The Step-Up From a Desktop Laser — A 16" × 24" Production Workspace in a Real Machine.
The OMTech Maker MF1624-60 is a 60W CO2 laser engraving and cutting machine with a 16" × 24" (400 × 600mm) working area, front and back pass-through, dual honeycomb and aluminum blade workbeds, and a Ruida digital control panel — giving makers, small businesses, sign shops, and customization studios a machine that handles the project sizes and production volumes that desktop lasers can't reach.
For anyone who has maxed out an 8" × 12" or 20" × 12" machine and needs more room to work, the Maker MF1624-60 is the logical next step.
Compatible Materials:
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Wood
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MDF / Plywood
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Leather
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Plastics
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Fabric
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Stone
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Coated Metals
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Glass
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Why 16" × 24" Changes What You Can Produce
The practical difference between a desktop CO2 laser's 8" × 12" or 20" × 12" bed and the Maker's 16" × 24" (400 × 600mm) working area isn't just numbers — it's what becomes producible.
Standard-size sign blanks fit in one pass. A 16" × 24" bed handles the typical small-business sign blank, wooden cutting board, and full-size plaque without repositioning — eliminating the alignment complexity and time cost of multi-pass work on smaller machines.
More pieces per batch layout. For a shop producing ornaments, coasters, tags, or craft items in batches, the larger bed accommodates proportionally more pieces per job file — fewer load cycles, more output per machine hour.
Larger individual pieces. Wall art panels, wide leather goods, large acrylic signs, and other projects that physically don't fit on a smaller machine become standard production items on the 16" × 24" bed.
For shops fulfilling Etsy orders, producing custom gifts and awards, making signs, or supplying craft products where job variety means different sizes throughout the day — this is the bed size that removes the project-size constraint.
Front and Back Pass-Through — No More Length Limits
The Maker's 28.3" × 1.9" front and back pass-through is the feature that takes the already large 16" × 24" bed and removes the length limit entirely for flat material work.
Long boards, full-length signs, continuous leather strips, extended branding panels, and any flat material longer than 24" can feed through the front pass-through, be engraved or cut, advance, and continue — producing output that exceeds the bed's physical length without repositioning the machine.
For a signs and branding business producing real-estate size signs, long restaurant menu boards, or extended decorative panels — the pass-through is the feature that makes those products commercially viable on this machine rather than requiring a much more expensive large-format system.
Dual Workbeds — Honeycomb and Aluminum Blade, Both Included
The Maker MF1624-60 ships with two workbeds, and knowing when to use each is part of getting the best results:
Honeycomb workbed: The standard configuration for most work. The honeycomb surface supports the workpiece without a solid backing that would reflect laser energy back into the material, which causes inconsistent cutting. For engraving on flat material and cutting through thinner stock, the honeycomb is the daily-driver setup.
Aluminum blade workbed: The raised-point grid configuration for cutting thicker material. The blade tips minimize the contact surface area between the machine and the workpiece, allowing cut pieces to drop cleanly without the honeycomb's webbing interfering with cut-through. For production cutting of thick acrylic, wood, leather, and foam, the blade workbed produces cleaner cut edges on finished pieces.
Having both in the box is a practical advantage over machines that include only one — you switch setups for different job types without a separate accessories purchase.
Ruida Digital Control Panel — Operate Without a Computer
The Maker MF1624-60's Ruida digital control panel is what separates a production machine from a hobby laser in daily operation. The Ruida controller lets you:
Set laser power and speed directly on the machine — adjust parameters for a new material type without navigating software on a connected computer.
Pause or halt jobs in progress — if something looks wrong mid-job, stop or pause immediately from the panel without the lag of returning to software controls.
Navigate files and run jobs offline — load a job from a USB flash drive, select it from the Ruida's file browser, and run it without a computer connected at all. For a production environment where the laser runs continuously while the operator moves between stations, offline operation is a genuine workflow advantage.
Frame projects before firing — the Ruida can trace the outline of a project on the workpiece using the head position before the laser fires, confirming layout and alignment without wasting material on a test.
The Ruida is one of the most trusted CO2 laser controllers in the industry — with extensive LightBurn support, large community resources, and a reliable track record in production environments.
What It Cuts and Engraves — 60W Across a Broad Material Range
The 60W CO2 laser tube processes the full range of CO2-compatible materials:
Engraving: Acrylic, wood, leather, rubber, paper, plastic, fabric, MDF, cardboard, marble, foam, fiberglass, and coated metals.
Cutting: Acrylic, wood, leather, rubber, paper, plastic, fabric, MDF, cardboard, and foam — up to 0.4" (10mm) maximum depth on compatible materials at appropriate settings.
What it cannot do: Cut or deeply etch raw/bare metal, glass, ceramic, or stone. Engraving and frosting on glass and stone surfaces is possible; cutting is not.
At 60W, the Maker handles thicker stock more efficiently than 40W or 55W desktop machines — 6mm plywood, thick leather, and dense acrylic all cut with fewer passes and cleaner edges at 60W.
