Engraving, the art of carving designs into surfaces, is a creative process. What began as a manual craft using simple hand tools has transformed into a highly automated and precise process. While hand engraving is still respected for its artistry, it has largely been replaced by CNC and laser engraving due to speed and consistency. CNC machines revolutionized industrial-scale engraving, but laser engravers have taken the technology even further, making it faster, more precise, and more accessible to individuals, hobbyists, small businesses, and large manufacturers alike.
If you are new to the world of laser engravers, they are high-precision machines that use focused laser beams to engrave, mark, or cut materials. They work by directing an intense beam of laser light onto a surface, generating heat that either removes layers of material (engraving) or cuts through it completely.
We recently came across an interesting Laser Engraver in the form of Creality Falcon A1. The name “Creality” is very popular in the 3D Printing community. They have a variety of 3D Printers for budget-conscious individuals as well as small-medium businesses.
Creality Falcon is their sub-brand focusing on the laser engraving technology. While the Creality Falcon 2 and Falcon 2 Pro are aimed at professionals (with lasers up to 60W), the newly-launched Creality Falcon A1 is more of a hobbyist-grade laser engraver with a small (yet powerful) 10W laser.
This is the review of the Creality Falcon A1 Laser Engraver. Here, we would like share our experiences of this device and help you in making a buying decision. Spoiler Alert! If you are a newbie looking to get your first laser engraving machine, then the Creality Falcon A1 could potentially be the solution. Continue with the review to find out more.
One of the first things you’ll notice about the FalconA1 is its enclosed design. Unlike open-frame engravers, the Falcon A1’s enclosed structure offers better protection against laser exposure and smoke containment. This is ideal for home users and workshops where safety is a priority.
With dimensions of 567×468×196 mm and weight of 15.98 kg, the Creality Falcon A1 is compact and not too heavy. You can comfortably place the unit on a desk or a shelf.
Both the top and front of the unit has tempered glass doors. You can use either doors to access the inside of the machine. The left side of the unit has all the ports (power, USB, air inlet, etc.) while the rear of the unit has the exhaust port.
When you lift the top lid, you will notice an interesting thing mounted on the inside of the lid; a Camera. This camera module makes use of AI to detect the material and automatically adjusts the laser head and all the necessary settings. You don’t have to fiddle with anything in the software.
Next is the laser module. Since the Falcon A1 is primarily targeted towards beginner artists and creators, we get a moderate 10W laser power. This may seem less powerful but this is laser we are talking about. You can engrave or cut through materials using this laser module with ease. Speaking of materials, you can work on wood (hardwood, plywood, bamboo), paper (cardboard, kraft paper), leather, coated metal (you can carve into stainless steel but other metals must be coated), acrylic, and many more.
One of the best things about the Falcon A1 is that it comes pre-assembled out of the box. You don’t have to mess with the laser module or the motors. All you have to do is connect a couple of external attachments and you are good to go. This is why we have been calling it one of the most beginner-friendly laser engravers out there.
What about calibration? Again, everything is factory-calibrated with zero assembly and no need for any calibration. This applies to the “XY” motion of the laser head as well as the camera module.
Coming to the installation, the first thing we need to connect to the main unit is the air assist equipment (basically an air compressor) using the silicone tube. The next important thing is the exhaust hose. As this an enclosed laser engraver, we need some path for the smoke to escape and this is where the exhaust hose comes in handy. We can stretch the hose and divert the smoke through a window.
After this, we can plug all the cables (power for the main unit, power for the air compressor, and USB cable), use the safety key to unlock the unit, and we are ready to engrave our first piece of art. It hardly takes 10 minutes from unboxing to starting the engraving process.
Let us talk performance. Before that, the package comes with a special tool that helps you set the focus of the laser depending on the thickness of the material you are using. Very useful.
You can use popular software such as LightBurn with Creality Falcon A1 but Creality has a new software specifically for Creality Falcon Laser Engravers, known as “Falcon Design Space”. It is completely free and comes with some ready-to-use designs.
The software is still in its beta release but most of the functionality is up and running. You can easily import your own designs or images into the software and trace them. The software lets you edit nodes, separate shapes and close lines, create arrays, and many more. Apart from some standard shapes and text editing tools, the Falcon Design Space also has a ‘Pen’ tool that allows you to freely draw any line/shape. If you are familiar with LightBurn or other similar software, then you will find the Falcon Design Space not that different or difficult. If this is your first software, you need to spend some time with it to get used to all the different features.
One of the USP of the Creality Falcon A1 is its camera system. When you combine the camera module with the Falcon Design Space software, you can get real-time preview of the work area where you can adjust the design very precisely.
Another benefit of the camera module is its AI feature which detects the type of material you use. It also lets you place multiple materials simultaneously. For example, you can place wood, leather, and metal keychains and engrave the same design in a single go. The unit will take care of all the settings automatically.
Once you load a design and click that ‘Start’ button, the Falcon A1 comes to life and does the job super-fast. Depending on the design and the type of job (engraving or cutting), the Falcon A1 can reach speeds up to 600 mm/s. Creality calls this CoreXY Motion System.
The 10W laser does an excellent job at engraving. If you want to cut through materials using the Falcon A1, then the 10W laser module can cut through up to 9.6mm of Acrylic and 6mm of Wood board (at one time). While in operation, we can hardly hear any noise from the machine.
Another impressive thing about the Falcon A1 laser engraver is its resolution. The laser module on the Creality Falcon A1 can produce a laser spot of dimension 0.06×0.08mm. This enables you to engrave with ultrafine quality and crisp details. If your design consists of engraving portraits of humans or pets, the tiny resolution of the Falcon A1 produces great details (for example, hair or fur looks very good).
The Falcon A1 has a relatively large working area of 381×305 mm. This is slightly smaller that some of the other models from Creality but we feel it is more than enough for most of the beginner projects.
When working with dangerous devices like lasers, safety is utmost priority and Creality Falcon A1 doesn’t skimp on this.
This combination of high speed, precision, and strong safety features makes the Falcon A1 one of the most user-friendly laser engravers on the market.
The price of the Creality Falcon A1 is $549. However, as a part of their launch promotion, Creality Falcon is offering the A1 for just $499 from 3.11.25 to 3.20.25.
You can also use the $30 off code: ZFA130 for additional discount.
When you consider the (almost) fully pre-assembled design with enclosed case and all the safety features, we feel this is an aggressive pricing from Creality. If you are looking to buy your first laser engraver machine, then you don’t have to break bank with Creality Falcon A1.
The Creality Falcon A1 10W Enclosed Laser Engraver is an excellent choice for anyone looking for a safe, precise, and beginner-friendly machine. Its enclosed design, built-in camera, and auto material detection make it stand out from traditional open-frame models. While it may not be the best option for heavy-duty cutting, its speed, accuracy, and safety features make it one of the best mid-range laser engravers available today.
Who Should Buy It?
Who Might Want to Look Elsewhere?
If you want any updates from Creality Falcon, you can use the following social media links (FaceBook and YouTube):
Download Falcon Design Space Software: https://crealityfalcon-laser.com/4korBIG
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