Choosing the Best Laser Power for Cutting and Engraving | J Tech

At J Tech, we get this question a lot. There’s a ton of information on the internet about diode laser performance—some of it accurate, and some not so much. It can be challenging to discern what’s correct and make an informed decision about which laser power is the best fit for your application. This article aims to help with that.

Overall, we want to convey that both the 44W and 24W lasers are good for cutting and engraving, but they don’t perform as well for photos as the 7W+ and 14W PRO SI.

Let’s talk applications

First, let’s discuss the different things you can do with the lasers, and then we’ll identify which laser power is best for each application. We’ll outline which laser is better for each of these categories:

• Engraving Vectors – This type of engraving is used for signs, logos, and other vector-based art. Most engraving falls into this category.
• Engraving Photos – This is used to create grayscale, photo-realistic images on materials.
• Cutting – Cutting refers to the laser’s ability to slice through materials entirely.

Available laser power options

Currently, J Tech offers four power options: 7W, 14W, 24W, and 44W. As power levels increase, your ability to process materials faster also increases, but so does the price.

7W+ Laser

• YES: Vector Engraving
• YES: Photo Engraving
• NO: Cutting

14W PRO SI

• YES: Vector Engraving
• YES: Photo Engraving
• NO*: Cutting (maybe for balsa wood and non-dense items)

24W PRO

• YES: Vector Engraving
• YES: Photo Engraving (not as good as 7W and 14W)
• YES: Cutting

44W PRO

• YES: Vector Engraving
• YES: Photo Engraving (not as good as 7W and 14W)
• YES: Cutting

Engraving Vectors

This is the most common type of engraving, used for personalizing items with logos, names, dates, signs, and more. All of our lasers can perform this type of engraving. The 7W will be the slowest, and the 44W will be the fastest. The faster you can engrave, the quicker your project will be completed. So, if time is a concern and you’re trying to churn out cutting boards, go for the highest power you can afford to make the most of your machine.

The speed will also affect the darkness of your engraving. The faster you go, the lighter the engraving will be; the slower you go, the darker it will be. For a mid-level darkness on birch plywood at 100% power, here are the speeds you can expect:

• 7W+ : 40 to 60 inch/min
• 14W PRO SI : 80 to 120 inch/min
• 24W PRO : 160 to 240 inch/min
• 44W PRO : 320 to 480 inch/min

Note, some CNC machines can’t reach the top speed with the 44W, so you will have to turn the power down. The J Tech PRO series V4 can raster at this speed and higher.

Here are some examples of the 44W engraving vectors deep and dark.

Cutting

When it comes to cutting, the 24W and 44W excel. The 14W can cut some materials, but they need to be less dense and thin, like balsa wood. The 24W and 44W can easily cut through 1/4″ plywood and similar materials. For thick, dense wood, 1/4″ is about the maximum thickness. For less dense wood like pine, it can go up to 3/4″. For very low-density materials like foam, it can go up to 4″.

For non-wood items, cutting ability depends on density and color. For plastics, dark colors are better than light colors. Clear plastics won’t work—they allow the laser to pass through without cutting—but you can apply a coating to the top to engrave.

We can see the 44W and 24W cutting tests here:

Here are some examples of material cutting and speed for the 24W and the 44W lasers.

Photo Engraving

This type of engraving will take a photo and make a grey scale image onto wood or other items. While most engraving is done with vectors, it is kind of fun to engrave photos. All of the lasers can engrave photos, however the 7W+ and the 14W PRO SI can do a slightly better job.

If your primary focus is photo engraving, we recommend the 7W+ or the 14W PRO SI.

If you want to cut and engrave photos, consider getting either the 44W or 24W laser, and then add a 7W or 14W laser head for photo engraving. The 7W+ laser head is just $249.99 and uses the same cables, SI module, and mount that the 44W and 24W do, so swapping it out is easy.

Here’s the difference in photo engraving quality between the 7W and the 44W. While the 44W can still engrave photos, it’s not as crisp and clear:

Conclusions

In the end, you need to look at your budget and your application to determine which laser you want to upgrade for your shop.

For the best overall pick, we recommend the 44W laser for cutting and vector engraving, with an additional 7W+ or 14W PRO SI laser head just for photo engraving. This setup will give you the best cutting performance, the fastest vector engraving, and the most detailed photo engraving.

If your budget is smaller, then here are some recommendations:

• If you just want to cut, then go for the 24W or 44W.
• If you want to cut and engrave, then also get the 24W or the 44W.
• If you just want to engrave, (and don’t care about time it takes) get the 7W+ or the 14W PRO SI.
• If you really care about the detail of the photo engraving, either get 7W+ or the 14W PRO SI.

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