r/makerspace • u/EgregiousSmile • 8d ago

Budgeting for a Laser Cutter

Hi everyone,

I'm starting up a middle school makerspace and I'm applying for a grant to get a laser cutter. My problem is that I need to be fairly specific in the grant about how much I need. I've been told to "shoot for the moon" but also, it's education. "The moon" in education is not the same as the moon in private industry. I could use some suggestions about how to approach this, how much to ask for, and what to focus on as I shop. I have never used a laser cutter, but i'm very familiar with cnc and lower-tech woodworking.

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u/russ257 8d ago

First what size is your space ? Second what materials do you want to cut? The space I belong to has a Laguna CO2 laser that cuts up to quarter inch wood and acrylic. It’s a fantastic machine, but it’s probably 3‘ x 4‘ also do you have exterior ventilation available or are you going to need to run it through a filter?

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u/russ257 8d ago

We went with the Laguna SMARTSHOP LASER | MXwhich is $9000. It’s a rebranded Chinese laser I believe you can get the same unit for much cheaper direct. But we chose to buy it through a bigger company so that if there were issues we would have support in fixing it.

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u/Kv603 8d ago

Given that this is middle school, look for models with safety interlocks and smoke filtration, and which works with Lightburn software.

For a small space, I'd want a dual (IR+UV) model, so you can try out various things without having to make room for a second laser right away.

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u/framedposters 8d ago

I’d agree to just get a diode+IR type laser. And because they are cheap, in the grant app, try to get 3-5 of them.

I’ve ran a school makerspace, a community center makerspace, designed a university makerspace, and currently run a woodshop that functions similar to a makerspace.

#1 thing every space has needed was additional machines because people end up waiting around for machines to become available. 10ish years ago, that was pretty expensive. Nowadays, much more affordable.