engraver with a 19″ x 23.62″ footprint.

It gives an engraving area of 4.3″ x 4.3″ up to 11.3″ x 11.3″ depending on your lens choice.

160mm254mm330mm420mmEngraving area4.3″ x 4.3″5.7″ x 5.7″8.85″ x 8.85″11.3″ x 11.3″Spot size27um35um55um71umDepth of Focus2mm3.6mm8.9mm15mmRecommended systemEnclosedOpenOpenOpen
Different lens options available with FSL Muse Pandora and their specifications

254mm, 330mm, and 420mm lenses require FSL Muse Pandora to operate in an open setup. Then only the laser can be effectively focused on the work material.

You can mount Muse Pandora under an adjustable work desk, as shown below, for effective engraving when using such lenses.

Muse Pandora mounted below an adjustable workbench (Source: Full Spectrum Laser – YouTube)

Material Capability

FSL Muse Pandora can raster and vector engrave on aluminum, steel, nickel, copper, titanium, silver, stone, and leather.

The software used with Muse also has the material data loaded onto it.

It will have the recommended speed and power rates for aluminum, steel, black acrylic, lexan, leather, granite, and more.

The 20W version of FSL Muse Pandora can deep engrave silver at a speed of ~708 ipm utilizing 100% of the laser power.

Linear Motion

FSL Muse Pandora is belt-driven on its Z-axis and is guided along the Z column using V-wheels.

The auto-focus feature automatically adjusts the laser head position along the Z-axis as per the data received using the 3D camera.

The enclosure has a motorized door. It works when using FSL Muse Pandora in a desktop configuration.

Software

FSL Muse Pandora is controlled using “RetinaEngrave v3.0”, a web-based OS-independent software.

The software interface can be accessed by typing in your machine’s IP address on the browser’s address bar.

Accessing RetinaEngrave through the browser (Source: FSL Muse Pandora user manual)

You can import file types like PDF, SVG, JPG, BMP, and more into RetinaEngrave v3.0 from any CAD software of your choice.

Some major functions of the machine can also be controlled through its 7″ touch screen.

Upgrades

You can upgrade FSL Muse Pandora with a rotary axis, expanded Z-travel, fume extractors, and special focus lenses.

Assembly

FSL Muse Pandora comes pre-assembled. All you have to do is connect it with the necessary accessories and power it up.

Once you access control to the machine through RetinaEngrave v3.0, you can start your first job. You can do all this in about 30 minutes.

Support

Full Spectrum Laser (FSL) provides a warranty of one year for FSL Muse Pandora.

In case of any technical difficulties with your machine, you can contact FSL via phone or e-mail.

FSL has provided a detailed user manual for Muse Pandora with all the details you might need.

You can also check out their support page hosted using Zendesk. It has categorized sections that help you quickly find what you are looking for.

Triumph 30W desktop fiber laser – Product image (Source: Triumph Laser)

Laser Module

Triumph Laser’s 30W fiber laser has a wavelength of 1064nm with a beam quality of <1.4 M2.

The laser module has a life of 100,000+ hours and can engrave with a repetitive precision of ±0.00039″.

Footprint and Work Area

With Triumph’s 30W desktop fiber laser, you will get two lenses. One gives 4.3″ x 4.3″, and the other gives a 7.8″ x 7.8″ engraving area.

The work area has metal tapped holes for setting up work materials.

Triumph’s 30W desktop fiber laser has a footprint of 30.3″ x 24.4″ and weighs around 100 lbs.

It has four wheels on the bottom and will be helpful for ease of mobility.

Material Capability

Triumph’s 30W desktop fiber laser can engrave on aluminum, gold, silver, steel, stainless steel, copper, and some plastic-like polymer for metal tools and machine parts.

It has a maximum engraving speed of 21,258 ipm and can engrave at a depth of ≤0.011″.

With a 30W fiber laser, you can engrave on stainless steel at a 90° angle with a speed of ~3,543 ipm by utilizing 100% of the laser power.

Linear Motion

The support column (Z-axis) holds the laser arm, and the laser focus can be adjusted by moving the Z-axis using the height adjustment knob.

Triumph’s 30W desktop fiber laser also comes with a rotary axis.

Software

Triumph’s 30W desktop fiber laser comes with a computer having all the necessary programs.

