How much power does a laser system need?

The power consumption of a laser machine

The power consumption of a laser is a common question before purchasing a laser. Many customers cannot estimate how much the operation of a laser will affect their electricity bill. In practice, however, the power requirement of a laser is often less than that of a fan heater or an air conditioning system. The power consumption of lasers varies greatly. Depending on your laser power (watts) and how long it is used for every day, there is a corresponding range of fluctuation. Here we show you the most important influencing factors for the power consumption of a laser, as well as the power consumption in kilowatt hours based on a specific example.

Influencing factors for power consumption

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

1. Actual working time

This is the amount of time the laser takes to perform an engraving or cutting process. In practice, 20 to 50% of the working time is spent on preparation, loading and unloading of the laser. During this time, Trotec lasers are on standby and only require minimal power thanks to their energy-saving function.

2. Used laser power

Depending on the machine, the laser has a maximum power, e.g. a 20-watt laser differs significantly from a 100-watt laser. In addition, the maximum laser power is only used for a sub-range of all laser jobs.

3. Peripheral equipment

Using an exhaust system or a cooling unit (required for some lasers) also directly affects power consumption. Trotec’s energy-saving function, which regulates the laser as well as the exhaust system in order to save power, also helps here.

A specific example for the power consumption of a laser

One laser corresponds to the consumption of 2 office PCs.

In order to give you a specific figure for power consumption, we have drafted the following example:

A Speedy 400 laser machine with 80 watts laser power
An average effective working time of 2 hours a day
Of which 50% of the time with maximum laser power (80 watts) and 50% of the time with half laser power (40 watts)

This results in a power consumption of approx. 50 kWh per month, which corresponds to the consumption of 2 office PCs. This is always a surprisingly low value for many customers.

Because individual requirements require individual advice.
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