Practical knowledge: Get a laser cutter, start a business.

Set up a sustainable home business – invest in a laser-cutting machine.

FOR THE PAST several months Perfect Laser’s PLT-3040 has been set up next to the window of my home office. It’s the baby of the company’s laser-cutter line-up, a tool that is also known as a CO2 laser machine. More accurately, it’s a laser cutter and engraver, and it primarily provides for the needs of small-business owners, entrepreneurs, and hobbyists.

While my job offers me a creative outlet, seldom do I get to make tangible objects – something I find massively rewarding. With a little knowledge and experience gained from using the computer design program (CorelDRAW Graphics Suite) that comes as an added purchase with your printer laser machine, you’ll soon be planning and making all manner of interesting products, cut from materials such as MDF, acrylic, plastic, Plexiglass and rubber. It can also engrave on MDF, marble, granite, glass, tiles, leather, and more, meaning, with this relatively compact machine (its dimensions are 810 × 650 × 400 mm and it weighs 65 kg), you can be well on your way to creating a sustainable home business.

And in these difficult economic times, the words ‘sustainable home business’ are sure to resonate with a fair number of people. With my limited know-how, I was quickly designing and making key rings and earrings, trialling which materials work best for different projects and designs, and generally pushing the limits of what I could create.

The CO2 laser machines, of which there are nine models ranging in price from around R40 000 up to R320 000, are but one category of products sold by Perfect Laser. There are also CNC machines, colour machines, fibre cutters and -engravers, as well as a range of other small-business machines (heat presses, vinyl cutters, electric eyelet machines, laminators, food printers, acrylic benders, and more), making Perfect Laser the ideal onestop portal for anyone considering a change of career, or setting up an additional income stream.

The more I played around with CorelDRAW, and then sent the cutting and engraving instructions through to the machine to test the viability of my designs, the more proficient I became. The PLT-3040 is watercooled, and delivers cutting speeds of up to 200 mm/second or engraving speeds of up to 500 mm/second. The machine’s internal work area for the laser cutter is 300 mm × 400 mm, and, depending on the type of material that you’re using, the maximum cutting thickness is about 6 mm. The exhaust fan system requires that you feed a large foil pipe out of a nearby window, which ensures the small amount of smoke generated from the cutting and engraving doesn’t enter the room you’re working in.

The device is well made, easy to use (if you pay attention when it’s set up for you), and safe, assuming you adhere to all of the guidelines and user instructions. The only challenge, once you acquire yours, is to come up with interesting and unique creations that other people will want to buy.