Finding the right laser cutting software is an important step toward creating precise and accurate designs. When combined with powerful software, laser cutting devices can generate detailed patterns and designs in a wide range of materials, from wood to metal.
The software should be capable of handling difficult tasks while providing a user-friendly interface and features such as 3D modeling, picture tracing, and others. In this blog post, we’ll look at seven of the best laser cutting software applications.
These software for laser cutting have extensive capabilities that allow you to easily generate high-precision cuts. With these tools at your disposal, you’ll be able to create stunning designs that will impress your audience.
What Is Laser Cutting Software?
Laser cutting software is a specialized programme intended for laser-based machining and technology. It enables manufacturers to create intricate or detailed machinery with ease by using lasers as a precision tool.
The primary goal of these software packages is to allow users to customize their laser cut designs, giving them greater control over the process and allowing them to achieve more precise results.
It is possible to create complex shapes, circles, curves, spirals, and other patterns with no manual labor at all using the right dedicated software.
Furthermore, these programmes can be used on any material, including plastic, wood, metal, and other materials that are difficult to work with using traditional tools like saws or routers.
Aside from that, they frequently include safety features that monitor the machine and ensure it is not overloaded or malfunctioning in any other way.
There are various types of laser cutting software, such as those designed for industrial applications, those aimed at home users and hobbyists, and even programmes that can be used with 3D printers.
The number of features available will, of course, differ depending on the type of programme you use. Industrial laser cutting software, for example, has more capabilities than consumer-grade software but may require a monthly subscription fee to access all of its features.
Consumer laser cutting software, on the other hand, is typically available for a reasonable price while still providing some useful features for those just starting out.
Benefits of Using a Dedicated Software for Laser Cutting
Dedicated software is the best solution for laser cutting. Along with streamlining and speeding up the procedure, this allows you to tailor the cut parameters to your choice, allowing you to create something completely unique.
Having a dedicated software for laser cutting saves customers time and money while also giving them access to features that would otherwise be unavailable without specialist hardware or manual labor. Here are seven of the most significant advantages of using laser cutting software:
1. Improved Accuracy
A laser cutting software ensures that each cut is precise and accurate every time by automating many processes during the laser cutting process. It eliminates the need for manual adjustments or double-checking measurements before a cut, resulting in better overall results.
2. Easier Set-up
Setting up a laser cutting job without dedicated software can be a time-consuming and confusing process. The software streamlines the setup process by eliminating many of the manual steps that were previously required to get the machine ready for use.
3. Increased Productivity
When using laser cutting software, productivity is sure to increase due to faster set-up times, faster cut jobs, and fewer mistakes due to improved accuracy. This means completing more projects in less time and saving money overall.
4. Accessibility
A laser cutting software can be accessed from any computer or device with an internet connection, allowing you to access your project files from anywhere. It allows multiple people to work on a project at the same time, since files can be accessed remotely.
5. Design Freedom
With features such as preset shapes, text tools, 3D model support, and more, laser cutting software enables users to create designs quickly and easily. This gives users complete creative control over their laser cutting projects.
6. Cost Savings
Since using laser cutting software makes the process easier and faster overall, it can save money in multiple ways. Not only will fewer mistakes mean less material wasted, but you’ll also save time and money by not having to buy additional hardware or hire specialized personnel for certain tasks.
7. Automation
One of the most significant benefits of using laser cutting software is the ability to automate many components of the laser cutting process. This means you may automate the setup, cutting, and even post-processing chores like part removal or sorting to complete your projects fast and efficiently.
Overall, adopting laser cutting software provides users with various advantages that make the procedure easier and more efficient. Using dedicated software will help any laser cutting project thrive, from enhanced accuracy to higher production to cost savings and automation.
With all of these benefits at your disposal, it’s easy to understand why laser cutting software is quickly becoming an essential tool for anyone wishing to enter the world of laser cutting.
The Top 7 Laser Cutting Software
1. TurboCAD
Source: TurboCAD
TurboCAD is a popular choice for laser cutting due to its range of features that are specifically tailored to this purpose. It includes an overkill tool which can remove overlapping arcs and lines from a vector drawing, ensuring it’s ready for cutting.
This function also keeps track of any changes you make with the event viewer in TurboCAD. The PDF Underlay tool makes tracing over designs easier and more accurate by allowing you to snap the midpoints and endpoints of lines to match a given vector PDF file.
With these tools, designers can quickly create intricate cuts without having to worry about accuracy or precision in their design work.
Price: $69.99 – $279.99 plus a 15-day free trial.
Notable Features
- 2D Drafting
- 3D Modeling
- Architectural Mechanical
- Home & Landscaping
- Graphics Utilities
- CAD Symbols
Summary
Overall, TurboCAD is a great software solution for laser cutting that offers a range of useful features at an affordable price point. If you’re looking for straightforward and easy-to-use software to help with your projects, then this could be the perfect choice.
With its Overkill tool and PDF Underlay feature, you can quickly design complex cuts without having to worry about accuracy or precision in your work. It’s no wonder that TurboCAD is considered one of the best dedicated software for laser cutting.