Triumph Laser provides EZCAD2.0 laser control software with their 30W desktop laser engraver machine. On EZCAD2.0, you can make basic shapes and texts.

For advanced designing, you can use other CAD programs (like Photoshop, AutoCAD, CorelDRAW) and import files in PLT, PCX, DXF, and BMP file formats.

EZCAD 2.0 is free-to-use software that can be used on Microsoft Windows XP or Windows 2000, WIN 7, WIN8, WIN 10 OS.

Accessories and Upgrades

Triumph Laser provides a computer, rotary axis, foot switch, 200mm lens, laser goggles, and a wrench set with the 30W desktop fiber laser.

There are other accessories like a fume extractor and lenses, which you can get to upgrade the machine.

Assembly

Triumph 30W fiber laser is sent in modules. Everything can be assembled in about three hours.

Once you are done with the assembly, you can start your first engraving job.

Workflow in Triumph 30W fiber laser engraver

Support

Triumph Laser provides a warranty of two years for equipment failures and 3-months for the laser.

They do not offer an official return policy, but you will get a 30-day replacement period when you purchase through Amazon.

For after-sales services, you can contact them through phone, e-mail, or through their social media handles.

Triumph Laser has community participation on its Facebook group, Reddit, and YouTube.

Triumph 30w Fiber Engraver

Maximum engraving area of 7.8” x 7.8”.
30W laser module.
Maximum engraving speed of 21,258 ipm.

What is a Fiber Laser?

A laser source and a cutting head (Source: Precitec)

Fiber lasers are solid-state lasers used widely in laser marking and engraving machines. The major difference between a fiber laser and a CO2 laser lies in their ability to laser cut sheet metal.

Unlike CO2 lasers, fiber lasers consume much less energy and operate at a shorter wavelength ranging between 780 nm and 2200 nm, giving a much higher absorption rate.

What it means is, when working with materials like metals that reflect laser beams, they will absorb fiber laser light at a much higher rate than laser light generated by CO2 lasers.

Even though fiber lasers are solid-state lasers, fiber lasers are different from diode lasers and there is a significant difference in their capabilities.

One thing to note is that while using a fiber laser, you will be somewhat limited in the work-bed size and the range of materials you can cut.

Fiber lasers have a small focal point, so using them to cut thick materials will be impractical. In such cases, a CO2 laser is the best option.

Because of fiber lasers’ small focal point, you can engrave with great detail.

With the addition of a galvo head, they can also work at a very high speed. Galvo heads are typically used in portable laser engravers.

Engraving applications are where a fiber laser shines. It can mark, etch, and engrave on metals at an incredible speed.

A special type of fiber laser known as MOPA fiber laser, provides greater control over pulse width and frequency parameters to produce color laser engravings on metals.

At the heart of a fiber laser is the laser source and they do not have any gaseous medium in it like in a CO2 laser.

In fiber lasers, the optical fiber is pumped with laser light at the source using high-power laser diodes stimulating the active medium.

The generated laser beam is then amplified and fed to the cutting head using a flexible optical fiber.

With the rise of optical fibers, the need for mirrors and beam paths for alignment has also been eliminated in a fiber laser.

Finally, the laser beam is shaped at the cutting head using focus lenses and is projected on the work materials.

One significant advantage of using fiber lasers is their long lifetime and lack of maintenance.

You have to choose a laser depending on the specific application you intend to use.

If you are looking for laser cutting/engraving aluminum, brass, and other metal workpieces, a fiber laser is the best choice.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How does light bend in optical fibre cable?

In an optical fiber laser, the light is bent by refraction. An optical fiber cable passes the light through an impurity-free transparent silica glass core. The core is covered with cladding, another layer of silica doped with added materials for lowering its refractive index. Because of their refractive index difference, the light will get refracted at the core-clad interface.

What are Raycus laser?

Raycus laser is a popular laser source brand used by many different laser cutter and engraver manufacturers. When you browse across the catalogs of various laser manufacturers, you will see Raycus mentioned in different places. It just means all these machines have a laser source made by Raycus Fiber Laser Technologies Co. Ltd.

What are mirror galvanometer in Laser engravers?

In laser engravers, a mirror galvanometer is a series of mirrors in the laser head that move extremely fast to manipulate the path of the laser. A small rotation of 10 degrees at the head is enough to produce 1 3/4″ inch of movement at 10 inches. It is also used to trace out the laser paths before engraving or cutting.