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Thread: Can you make a decent living with a laser engraver?

  1. #31
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Location
    Massapequa, NY (that's on Lawn Guy Land)
    Posts
    3
    I have a new multi-tool shop - maybe it's the snob in me, but I prefer to call it a 'makerspace'. It was assembled for making a particular product, which has not gotten off the ground yet, but is on target for a March 2015 release.

    To keep the funds flowing, and to pay my awful electric bills, taxes, and so on, I have been working on alternate revenue streams. One stream I see doing well is education. We have homeschooled 2 of our 3 sons, and the homeschool world is growing - thanks to common core.

    If you shop is presentable and comfortable, you can host classes for kids. Teach them to design, how to use gear safely, and how to take an idea from start to finish. They don't learn that is school anymore.

    I get $10-$20 per session (90 minute "class time" - which may or may not include machine time, based on the day's lessons) per kid. The younger kids are doing simpler work; assembling laser-cut boxes, affixing vinyl decals, easy stuff, they get about $1.00 in materials per class, and LOVE the lab.

    The older kids are making more complex stuff. Mor complicated parts, assemblies, electronics, programming, etc. Many will seek extra time in the lab - and will even clean for free time! The older kids think of cooler things to do.

    As for the adult set, well... same thing. I have a small stable of regulars: a guy who custom engraves walking canes, another guy who makes doll houses, a friend who is working on a stop-motion video series: all these guys do do few hours a month here. The classes for adults are growing too, as these guys want to learn to do their own prep work, rather than paying me to do the prep for them.

    As for my work, I span across all our machines, each doing it's proper part...

    And of course there is the usual slew of custom engravings, making molds for people (molds are VERY expensive), and more.

    You just need to hustle, and find new clientele CONSTANTLY.

    Good luck, and seriously consider the educational opportunities, there is good money where school budgets are slashing shop classes, and kids are just learning how to take tests.

  2. #32
    About ten years ago I would say yes. But now everyone seem to be getting a laser. As matter of fact I got a call from a company that was going to purchase a laser, and wanted help setting it up. It was going to be a china laser.
    Redsail x700, 50watt & Shenhui 350, 50 watt

  3. #33
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Brisbane, Australia
    Posts
    286
    If we are not talking about engraving only but simply about a full time business with a laser you can make a very decent income with it even if you run it all by yourself. I do laser cutting with two lasers and I am now getting more than I could do as an experienced web developer. I only offers engraving to my regular customers so it all based on cutting only.
    I have zero advertising apart from running online campaigns on Google/Bings. They often send their free coupons and that's what I use to advertise sometimes adding just my $50-100 once a month. I do not have any shop in a shopping centre because their price for leasing a place in it is very huge($1500/week). Most of my clients are coming from ebay and organic google search. It has taken me about 5 years to get where I am now and it has started to grow after I decided to sell a CNC router and got a powerfull 280W machine to cut through thick wood. By the way MDF is the only material I work with. I was thinking of adding acrylic but it is not cheap and hard to get for a good price and most of acrylic suppliers want to sell you a full size sheet while customers often ask for some really small jobs in acrylic that not even worth driving to pick material up for a supplier not to mention paying for the full size sheet.
    Last edited by Mike Lysov; 12-10-2014 at 4:07 PM.
    GCC Spirit GX Pro 100W(synrad)
    Laserlife Ezlaser LCW 300W(Yongli DLT-300)

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