Watch Out For: The user-interface could use a bit of improvement.
2. Adobe Illustrator
Source: Adobe
Adobe Illustrator is one of the most popular software solutions when it comes to laser cutting. It enables users to easily create vector graphics with incredible precision and accuracy.
Adobe’s suite of tools allows for almost limitless creative possibilities, perfect for producing intricate designs for laser cutting projects.
Price: $24.14 – $91.99 plus a free trial.
Notable Features
- Logo Design
- Typography Font Design
- Hand Lettering Design
- Icon Design
- Infographic Design
- Banner Design
- Chart Design
- Wallpaper Design
Summary
With Adobe Illustrator, you can draw objects and items of your choice by hand, or use a comprehensive toolset to make exceptional vector graphics from scratch.
You can also combine multiple objects together and replicate existing items to create intricate designs for laser cutting applications. Files can then be exported in compatible formats such as SVG or DXF, or even in image formats suitable for raster/vector engraving.
Its user-friendly interface makes creating beautiful vector graphics easier than ever before, while its powerful functionality allows for almost limitless creative possibilities.
You can take your imagination and bring it to life with laser cutting with Adobe Illustrator. Whether you are a professional designer or looking to explore the world of laser cutting as a hobby, Adobe Illustrator will be an invaluable asset in designing intricate designs that stand out from the rest.
Watch Out For: Not beginner friendly.
3. DraftSight
Source: DraftSight
DraftSight is a powerful and versatile 2D design software created by Dassault Systèmes. It’s designed to help users perfect the image they want to upload to their laser cutters, with features like an image trace function that turns bitmap images into vector lines, curves and angles, making it easier for them to create patterns without having to redraw them.
Price: $249 – $599 annually
Notable Features
- Page Layout Manager
- Annotation Monitor
- Contextual Ribbon Tab
- HomeByMe Improvements
- Cycling Selection
- Data Extraction Wizard
Summary
With DraftSight, you can get the exact size of a single pass of the laser with its “hairline” option for line width in printing options.
This is great for laser cutters since wider lines are rasterized by the printer meaning that they’re composed of pixel-like burns which make for less precise cuts and blurrier edges.
It’s the perfect software for getting your lines and edges sharp enough to take on single cuts. Whether you’re creating intricate patterns or sketches, DraftSight has all these features in one place so you don’t have to use multiple programs to get the job done.
With its robust capabilities, you can expect high-quality results without compromising on accuracy, making it a great investment for any laser cutting enthusiast.
Watch Out For: In order to use the free version users must re-register frequently.
4. Inkscape
Souce: Inkscape
Inkscape is an excellent dedicated software for laser cutting and engraving. It is open-source, free vector graphics design software that offers a complete tool set to make exceptional laser cutting files.
It has many features like creating designs from scratch or editing existing ones, having a complete set of tools needed to create professional quality graphics and giving you options to work with various formats compatible with laser control software.
Moreover, it also includes an XML editor for expert designers and multiple drawing tools to manage vectors easily. With Inkscape, you can fill and stroke objects for engraving, clone objects to save time and effort, group items into layers and z-order operations whenever necessary.
Price: It is completely free, and you have access to all its features without any hidden charges or upgrades. You can use it for a lifetime without worrying about renewal fees or other costs associated with other premium software available in the market.
However, you can always donate to contribute towards the development of the software and support the developers who are working hard to make this great piece of technology accessible for everyone.
Notable Features
- Object creation
- Object manipulation
- Fill and stroke
- Operations on paths
- Text support
- Rendering
- File formats
Summary
In conclusion, Inkscape is one of the best dedicated software for laser cutting and engraving needs.
It offers unbeatable features such as creating designs from scratch or editing existing ones, having a complete set of tools needed to create professional graphics and giving you options to work with various formats compatible with laser control software at no extra cost.
It is free and open source, allowing anyone to access its features without any hidden charges or upgrades. Therefore, if you are looking for a budget-friendly dedicated software for laser cutting/engraving needs, Inkscape should be your go-to choice.
Watch Out For: It does not support multiple artboard exports.
5. Affinity Designer
Source: Serif
Affinity Designer is a powerful vector graphics editor that offers users a superior experience to Adobe Illustrator. It has tools specifically designed for laser engraving purposes, including custom grids and guides, the ability to work with multiple artboards at once, and support for raster images.
The software is available for both Windows and Mac as a one-time purchase, and there’s also an iPad version offering all the main features of the desktop versions but at half the price.
Price: $32.99 – $132.64
Notable Features
- Drawing scale for real-world projects (different scaling per artboard)
- Pencil Tool creates auto-closed or straight-line pencil strokes
- Change stroke width with [ and ] keys; Shift key increases/decreases by an absolute amount
- Scale multiple objects’ stroke widths using formula input
- X-ray (Wireframe) view mode shows semi-transparent fills to inspect document construction and aids hidden object selection
- Multiple shadow, outline and overlay layer effects per object
- Force scale of stroke width, layer effect radii, corner radii and text frame content on object resize
Summary
Affinity Designer boasts some impressive features such as its precision design tools which make it easy to create amazing designs with absolute accuracy.
