What is the best laser cutter for education?

What the best laser cutter for education can and should be able to do ?

Affordable laser machines are a big issue, especially for schools. Educational institutions want to offer their students the latest technologies and give them hands-on experiences with them. The easiest way to achieve this is to own the equipment so that it’s on site and can be used whenever technical tasks need to be completed. Many schools and universities have found this very successful to date.
Our FAQs explain how the machines work, what you should look for when purchasing and what applications are possible.

What to consider? How to master working with the laser machine.

Write down as many questions as you can around the idea of installing a laser cutter in your educational facility. Talk to the people involved – teachers, students, and possibly the people who would be responsible for admin in connection with the device.

What topics, tasks or ideas do you want to be able to cover and implement with the laser cutter used for education?
What are the most common projects, what materials are used in which dimensions and thicknesses?
Should several people be able to use the laser cutter simultaneously?
What other equipment do you need for a laser cutter used in education?

Your laser machine consultant will assist you with all your purchasing needs.

Get an overview of laser cutters: Laser machines differ, and are classified according to power, working area and application possibilities.

We can advise and support you in your consideration, planning and purchase.

What areas of application do laser cutters offer when used for education?

Your students can use countless materials to meet the demands and requirements of various projects. We've compiled examples from the fields of model making, textiles, trophies and other creative work to inspire you and your trainees:

For your inspiration :

Specific laser projects you can implement with your laser cutter in education.

We provide a variety of laser templates for download in the “Help & Support” section of our website. At schools and universities in particular, user knowledge tends to vary considerably. Laser templates and the corresponding settings make it easy to get started with your first self-lasered workpieces. We have put together some highlights for students from our free laser templates. Once you have downloaded the file and laser parameters, you can get started.

diy-model-rocking-chair — Miniature rocking chair made from TroCraft Eco.

Are Trotec laser cutters suitable for laser engraving, cutting and marking? Which materials can be used?

Yes, Trotec laser cutters are capable of 3 types of material processing and are therefore ideally well-suited for education. The laser power of these models is usually sufficient for school and projects at universities.

Go back to basics – the first questions you asked yourself were:

What specialised projects will trainees implement?
What materials are to be processed, and in which thicknesses?
Will they be engraving, cutting and marking?

We can advise and support you in your consideration, planning and purchase.

How to plan for the best laser cutter for education purposes within your organisation.

Premises and exhaust system

An exhaust system is key to the safe and proper operation of your laser system, because it extracts the vapors and residues that arise during laser processing. An exhaust system not only helps you keep the work area clean, it also protects the laser operator and improves the quality of the finished workpiece. An exhaust system should contain several filters to capture as much fine dust as possible. The Atmos exhaust systems offered by Trotec, for example, are equipped with different filters, including an activated carbon filter that absorbs odors. We’ll be happy to advise you on which exhaust system is the best choice for your workshop.

Software

Trotec laser machines are equipped with the Ruby laser software as standard. It ensures that the daily work with the laser machine runs smoothly. The user guidance is intuitive, the workflow is quick and easy. This means that there’s no need for a lengthy training course.

Ruby is both a graphics and a laser program. With all the graphics tools that laser machine users need: Your students can create designs, graphics, photo and text elements with it. The Ruby laser software allows the direct import of files such as pdf, svg, png, etc. Faulty files are automatically corrected as they are imported. These functionalities halve the time taken from the idea to the finished product. Without costs for additional software packages.

Materials and their parameters

The parameters for different materials – wood, acrylic, laminates, paper, etc. – are already preset in the software, i.e. you can get started very quickly with the implementation and production.

Can the best laser cutter for education manage shared spaces?

In the labs and workshops of technical institutions, the machine is often used by many different people. Fabman (https://fabman.io/) is a system for the efficient and cost-effective management of shared spaces and is easy to integrate. It is a combination of web-based software and RFID bridges with which machines can be integrated into the system. It simplifies many daily administrative tasks and also increases safety when using the machine.

Safety: Fabman ensures that only adequately trained members are able to operate certain machines.
Bookings: Members can reserve machines for specific times. The Fabman Bridge facility ensures that only the user who has reserved the machine is able to start it.
Automatic billing: Members pay automatically, e.g. depending on machine usage
Statistics: With Fabman, shared space operators have access to a wealth of valuable data about members and their usage patterns.
Access control: Fabman can not only control access to machines, but also secure entrance doors to buildings and individual rooms.

Lots of students use the laser machine? No problem!

With Trotec Ruby you can connect all your laser machines in one network. You can distribute jobs across multiple machines from a PC or Mac. The new workflow offers access by different people – one user prepares the job, another produces the workpiece. Thanks to remote access, projects can be prepared separately from the laser cutter.

We can advise and support you in your planning and implementation.

What are the purchase and running costs of a laser cutter for your education facility?

Purchase costs:
The total costs depend on how the laser cutteris equipped. There are laser machines, designated flexx at Trotec, which can process organic materials as well as metals. Laser power and the size of the working area also play a role in determining the price.

Material costs:
Calculate these based on the planned and envisioned projects, and the materials required.

Maintenance costs:
Trotec laser cutters are sophisticated, well-designed machines that largely reduce contamination and wear-and-tear through patented solutions, so maintenance costs are kept very low.

How to maintain the laser cutter – tips for educational institutions.

Trotec laser cutters are designed and equipped with high-quality components so that they have a very long service life and the cleaning time is reduced. InPack Technology™ is a key design feature, which, incidentally, is unique and patented. This technology protects the sensitive laser components, including the processing chamber, mirror, lenses and laser head, from dirt and dust. It ensures years of trouble-free operation, even with heavy workloads and intensive use.

Materials with high dust generation, such as wood and rubber, can be used without depositing dust on electronics or motors, since the processing chamber is sealed.

What service and support can I expect from Trotec?

Many educational institutions know the scenario: End of the semester is the hottest project phase. A rush to finalise projects, build prototypes, implement models. If the laser cutter were to break down at that point it would be disastrous. Trotec offers its customers – among them numerous renowned schools and universities – the best maintenance and support for the entire life cycle of their laser machine. A rapid return to service is vital.

Whether you opt for an annual inspection of your laser machine or a comprehensive TroCare protection package, rest assured that your laser machine is in the best hands. Local Trotec experts are available, free of charge, by mail or phone.

Which laser machine is best for education purposes?

Affordable laser cutter: R Series

The laser cutter of the R series are ideal for all beginners in laser business, be it engravers, designers or schools. With the R series you can cut and engrave - powerful, fast, clean and safe.

High-performance laser engraver and cutter: Speedy series

The fastest laser engraver on the market helps you make your daily work more profitable. Whether you are just starting your business or want to increase your production capacity.

Because individual requirements require individual advice.
We’ll advise you free of charge.