WHY CONSIDER A CTR LASER MACHINE?

Why consider a CTR laser machine?

They are great tools for a wide range of jobs...

Laser engravers and cutters have long been seen as one of the most versatile machines on the market. However, until recently the price and cost of ownership has been prohibitive for all but the largest companies. This has now changed dramatically with the introduction of glass tube lasers. This brings Laser machines easily within reach of start-up companies with limited budgets.

The possibilities are tremendous when you start to think of the materials these machines can process. This is why there is so much excitement about them!

A point worth noting when discussing wood and other fibrous materials is that our lasers leave a feather free cut. There is no need for a 'post process' to sand the edge. This is a major advantage compared to the more usual routers.

Our laser machines come complete with software that will accept all the usual data formats - Corel Draw, Photoshop and numerous 'free' graphics packages. Also all professional CAD software is able to output files that can be used for cutting on these machines. The formats include HPGL and DXF, two of the most popular.

Our lasers will accurately mark and engrave most plastics, wood, ceramic, stone, glass, MDF, card, fabric, paper and other materials; and are also very capable at cutting most of these. The thickness that can be processed largely depends on the output power.
Machine sizes in our range go up to 1500 x 900mm work area in a variety of powers.

Are they the best machine for the job?

This depends on your specific needs. Firstly, a Laser is basically a 2D machine; if you need to accurately cut to a precise depth, rather than engraving or cutting through material, then it is not the machine for you. Our lasers have excellent control over the laser power, resulting in very good, crisp engraved images. However, the nature of a laser beam depends makes it difficult to 'machine' to a precise depth like you can with a milling machine.

Lasers cut by burning or vaporizing the material, leaving a burnt coloured vertical edge on some jobs, particularly wood and card. This can be an advantage, giving a decorative finnish to the work, or further processing (painting etc.) can hide this effect if desired.

A Note on Plastics...

When working with clear hard plastics, like acrylic, our laser machines have the advantage. They produce a clear, clean 'polished' cut edge which is so good that usually you get the finished job 'straight from the machine'. When processing soft plastics some care is required. A few, like PVC and vinyl produce dangerous by-products. These should not be processed with a laser. The best machine for these materials is a 'knife plotter' or vinyl plotter.
CTR offer a full range of these machines mainly used in the sign making and advertising industries.