Laser engraving was once thought of as a method for marking parts and tools for industrial companies only, or for customizing prizes and recognition products for souvenir stores. Today, however, with the emergence of numerous small businesses and the rise of the creator movement, laser engraving has evolved into a profitable industry that requires only a small investment.

The laser engraving market has grown significantly over the past five years, with increased consumer demand for customization and personalization of products such as smartphones, tablets, tableware, wood, metal and other materials driving the industry's growth, according to market research firm IBIS World. In addition, companies are using laser machines to fulfill their needs, such as custom promotional items, employee awards, and internal company signage.

Over the next five years, revenue and sales are expected to continue to grow as laser engraving becomes more readily available and affordable. Enabling small businesses to access imitation products.

Other factors contributing to the continued growth of laser engraving include the growing interest in personalized creations, increased accessibility, the creator movement, branding, and new engraving use cases.

  If you've visited the e-commerce site Etsy, then it's easy to notice how laser engraving has evolved over the past few years. The point of personalizing an item is to make it unique in a simple way, such as turning a pair of wedding champagne glasses into a more meaningful personalized gift.

Just search for "laser engraving" on Etsy and you'll see a myriad of personalized products from many vendors, including jewelry, wedding glasses, crafts, bags, computer supplies, personalized dog collars and tags, wood crafts, pint glasses, pens, various tools and golf tees, and more.

  With the growing popularity of small home businesses, laser engraving has become a way to make the accessories and many other items sold by these businesses stand out from the competition. Many suppliers even offer a generic laser engraving service on Etsy, meaning you send them the item you want engraved and they will return it to you with the logo, name or graphic you want.

In the commercial world, laser engraving can give a personalized quality to mass-produced electronics. Engraving custom graphics, names or logos on these mass-produced electronics is a great way to differentiate them from the ever-increasing number of mass-produced products.

  Previously, laser engraving machines and cutting systems were difficult to obtain. Limited availability was one reason; more importantly, the cost of machine ownership exceeded what the average home-based business or small supplier would be willing to pay in order to acquire the technology.

Today, laser engraving is no longer just for large factories; potential sellers can purchase these machines for far less than they might have known. Whether you want to buy or lease first, or even rent a laser machine, there is something for you around the world

This accessibility has led to laser engravers beginning to appear in manufacturing labs, makerspaces, and school labs to teach students, and has enabled small businesses to differentiate themselves for customers seeking custom services.

  The number of "creators" is growing every day as consumers continue to seek the satisfaction of doing things themselves. Do-it-yourself has become the catchphrase for many to learn new skills, create new products or save money on projects that would otherwise be outsourced.

Kickstarter and crowdfunding are playing a huge role here, generating a wide range of products for different people. Without crowdfunding to provide them with major support, some products would never have been possible.

Laser engraving plays an important role in this. Several hobbyists and do-it-yourselfers showed a strong interest in laser technology and its capabilities. Laser engraving and cutting technology transforms ideas from concept to saleable form through prototyping, decorative engraving, and even by creating a custom engraving business.

In addition to small businesses, use cases for laser engraving technology in the industrial sector are growing rapidly. One of the larger areas is identification security, where laser engraving is ideal for credit cards, ID cards, sensitive documents and other items that require added security measures.

Laser engraving can permanently mark items, thus checking counterfeit products or replicas. In ID cards, a multi-layer format is used to change the color of the bottom layer without affecting the top transparent layer. This ensures that products are protected from fraud, generates high-quality images and text, and meets the needs of organizations for tamper-proof and customizable services.

Branding not only enhances a company's presence in the world, but it also becomes a powerful means of deterring theft of products and corporate assets. By laser engraving a company's logo or the name of the product the company offers, it is clear what company owns what product. People trying to sell stolen items may have a hard time explaining why the item has a large logo or company name on it.

Because laser machines can easily mark bar codes and serial numbers, these company items are easier to track than typical electronics, and can also provide an extension to natural branding campaigns.

Despite the growing popularity of laser engraving and cutting machines, their prices in the market have remained relatively stable. And, because laser engraving is a very competitive market (due to the advent of low power systems that offer low quality engraving), those who want to own or rent a laser engraver or cutter can do so without spending too much.

  Advances in laser cutting and engraving technology have contributed to the development of new accessories on the market and the emergence of more and better features. Providing rotary accessories, specialized lenses, air compressors, lead tables and photo processing software for almost all of our systems gives users the opportunity to engrave cylindrical or irregularly shaped items. Some of these accessories also help ensure superior cut quality.

  Finally, while creators, Etsy and identity tracking have made laser engraving more widely available, they are not the only factors affecting the growth of this industry. In fact, the growth of emerging market segments is a big reason for the future expansion of laser engraving tools. These segments include woodworking, metal fabrication, digital and retail billboards, model making, apparel stores, fabric stores, small installations and sports equipment.

These eight factors have contributed to the continued growth of the laser engraving/cutting market, which, despite five years of strong growth, appears to show no signs of slowing down.