Let us delve into the exciting world of technology and its impact on small businesses shall we? Today, we're going to focus our attention on a trend that has been gaining significant traction in the past 3-4 years - the use of desktop laser cutters.

As we are nearly midway through 2024 already, we have been witnessing an increasing number of small businesses harnessing the power of laser cutters and engraving machines. But why is this trend growing? What makes these desktop laser cutters a game-changer for small businesses as well as educational institutions?

Read on to explore the top 10 best uses of laser cutters in 2024!

Desktop laser cutters bring jewelry making to a whole new level of personalization that previously used to take hours to create, and now is possible in mere seconds. Below, are some examples of how artists and jewlers around the world are using their laser cutters in a variety of creative ways.

• Engraving Custom Jewelry Designs, names, sayings, dates, and more.
• Cutting custom designs on a variety of materials like leather, wood, and acrylic.
• Etching photos onto jewelry and pendants.
• Personalizing jewelry on site for clients and customers while they wait.
• Transferring customer hand writing and drawings onto jewelery art pieces.
• Some laser cutters and engravers can even help remove rust.

Adding a desktop laser cutter to your tools for your small business opens up a world of branding possibilities that used to take days or weeks to obtain, and can now be created and customized in mere seconds on the spot.

Eliminate the need for stocking items or ordering large numbers of items with the hope to sell, and only engrave when you need to.

Elevate your branding by precisely engraving a brand name on paper, cards, leather packaging, wood and paper boxes, envelopes, and even on tumblers or small thank-you gifts. The possiblities are endless.

Use your desktop laser cutters to create customized wedding and party decor, engraved invitations, customized cake toppers, elegant bridal accesssories and gifts, signs, photo stands, personalized corks and labels, guest books and more to make these special occasions even more memorable!

Here are a few examples of creative ways that people have used laser cutters to make their big day even more personal!

Ring Keepsake Box by Claudette

Wedding Greeting Card by xTool Projects

Wine Cork Stoppers by gadgetsbeyondthisworld

Wedding Acrylic Stand by Captain Laser

The introduction to lower cost, desktop laser cutters has allowed crafters and hobbyists to start their own businesses by testing out fan favorites at craft shows and markets to see which products are the most popular and where to focus their attention in creating their branding.

Smaller and portable laser cutting and engraving machines like the xTool F1 are allowing creative people of all ages to set up at events, school functions and fundraisers, farmers markets and more to customize and create items on the spot, opening all kinds of doors and possibilities for future larger endeavors.

Create one design and then batch them in minutes to have some stock to take with you to your events and shows!

For shop owners who have a mobile or sticks and bricks type of shop that displays a variety of items for sale, having a laser cutter and engraver on site, allows for them to offer an extra service for customization and personalization right there at the counter.

The ability to give customers the option to add special sayings, dates, names and even photographs to their purchases for themselves or gifts for others, can take their business to the next level and have people coming back for more.

xTool has created a screen printer that brings the traditional art form of screen printing into a whole new world. With the introduction of the xTool Screen Printer, it’s no longer necessary to work with layers of sticky photo emulsion, film sheets, and darkroom developing. No more washing the screens with high pressure water and screen cleansing chemicals. The xTool Screen Printer has found a way to blend the joy of creating a screen print together with the ease of modern technology.

Combining the screen printer with a laser cutter and engraver opens up boundless opportunities for crafters and hobbyists to create their own small businesses in ways they never imagined possible.

Whether you want to explore simply engraving designs and personalization on existing wood objects or you have a passion for creating pieces from wood with your original designs, laser cutters and engravers are giving the woodworking world a substantial boost in 2024.

The ability to create pieces to fit together perfectly, allows for large art pieces and projects to come to life, that normally would have taken months to accomplish with traditional wood working tools. It's incredible to see how many ways wood is being used with laser cutting and we are always excited to see what creative people are making with their machines!

Here are a few fun example designs we found to share:

Wooden Spoon Engraving by xTool Projects

Embossed Bamboo Frames by tomsservicesbookings

Darth Vader Snacks Cutting Board by Argent Engraving (Sammi)

12 Sided Lamp by xTool Projects

Laser cutters and engravers allow us to spice up our living areas and gardens with designs added to existing pieces of our everyday lives or create entirely new pieces to bring more life to our homes and places we spend the most time.

Whether you are creating things for the garden or to decorate the inside or outside of your homes, the possibilities are endless for ways to add more flavor to your life.

Below are a few examples that others have created for their homes and gardens:
Remix of a Birdhouse by comp56

Gardening Label Storage Set by xTool Projects

Decorative Metal Fence Posts by comp56

Acrylic Dream Catcher by Jo Stapleton 

Sometimes we just want to create for creating sake with art pieces and designs to bring more life to our surroundings, as gifts or products to create for our small businesses. Laser cutters and engravers allow us to work with wood, acrylic, paper, leather, fabric, natural objects like leaves, glass, stone, metal and so much more.

Bring your art from 2D to 3D with the power of the laser!

Putting laser cutter and engraving technology into the hands of students is one of our favorite things to do! Not only does it add a new way to get students wrapping their head around design thinking, but it also gives teachers an opportunity to introduce STEM to kids and young adults of all ages.

Educators are using laser cutters in engineering, architecture, art and design, small business, woodworking and many other classes to get students thinking outside of the box.

This technology is opening doors in ways that were not possible in the past and the students are expanding their imaginations in a variety of ways they never imagined they were capable of!