The laser engraving can transform an ordinary object into something special and personalized. The good news is that the idea of having a laser engraver at home is no longer far-fetched, and the market offers ready-to-assemble kits. However, a factor every enthusiast wants to explore sooner or later is the software. A while ago we presented LaserGRBL as an excellent open source option. Today I’d like to add to that category LaserWeb, with extensive documentation.
Print in 3D. Cut materials via CNC. Engrave with laser. Any enthusiast with access to these three things can reach their full potential in the DIY world, and the truth is that investments are no longer so intimidating. AliExpress offers basic 3D printers for under 300 dollars, while laser engraving kits average 100 dollars in their most humble configurations.
Of course, it’s ideal to seek additional information before making any financial effort, because in all cases these hardware pieces require a certain level of tuning, and we mustn’t forget the need for good software as an ally. Among commercial options, one of the most popular is PicEngrave, but its license costs a few dollars and forces us to explore other paths. One of them leads us to LaserWeb.
LaserWeb: Open-Source Laser Engraving
LaserWeb is an application that lets us generate GCODE compatible with laser and CNC from multiple formats (DXF/SVG/BITMAP/JPG/PNG), and control these machines based on either the latest version of GRBL or Smoothieware.
LaserWeb has a kind of online simulator (without hardware communication) that we can access using Google Chrome to learn all the details of its interface. The official page shares the complete installation process, initial configuration, parameters for each machine, and creation of operations.
The learning curve of LaserWeb is not very forgiving, but if we have a little patience and add some online tutorials, LaserWeb will be under our control within days.
Is it better than LaserGRBL? Personally, I think each user should find that out in their own way, but LaserWeb definitely has a more advanced profile. If you already have a laser engraver/cutter at home, don’t hesitate to download a copy and give it a try.
Official site and download: Click here
