How much power does a laser use?

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How much electricity does a laser use?

Most people ask us about the electrical consumption of a laser prior to purchase. Most customers are looking to estimate how much a laser will affect their electricity bill. The good news is that a laser often uses less power than a fan heater or an air conditioner.

The power consumption of lasers varies greatly. The usage will depend on your laser power (watts) and how long it is used for each day. Obviously, the more watts and longer use will increase the power usage proportionally. Please see the example below detailing the power consumption in kilowatt hours based on the specific example.

What factors influences power consumption

The total power consumption of a laser system depends on a number of factors.

1. Actual working time

This is the amount of time the laser takes to perform an engraving or cutting process. In reality you can expect to spend, 20 to 50% of the working time on manual tasks (loading and unloading of the laser). Whilst not in use, Trotec lasers can be placed in standby mode and only require minimal power when in the energy-saving mode.

2.  Laser power during processing

Depending on the machine, the laser has a maximum power which reflects the amount of electricity that is used, i.e. a 20-watt laser uses significantly less than a 100-watt laser. Keep in mind that not all laser jobs will use the maximum available laser power.

3. Extraction systems

Using an extraction system or a cooling system (required for some lasers) will also directly affect the amount of electricty consumed. Trotec’s energy-saving function regulates both the laser and the exhaust, so that neither is using power unnecessarily.

A specific example for the power consumption of a laser

One laser corresponds to the consumption of 2 office PCs

In order to help you calculate the potential power consumption of a laser, please see the following example:

  • A Speedy 400 laser machine with 80 watts laser power
  • An average effective working time of 2 hours a day

The result of the example above is a power consumption of approx. 50 kWh per month, which is roughly the same as 2 office PCs. We bet this is a surprising result, but yet another example of Trotecs innovations and commitment to environmental sustainability.

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