The Maker’s Toolbox: Acmer P3 48W CoreXY Laser Machine Review

Solid-state diode laser technology has come a long way in recent years, with many affordable options on the market today that exceed the power ratings of typical hobby CO2 lasers from just a decade ago. And thanks to that development, we’ve seen a proliferation of diode laser machines on the hobbyist/prosumer market that are very compelling. The P3 is currently Acmer’s top-of-the-line laser machine and in this review, I’ll help you figure out how it stacks up.

Acmer P3 overview

Acmer proudly markets the P3’s CoreXY kinematics, and that certainly is a unique feature. We’ve seen many CoreXY 3D printers, but not laser machines. CoreXY systems have lighter gantries, because the X and Y motors are in fixed positions. In theory, that means they can move faster — or at least accelerate faster, as there is less inertia to overcome.

Aside from that, the Acmer P3 has a few selling points. It has a large 400×400mm working, a few different laser module options, a built-in camera, a full enclosure, an optional rotary extension, and an optional automatic feeder to dramatically extend the Y axis.

The standard laser module is a two-in-one model that includes both a 10W blue diode laser and a 2W infrared laser. In addition, there is an upgrade available for a 48W blue diode laser, as well as another upgrade for a standalone 2W infrared laser.

Blue diode lasers are the most common on hobby machines and they’re pretty versatile. But they struggle with some materials that respond better to other wavelengths. Infrared lasers can handle a different set of materials and are particularly useful for engraving on some metals and light-colored plastics.

In my opinion, the optional automatic feeder is the biggest selling point of the Acmer P3. That isn’t something available from most of the competition and it has a lot of utility. Acmer says it can extend the Y axis infinitely — though I’m sure there is some kind of software limit. But you’re sure to reach a practical limit (like supporting the material) before that.

Build quality and enclosure

The Acmer P3 looks really nice and most of the materials feel like they’re of high quality. Importantly, it is completely enclosed and that is critical for safety. And that enclosure’s panels are thick rigid plastic, rather than the flimsy film some machines from other brands use.

Other than those enclosure panels, everything is sturdy metal. The frame feels strong and well-built.

The switches and connectors are okay, but some of them (like the e-stop) feel a little on the cheap side. They aren’t bad, they’re just generic low-cost components.

I also noticed that the glowing Acmer logo on the front (which looks cool) is made of 3D-printed plastic. That isn’t a big deal and it doesn’t affect functionality; heck, most people would never notice. But it is unusual to see 3D-printed parts on a production machine like this.

Overall, the Acmer P3 looks and feels like it fits into the middle of the hobbyist market. It isn’t as nice as the best machines out there, but it isn’t bad at all.

Software

Acmer has their own software, called AcmerTool. But it is still in development and users have to register to get beta access.

All of the manuals have instructions for using the P3 with LightBurn and LaserGRBL. I chose to use LightBurn, as I have a license and am experienced with it. And it appears that some of the features don’t work in LaserGRBL.

Because I used LightBurn, everything was pretty familiar. Setup, including configuring and calibrating the camera, is exactly the same as it always is in LightBurn. So is all of the functionality.

Personally, I hope Acmer continues development on AcmerTool. I may be in the minority, but I don’t love LightBurn — despite how much I use it. I prefer when laser machines have dedicated software, as it tends to be more user-friendly and doesn’t require any special configuration.

That said, LightBurn is a standard in the industry and a lot of users have experience with it. There is nothing wrong with relying on it, I just find it to be somewhat cumbersome.

As one example, if you switch between laser modules, you have to switch machine profiles in LightBurn, too — it isn’t automatic. Similarly, you have to manually activate and deactivate the rotary axis when using the rotary extension or automatic feeder.

Performance

I did most of my testing with the 48W blue diode laser, but Acmer also sent me the 2W infrared laser.

You can’t really compare diode laser power with CO2 laser power directly, but 48W is very powerful for a diode module. We’re well past the days when diode lasers were underpowered and only suitable for light engraving. This laser can cut quickly through materials like black acrylic and basswood.

This isn’t the most powerful diode laser on the market. Some competitors have 60W models and there are even a handful of 70W models that have recently become available. But 48W is still a very healthy number and more than enough for the vast majority of use cases. You aren’t going to feel like it is holding you back compared to a 60W or 70W laser.

The 2W infrared laser was less impressive, but still useful in some situations. Once again, you can’t really compare power ratings between laser types directly. That said, 2W isn’t a lot and you should mostly think of this as an option for engraving, rather than cutting. It works well on metals like brass and white acrylic.

Acmer really likes to market the P3’s CoreXY kinematics, but I’m not sure they matter that much. Realistically speaking, you aren’t going to be running the machine fast enough for it to make a difference. The exception is when doing light engraving on something easy, like basswood. In that case, the speed will help you get through jobs like photos as fast as possible.

Even if you aren’t doing that, the CoreXY kinematics certainly aren’t hurting anything and you aren’t paying much of a premium for the P3 compared to similar machines from other companies that aren’t CoreXY. So, this is one of those “might as well” situations.

Camera

The Acmer P3 has a camera built into the top of the enclosure, which you can use to place your designs on your material visually. That’s a lot more convenient than working from the origin when precision alignment isn’t important.

But this has the same problem as most cameras used with LightBurn: a complicated calibration process and poor accuracy.

