Galvo vs Gantry Lasers: The Real Upgrade for Customization Shops
In today’s fast-moving market, customization services are under constant pressure to deliver high quality results faster than ever. From promotional items to retail products everything requires more speed and consistency. The rise of galvo technology has reshaped what distributors are capable of producing, improving production speed as well as quality. They’ve helped streamline operations, reduce lead times, and most importantly provide customization at scale.
What is Galvo Technology?
Galvo Lasers use fast moving mirrors (galvanometers) to direct the laser beam across a work area – without moving the laser head. They exponentially increase the speed of marking and engraving by incorporating a Z axis into the process. Conversely, traditional gantry (flatbed) lasers physically move the laser head along the X and Y axes to achieve their mark or engraving. As you can guess, this method has a lot more wear & tear in addition to lower speed.
For distributors running high-mix, high-volume orders, the difference in speed can either create a bottleneck or fuel expansion and growth. With galvo lasers, you gain speed, accuracy, less wear and tear, and the ability to produce at scale. It creates a better production experience for your team, and a better service experience for your customers.
Where Galvo Improves Customization
In the realm of personalization, galvo laser systems provide quite an array of advantages over gantry. Highlighted by the glaring speed difference, there are many quality of life improvements that galvo lasers bring that improve the overall workflow of your shop. Production time decreases substantially, consistency across larger jobs improves, and overall throughput goes much higher. Below are the major highlighted improvements you’ll see over flatbed:
- Speeds up to 10x faster marking than flatbed
- No mechanical wear and tear from the laser head
- Handles curved or even surfaces easily
- Detail remains consistent and high quality for logo, text & barcodes
- Easily integrates with automation
Galvo lasers allow you to unlock more capacity with less downtime, allowing you to take on more jobs without increasing labor. That being said, there are still some scenarios that a gantry laser proves its value.
Gantry Lasers Still Have More Market Share
While galvo laser systems bring so much value, the market is still predominantly full of gantry systems at 70% market share. Why is that? This distribution we feel can largely be attributed to cost and availability. Due to their advanced components (high speed mirrors, more sophisticated cooling, etc.), galvo systems can range from $25,000-$75,000 (or more), whereas gantry CO₂ laser systems typically range from $15,000–$45,000. The difference in cost certainly reflects the upgrade in capability.
Galvo lasers are still relatively new to the market as well, as they didn’t begin seeing any level of regular adoption until later in the 2010s. People are often still looking to maximize the return for the machines (flatbeds) they currently have. However, the time it takes for a new system to pay itself off is faster than most would think. For those that haven’t upgraded, here is something to consider: switching technology doesn’t simply replace an older system – it enables a new layer/level of throughput and quality that separates you from competitors.
The Radian Advantage
We provide premium galvo systems for CO₂, UV, and fiber applications – trusted by distributors and custom shops nationwide. Our machines bring speed, durability, and reliability, loaded with premium components. What sets us apart for distributors:
- Support that scales – onboarding, training, and ongoing optimization
- API-ready software for automation, traceability, and real time monitoring
- Full array of accessories to help you automate
Often, galvo systems are viewed as high-end tools that have a cost that is out of reach for an upgrade. On the contrary, the ROI for upgrading is much faster than you think. For example:
“Before Radian, we operated 12 flatbed CO₂ lasers from another manufacturer. Once speaking with your team we went with a 100W CO₂ Galvo we named “Duke”. Duke took over the jobs of all 12 prior machines and the rest is history. Duke in fact, just completed an order of 10,000 stemless units in 3 days for an NFL client.”
The typical ROI for upgrading systems is anywhere between 3 to 9 months, depending on order volume and automation. When considering you are buying this machine to run for the next 10+ years, it makes the decision pretty much a no-brainer.
Conclusion: Give Your Shop the Competitive Edge
Recapping for all those working with custom products or engraving/marking services, we’ve gone over how much of a difference upgrading to a new laser system can make. It provides a lot of quality of life improvements in addition to revamped functionality for your business. Reviewing the highlights, galvo lasers let you:
- Improve your ability to handle large volume orders
- Offer more detailed & complex designs
- Take on more jobs with fewer machines & operators
Making the transition is easier than you think – and the dividends are definitely worth it. Expand your services with faster production, higher margin projects, and more available staff. Call us today at (714) 278-4333 to get started.