There are also several advanced features like non destructive effects and adjustments which allow you create unique visuals without compromising on quality. Plus, the user-friendly interface and well laid out workspace make it ideal for first time graphic designers.
Overall, Affinity Designer is a great choice for those looking for laser engraving software that won’t break the bank but still offers superior design tools and advanced features.
The low price tag combined with the robust set of features makes this software an excellent alternative to Adobe Illustrator. If you’re looking for a user-friendly software with great features and an attractive price point, Affinity Designer is the perfect choice.
Watch Out For: Could use a lot more features when compared to rest.
6. LightBurn
Source: LightBurn
LightBurn is one of the most popular dedicated software for laser cutting and engraving. It offers a wide range of features that make it suitable for both professionals as well as hobbyists. The software comes with an intuitive interface, making it easy to use even for beginners.
It supports almost all formats, including vector graphics and objects so you can create simple designs or more complex ones from scratch.
It also allows you to take full control over the machine by allowing you to adjust settings such as speed, power, passes, brightness etc., giving you optimal results every time.
Price: Not available.
Notable Features
- Offsetting
- Boolean Operations
- Welding
- Node editing
Summary
Lightburn is compatible with many desktop and commercial laser machines which adds to its versatility. LightBurn is an incredibly powerful and versatile tool, making it the perfect choice for all your laser projects.
With its wide range of features and compatibility with many machines, you can be sure that you will get quality results every time.
The fact that it comes at an affordable price and can be used for a lifetime only adds to its appeal. Thus, if you are looking for the best dedicated software for laser cutting and engraving then LightBurn definitely needs to be on your list.
Watch Out For: Not beginner friendly.
7. LaserGRBL
Source: LaserGRBL
For anyone looking for a dedicated software for laser cutting, LaserGRBL is an excellent choice. It’s free to use and compatible with a range of machines. on any type of object.
You can easily position images and track their progress as they get engraved with this software. This makes it especially helpful for beginners who don’t know where to start when creating designs.
From its simple user interface to its advanced engraving capabilities, LaserGRBL offers everything that you need to create stunning results without having to invest in expensive equipment or subscription packages.
Its intuitive positioning system ensures that your design is correctly aligned before being sent through the machine.
Not only does the software provide excellent results, but it also offers great customizability options. You can adjust the engraving speed and set the image’s starting point to get precisely what you want.
Price: Free
Notable Features
- Load GCode with job preview
- Image engraving with grayscale conversion, dithering and vectorization
- User defined buttons
- Different color scheme optimized for usage with different safety glasses
- Job time preview and real time projection
- Jogging
- Power and speed overrides
Summary
Besides its free availability, one of the biggest advantages of using LaserGRBL is that it works across multiple platforms. It is available on Windows, Mac OS X, as well as Linux systems.
That means anyone can easily download and install this software in just a few clicks and start creating their own designs right away. Considering all these features, LaserGRBL is undoubtedly one of the best dedicated software for laser cutting out there.
Watch Out For: It is an open source and therefore liable to viruses.
Factors to Consider When Choosing Laser Cutting Software
When looking for the best dedicated software laser cutting, there are a few things to keep in mind.
Cost & Compatibility
Cost should be a primary consideration when selecting laser cutting software. Not all laser cutting software is created equal, and some packages offer more features than others for the same price tag.
Additionally, you should pay attention to the compatibility of the software with your specific machine. Some machines may require special adapters or proprietary programs in order to work properly.
Capabilities & User-Friendliness
Many popular laser cutting softwares are easy to learn and use but may not have all the advanced features that professional engravers need.
Conversely, more complex softwares can offer a much wider range of features but may require a bit more learning and experience to use. Additionally, some laser cutting software is designed specifically for certain materials or tasks, so be sure to research your needs before making a purchase.
Ease of Setup
Some softwares are incredibly easy to install and configure while others can be quite time consuming. As such, you should make sure that the program you choose is compatible with your existing hardware as well as any new machines you plan on purchasing in the future.
Additionally, it’s important to consider customer support when evaluating different packages – some companies offer live support while others only provide online resources and forums.
Type of Task
It is important to consider the type of tasks that you plan on completing with your laser cutting software. Some packages are designed specifically for precision projects while others are better suited for large-scale production runs.
Additionally, some softwares offer more customization options than others and can be used to create unique designs or custom logos.
Type of Files
Most high-end softwares are capable of working with a wide variety of formats, including DXF and SVG. Additionally, many softwares also include support for 3D files so that users can create intricate models and shapes with ease.
Ultimately, selecting the right laser cutting software depends largely on individual needs and preferences, so be sure to take your time and do plenty of research before making a purchase.
Conclusion
In conclusion, dedicated software for laser cutting is a great way to make intricate projects with accuracy and precision. With the right software, you can take your projects to the next level. While there are many options available, these 7 software programs have been identified as the best of the bunch.
Whether you’re looking for an easy-to-use solution or a more advanced suite of features, these tools will help you get the job done quickly and efficiently.
No matter what type of project you’re working on, choosing one of these dedicated laser cutting software solutions will provide reliable results every time! So what are you waiting for? Get started on your project today!