The calibration process is a bit of pain and takes about 15 minutes to complete. You’ll need the calibration card (supplied by Acmer) to do it and some material (also supplied) to engrave during the process.

The accuracy problems are more frustrating. In the center of the bed, directly below the camera, it is pretty accurate. But the further you get away from the center, the worse the accuracy gets. That’s especially true for thick material that has a top surface relatively high above the bed. In the worst cases, the visual position can be as much as an inch away from where the actual engraved design ends up. That defeats the purpose, as far as I’m concerned.

But to be fair to Acmer, that is hardly unique to the P3. I’ve had the same issues with every camera-equipped laser machine I’ve used with LightBurn.

M4 rotary extension

Rotary extensions are very common for laser machines and they make a lot of sense if you plan to work on anything cylindrical, like cups and mugs. Most of the rotary units are similar, but Acmer’s M4 is actually pretty unique.

The M4 stands out because you can set it up to work in a few different ways.

My favorite is the “roller” mode, which is a bit like a hot dog roller at a gas station. I like it because it is quick and easy: just plop your cup or whatever onto the rollers.

You can also use the M4 in “ring” or “sphere” mode. Those use a three-jaw chuck, similar to what you’d see on a lathe (though much less strong and rigid). There are two different sets of jaws and also a set of posts. Between them, you can hold most things. And there is a sort of “tailstock” and an additional roller support, if you’re working on long or heavy things.

Finally, you can flip the chuck around for “chuck” mode. That seems to be for items that have a very wide diameter, as it gives you more clearance.

The M4 rotary extension wasn’t bad at all, but there were a couple of things that annoyed me.

First, you need to remove the P3’s honeycomb bed to get enough clearance to fit the M4 beneath the laser. Second, when you do that, there isn’t anything to align the rotational axis of the M4 with the X axis of the P3. You either need to eyeball it or use something like a T-square.

Lastly, it seems that you’re supposed to place the M4 close to the front edge of the machine. Not only is it difficult to get it exactly in the right Y position, but the camera is inaccurate in that area (as described in the previous section).

Together, those factors mean that it takes a fair amount of time to setup and use the M4 rotary extension. You aren’t going to want to switch back and forth between it and the normal bed very often. But once you do have it set up, it works fine.

Automatic feeder

This accessory is what had me the most excited about the Acmer P3. I have a lot of laser machines in my home, but none of them can handle particularly long material. The potential afforded by the automatic feeder really attracted me.

Unfortunately, I found it to be a little disappointing.

It isn’t bad — the build quality and materials are pretty decent, with a sheet metal structure similar to the P3 itself. And it functions as designed, grabbing and feeding material properly.

But it has similar issues to the M4 rotary extension, in that it just kind of sits there. There aren’t any design features for alignment and positioning of the automatic feeder relative the P3. You’re supposed to push it all the way up against the front of the P3 and that takes of Y alignment, but you can slide it back and forth anywhere along the X axis.

The same is true for material in the automatic feeder — you can kind of put it anywhere. On top of that, the P3’s homing routine doesn’t work when the automatic feeder is in place, because it obstructs the path and the laser module can’t reach the limit switches. You have to manually position the laser module in both X and Y before starting and the camera isn’t any help there (at least not in Y).

Together, those factors make it really difficult to achieve repeatable accuracy and that’s a real shame.

On top of that, the feeder requires a lot of material to grip onto at the end. In effect, that means you have to leave enough material (around 150mm) at the end of your work piece for gripping and you can’t engrave on that.

Those issues won’t matter to a lot of people, but they genuinely reduce the automatic feeder’s utility in my opinion.

Air purifier

There isn’t a whole lot to say about the air purifier, except that is fine and unremarkable.

It does have a mechanical timer feature (like an egg timer) and that is handy if you’re the type to forget to turn things off.

Otherwise, it is pretty much the same as all of the other air purifiers on the market. It does a good job of sucking up and filtering smoke, but won’t completely eliminate all smells. That’s particularly true for acrid-smelling materials, like acrylic. It cuts down the smell a lot, but doesn’t get rid of it entirely. It will, however, keep your shop from getting smoky and will prevent smoke in the P3’s enclosure from blocking the laser beam.

Conclusion

Overall, I think the Acmer P3 and its accessories are average among the options on the market. They’re sturdy and well-constructed, but not all that well thought-out.

The rotary extension can be used in several ways, which is great. But setup is a pain and there isn’t an easy to way to align it. The automatic feeder works, but is also difficult to align with the P3 and to achieve repeatable cuts between setups.

In both cases, it feels like those accessories are tacked-on without much consideration put into the design to make everything work together as a coherent package. That’s something I’ve found to be true of many laser machines in this market segment.

All of that said, I think the Acmer P3’s value is pretty good. It is slightly more expensive than the Creality Falcon2 Pro 40W, which I think is the biggest competition. But it has a little more power and a much better enclosure. And the CoreXY kinematics allow for greater speed in theory — though whether you’d be able to take advantage of that in practice depends on your use.

However, for a little bit more money you can get a machine like the WeCreat Vision 40W, which I believe is a significant step up in quality, thanks to the user-friendly software, auto focus capability, and much nicer enclosure.

The Acmer P3 isn’t a slam dunk, but it is worth considering if its price and specs fit what you’re looking for.