600 mm/s + LightBurn + Four Connection Methods
The Maker MF1624-60 reaches 600 mm/s maximum engraving speed — fast enough for production batch engraving runs on wood, acrylic, and leather at commercially competitive cycle times.
Software:
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RDWorks — bundled and included on USB flash drive
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LightBurn — compatible (separate license purchase from Lightburn required). LightBurn is the preferred CO2 laser software for most production users — better interface, stronger community, and native macOS/Linux support in addition to Windows
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CorelDRAW and AutoCAD — compatible for design workflow integration
Connection methods: USB cable, Ethernet cable, USB flash drive, and offline mode. The Ethernet connection enables network-based job transfer for a shop where the laser is at a distance from the primary design computer.
The Maker's Chest Difference
The OMTech Maker MF1624-60 is available from OMTech directly and from other resellers. Here's what changes when you order through The Maker's Chest:
- 🛡️ 75-day returns — significantly longer than OMTech's direct return window. Enough time to set up the machine, run it through your actual production materials, confirm the 16" × 24" bed and 60W output fit your workflow, and make an informed decision before you're committed
- 🇺🇸 Expert USA-based technical support — our team can help with Ruida controller setup, LightBurn configuration, water cooling assembly, exhaust setup, workbed selection, and any production issues
- 📞 Dual lines of support — phone and email, so when something comes up during production, you have a direct path to a real person
- 🔧 Straight pre-sale guidance — not sure whether the 60W Maker or a desktop machine is the right step for your current production volume? Or whether the Maker or a higher-wattage model fits your cutting depth requirements? Talk to us before ordering. We'll help you choose correctly
Frequently Asked Questions About OMTech Maker MF1624-60 60W CO2 Laser Engraver and Cutter
Q: How is the 16" × 24" bed meaningfully different from a 20" × 12" desktop laser?
A: The 16" × 24" Maker has the same 24" dimension in one axis as a 20" × 12" desktop — but adds significantly more depth. A project that's 14" × 22" doesn't fit in a 20" × 12" bed; it does in the 16" × 24" Maker bed. More importantly, the 16" depth accommodates taller batches and wider individual pieces across the short axis — which is often the limiting constraint for signs, cutting boards, and similar projects.
Q: Does it need an external water chiller?
A: The Maker MF1624-60 uses a glass CO2 tube that requires water cooling. A water pump is included in the package, and you provide a water reservoir (bucket or container). A dedicated laser water chiller is not included but is a common upgrade for shops running the machine for extended periods where maintaining precise water temperature matters. Without a chiller, many operators use a large container of distilled water with ice added during summer months to keep temperatures in the safe range.
Q: What is the laser tube service life?
A: The CO2 glass tube carries an estimated 2,000-hour service life. At 4 hours daily use, 250 working days per year, that's approximately 2 years before tube replacement is expected. The 2-year machine warranty (6 months for parts) covers the initial ownership period, and tube replacement is a standard maintenance expense planned in the machine's total cost of ownership.
Q: Can I use LightBurn with the Ruida controller?
A: Yes — the Ruida controller is one of LightBurn's best-supported hardware configurations. LightBurn's full feature set (camera alignment, cut optimization, material libraries, node editing) works with the Ruida. A LightBurn license requires a separate purchase from Lightburn, and runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Q: How does offline operation work?
A: Load your job file to a USB flash drive, insert into the Ruida controller's USB port, navigate the controller's file menu, select the file, and run the job — no computer connection required. For a production shop where the laser runs repeatedly on the same job, or where the design computer is across the room, offline operation via Ruida is a practical daily workflow.
Q: What does the pass-through accommodate?
A: The front and back pass-through opening is 28.3" × 1.9" — wide enough for standard flat sheet goods up to about 28" wide, and 1.9" in height (meaning material must be flat or thin enough to clear). Flat boards, leather strips, thin acrylic panels, and similar sheet goods feed through for extended-length processing. The pass-through does not accommodate thick 3D objects or cylindrical items.
Q: Can it engrave cylindrical objects like tumblers?
A: Yes, with a compatible rotary axis attachment (available as an optional add-on). The Maker supports 360° cylindrical engraving when used with a compatible rotary. Contact our team for guidance on which rotary configuration fits this machine.
Q: What exhaust setup is needed?
A: The machine includes an exhaust pipe for connection to an external duct — run it to a window, through a wall, or into an inline fume filter. For a shop environment, proper exhaust is important for safe operation during wood, acrylic, and leather cutting. The machine is not designed for operation without exhaust in an enclosed space.
Q: Why buy from The Maker's Chest instead of directly from OMTech?
A: Our 75-day return window gives you real production evaluation time — significantly more than OMTech's direct return policy — enough to run the machine through your actual order types and confirm it delivers before you're locked in. Our USA-based expert support team is reachable by phone and email for Ruida and LightBurn setup, water cooling configuration, workbed selection, and ongoing production support. If you're deciding between this and a different configuration, we'll give you a straight recommendation.
