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Right tool for the job

Do you need air assist for laser engraving?

What air assist does for a laser on wood, and when you need it.

Safety first: read the safety notes before you use any of these.

Our drawing: a laser head with an air hose and a nozzle blowing air onto the wood

Short answer

For cutting wood, yes: the tests and guides we read agree that air assist gives cleaner, less charred cuts in fewer passes, and safety guidance recommends it to help prevent fires. For engraving you only need a gentle flow, mainly to keep smoke off the lens; a strong blast can push smoke onto the wood and smudge the engraving. So the useful kind is one you can turn down for engraving and up for cutting. Makers' and safety guidance list it alongside ventilation, a fire extinguisher and staying with the laser, not instead of them.

What air assist does

Air assist blows a steady stream of air through a nozzle onto the spot where the laser hits the wood. On a diode or a CO2 laser, the sources we read credit it with four things:

Bar chart: 17 mm (11/16") pine took 20 passes to cut through with air assist and 48 passes without it, at the fastest speed tried, in Hobby Laser Cutters' tests.
Hobby Laser Cutters' result from the list above, drawn as a chart: 20 passes with air instead of 48 without, at the fastest speed they tried.

Engraving and cutting need different amounts of air

Cutting wants strong air to clear the narrow cut and keep flames down. Engraving wants only a little: enough to protect the lens, but not so much that it pushes smoke back across the surface and smudges the engraving (LaserUser, citing Russ Sadler’s tests; LightBurn forum). That’s why an air supply you can turn down is worth more than a stronger one you can’t. In LightBurn, the Air setting switches air assist on or off for each layer. For how that fits into engraving and cutting thin-wood ornaments, see laser engraving wood ornaments.

Drawing of a generic laser head with an air nozzle, twice. Cutting: strong air blows down into the cut and pushes the smoke out below it. Engraving: a gentle flow, with the smoke drifting aside and away from the lens.
Our drawing of a generic laser head. Cutting wants strong air to clear the cut; engraving wants only enough to keep smoke off the lens.

Diode and CO2 lasers

Many diode lasers don’t come with air assist, or come with only the nozzle (LightBurn’s documentation; Diode Laser Wiki). Many CO2 lasers ship with a pond-style pump, which helps but can’t be turned down for engraving (Laser Crafting). Whatever you use, keep the pump outside any enclosure, where the air is clean (Diode Laser Wiki).

Your options

Air assist that came with your laser

Some lasers ship with an air nozzle, and some with a pump as well. The Diode Laser Wiki notes that Sculpfun's S10 comes with the nozzle but not the pump, while the S30 series includes both; Laser Crafting notes that many CO2 lasers come with a pond-style air pump.

Good for: Getting started: engraving and light cutting on the machine you have.

  • Nothing extra to buy, and the nozzle already fits your laser head.
  • Bundled pumps vary. Laser Crafting found that pond pumps cut down scorch marks but didn't get rid of them, and that many can't be turned down for engraving.

Budget: Included with the machine. Check your laser's spec sheet or box contents for a nozzle and a pump.

Add-on nozzle and a small adjustable pump

A nozzle on the laser head fed by a small electric air pump on a hose. The pumps sold for diode lasers by Sculpfun and xTool are rated at about 30 liters per minute (Hobby Laser Cutters).

Good for: Diode lasers: engraving with a trickle of air, and occasional cutting.

  • Hobby Laser Cutters' tests on three diode lasers found cleaner edges, less charring and far fewer passes when cutting with air than without.
  • A flow knob lets you switch between full air for cutting and a light flow for engraving (Laser Crafting).
  • Not enough air for frequent heavy cutting, Laser Crafting found.
  • The nozzle must fit your laser head; check what your laser's maker sells before buying a third-party one (Diode Laser Wiki).

Budget: We don't quote a price. Laser Crafting says the adjustable diode-laser pump it tried costs slightly more than a small pond pump.

Pond or aquarium air pump

A diaphragm pump made for ponds or aquariums, run to the laser's nozzle on a hose. Many CO2 lasers ship with one (Laser Crafting).

Good for: Light engraving and cutting if you already have one.

  • Laser Crafting found them loud, with a pulsing airflow that can make cuts uneven, and with no way to turn the flow down for engraving; it doesn't recommend them.
  • The Diode Laser Wiki's author replaced his aquarium-style pumps with a dedicated laser pump, which he found much quieter.

Budget: Usually a little less than a pump made for lasers (Laser Crafting).

Shop compressor with a tank, regulator and water separator

A workshop air compressor with a storage tank, feeding the nozzle through a pressure regulator and a water separator.

Good for: Frequent cutting, and CO2 lasers of about 50 watts and up (Laser Crafting's suggestion).

  • More air than a small pump; Laser Crafting recommends it for frequent cutting.
  • Laser Crafting notes many of these compressors need rest breaks so they don't overheat.
  • Needs a water separator so condensation doesn't reach the lens (Laser Crafting).
  • Laser Crafting points out it can run other air tools in the shop too.

Budget: We don't quote a price: it depends on the compressor, and you may already own one.

What we'd start with

Use the air assist your laser came with. If it has none, add the nozzle your laser's maker sells and a small adjustable pump. Turn the flow down for engraving and up for cutting (LaserUser; LightBurn's forum).

See Air assist that came with your laser

An adjustable 30 L/min pump on your diode laser's nozzle. It covers engraving and occasional cutting, and the knob gives you the low flow engraving needs (Laser Crafting). Keep the pump outside any enclosure so it pulls in clean air (Diode Laser Wiki).

See Add-on nozzle and a small adjustable pump

A shop compressor with a tank, regulator and water separator. For frequent cutting or a CO2 laser of about 50 watts and up, Laser Crafting recommends this setup over small pumps.

See Shop compressor with a tank, regulator and water separator

Sources

How we picked

We didn't hands-on test these. We read independent tests, reviews and guides (Hobby Laser Cutters, Laser Crafting, the Diode Laser Wiki and LaserUser), the LightBurn software documentation, makers' pages (xTool, OMTech) and university laser-safety guidance (MIT EHS). Every claim on this page comes from a source linked under Sources or under the pick. We only name a product when it has at least three independent sources from at least two different outlets, each naming that exact product, including at least one independent test or review, plus the maker's spec page. No pump met that bar yet, so this guide recommends kinds of air assist, not products. The page's own claims rest on at least three independent sources from at least two outlets. Links were last checked on .

No paid links. Every link on this page is a plain link: no affiliate codes or tracking, and no company paid or asked to be listed (disclosure). Links open in a new tab.

Some outlets we cite get review samples from tool makers; we don't use pieces a maker paid for or sponsored.

We pick tools from independent tests and reviews, not our own testing.